This paper presents a rationale for naturalistic assessment of young handicapped and nonhandicapped children in classrooms. The types of questions one may ask in completing such assessments and the implications for teaching are discussed. Four alternative assessment procedures are presented, with illustra generated by each.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bailey, D.B., Harms, T., & Clifford, R.M. (1983). Matching changes in preschool environments to desired changes in child behavior. Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 7, 61-68.
2.
Barker, R.G. (1968). Ecological psychology. Stanford : Stanford University Press.
3.
Barker, R.G., & Gump, P.V. (1964). Big school, small school. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
4.
Berliner, D.C. (1983). Developing conceptions of classroom environments: Some light on the T in classroom studies of ATI. Educational Psychologist, 18, 1-13.
5.
Boyer, G.,Boyer, A., & Karafin, G. (Eds.) (1973). Measure of maturation: An anthology of early childhood observation instruments. Philadelphia: Research for Better Schools.
6.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
7.
Day, D.E. (1983). Early childhood education: A human ecological approach. Glen-view, IL: Scott-Foresman .
8.
Day, D.E., Perkins, E., & Weinthaler, J. (1982). The behavior checklist of child-environment interaction. (2nd ed.). Amherst: University of Massachusetts.
9.
Day, D.E., & Sheehan, R. (1974). Elements of a better preschool. Young Children, 30, 15-30.
10.
Day, D.E., Warner, S., & Logue, M.E. (1981). The evaluation of side by side school: An integrated preschool for handicapped and nonhandicapped children: Final report. Amherst: University of Massachusetts.
11.
Fisher, C.W., & Berliner, D.C. (Eds.). (1985). Perspectives on instructional time. New York: Longman.
12.
Gump, P.V. (1967). The classroom behavior setting: Its nature and relation to student behavior. U.S. Office of Education Cooperative Research Branch, Projects 5-0334. Final Report.
13.
Harms, T., & Clifford, R.M. (1980). Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. New York: Teachers College Press.
14.
Ittelson, W.H., Rivlin, L.G., & Proskansky, H.M. (1970). The use of behavioral maps in environmental psychology. In H.M. Proskansky , W.H. lttelson, & L.G. Rivlin (Eds.), Environmental psychology (pp. 658-668). New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
15.
Kohl, F.L., & Beckman, P.J. (1984). A comparison of handicapped and non-handicapped preschoolers' interactions across classroom activities. Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 8, 49-56.
16.
Kritchevsky, S., & Prescott, E. (1977). Planning environments for young children: Physical space. Washington, DC: The Association for the Education of Young Children.
17.
McCartney, K., Scarr, S., Phillips, D., Grajek, S., & Schwarz, J.C. (1982). Environmental differences among day care centers and their effects on children's development. In E.F. Zigler & E.W. Gordon (Eds.), Day care: Scientific and social issues. Boston: Auburn House.
O'Shaughnessy, M. (n.d.) Blueprints for schooling: A case study in adaptive environments . Boston: Adaptive Environments .
20.
Oxford, R.L., Morrison, S.B., & McKinney, J.D. (1979). Classroom ecology and off-task behavior of kindergarten students. Journal of Classroom Interaction , 15, 34-40.
21.
Peck, C.A., & Cooke, T.P. (1983). Benefits of mainstreaming at the early childhood level: How much can we expect? Analysis and Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 3, 1-22.
22.
Rothenberg, M., & Rivlin, L.G. (n.d.). An ecological approach to the study of open classrooms. Mimeo.
23.
Schoggen, P. (1978). Ecological psychology and mental retardation. In P.G. Sackett (Ed.), Observing behavior: Theory and applications in mental retardation (Vol. 1). (pp. 33-62). Baltimore: University Park Press.
24.
Schuster, S.O., Murrell, S.A., & Cook, W.A. (1980). Person, setting, and interaction: Contributions to nursery school social behavior patterns. Journal of Personality , 48, 24-37.
25.
Smith, P.K., & Connolly, K.J. (1980). The ecology of preschool behavior. New York: Cambridge University Press.
26.
Stodolsky, S.S. (1984). Teacher education: The limits of looking. Educational Researcher, 13, 11-18.
27.
Stoneman, Z., Cantrell, M.L., & Hoover-Dempsey, K. (1983). The association between play materials and social behavior in a mainstreamed preschool: A naturalistic investigation. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology , 4, 163-174.
28.
Sylva, K., Roy, C., & Painter, M. (1980). Childwatching at playgroup and nursery school . Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.
29.
Tizard, B., Philips, J., & Plewis, I. (1975). Play in preschool centres: Play measures and their relation to age, sex, and IQ. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, 251.
