Since play wears many faces, occupational therapists (OTs) are concerned with the ways it may be expressed. Because adaptability is an important by-product of approaching activity in a playful manner, playfulness is a valuable outcome of occupational therapy. The Test of Play fulness (ToP) is an observational assessment requiring no special equipment. It represents a conceptualization of playfulness drawn from the literature. The purpose of this paper was to trace the development of the ToP and examine its preliminary construct and concurrent validity and inter-rater reliability. Validity and reliability were examined using the many-faceted Rasch analysis. Concurrent validity was examined by comparing children's ToP scores with their scores on the Children's Playfulness Scale. Results suggested that the ToP is both valid and reliable when applied to children, with or without disabilities, between 15 months and 10 years.
AndersonJ.HinojosaJ., & StrauchC. (1987). Integrating play in neurodevelopmental treatment. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 41, 421–426.
2.
AngoffW.H. (1988). Validity: An evolving concept. In WainerH. & BraunH. I. (Eds.), Test validity. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
3.
BarnettL.A. (1990). Playfulness: Definition, design, and measurement. Play & Culture, 3, 319–336.
4.
BarnettL.A. (1991). The playful child: Measurement of a disposition to play. Play & Culture, 4, 51–74.
5.
BarnettL.A., & KleiberD.A. (1982). Concomitants of playfulness in early childhood: Cognitive abilities and gender. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 141, 115–127.
6.
BatesonG. (1972). Toward a theory of play and fantasy. In BatesonG., Steps to an ecology of the mind (pp. 14–20). New York: Bantam.
7.
BledsoeN.P., & ShepherdJ.T. (1982). A study of reliability and validity of a preschool play scale. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 36, 783–788.
8.
BundyA.C. (1987). The play of preschoolers: Its relationship to balance, motor proficiency, and the effect of sensory integrative dysfunction. Doctoral dissertation, Boston University.
9.
BundyA.C. (1992, June). Play: The most important occupation of children. Sensory Integration Special Interest Section Newsletter15, (2) p. 1.
10.
BundyA.C. (1993). Assessment of play and leisure: Delineation of the problem. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 47, 217–222.
11.
BundyA.C. (1997). Play and playfulness: What to look for. In ParhamL.D. & FazioL.S. (Eds), Play in occupational therapy for children (pp. 56–62). St. Louis: Mosby.
12.
BundyA.C., & CliftonJ. (in press). Construct validity of the Children's Playfulness Scale. The Association for the Study of Play Annual Volume.
13.
CohenD. (1987). The development of play. New York: New York University.
14.
CouchK.J. (1996). The role of play in pediatric occupational therapy. Master's thesis. University of Washington.
FloreyL. (1971). An approach to play and play development. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 25, 275–278.
17.
FloreyL. (1976). Development through play. In SchaeferC. (Ed.), The therapeutic use of child's play (pp. 61–70). New York: Jason Aronson.
18.
HambletonR.K. (1989). Principles and selected applications of item response theory. In LinnR.L. (Ed.), Education measurement (3rd ed., pp. 147–200). New York: American Council on Education/Macmillan Publishing.
19.
HartleyR., & GoldensonR. (1963). The complete book of children's play. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.
20.
KielhofnerG. (1982). Occupation. In HopkinsH. & SmithH. (Eds.), Willard and Spackeman's occupational therapy (pp. 31–41). Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott.
21.
KnoxS.H. (1974). A play scale. In ReillyM. (Ed.), Play as exploratory learning (pp. 247–266). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
22.
KnoxS.H. (1997). Development and current use of the Knox Preschool Play Scale. In ParhamL.D. & FazioL.S. (Eds), Play in occupational therapy for children (pp. 35–51). St. Louis: Mosby.
23.
KooijR. (1989). Research on children's play. Play & Culture, 2, 20–34.
24.
LiebermanJ.N. (1977). Playfulness: Its relationship to imagination and creativity. New York: Academic Press.
25.
LinacreJ.M. (1989). FACETS: Computer program for many-faceted Rasch measurement. Chicago: MESA.
LunzM.E., & StahJ.A. (1990). Judge consistency and severity across grading periods. Evaluation and the Health Professions, 13, (4), 425–444.
28.
MatsutsuyuJ. (1971). Occupational behavior: A perspective on work and play. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 6, 291–294.
29.
MichelmanS. (1971). The importance of creative play. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 6, 285–290.
30.
MichelmanS. (1974). Play and the deficit child. In ReillyM. (Ed.), Play as exploratory learning (pp. 157–208). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
31.
NeumanE.A. (1971). The elements of play. New York: MSS Information.
32.
ReillyM. (Ed.). (1974). Play as exploratory learning, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
33.
RubinK.FeinG.G., & VandenbergB. (1983). Play. In MussenP.H. (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (4th ed.). Socialization, personality and social development (pp. 693–774). New York: Wiley.
34.
SingerD.G., & RummoJ. (1973). Ideational creativity and behavioral style in kindergarten aged children. Developmental Psychology, 8, 154–161.
35.
StoneF. (1991). A descriptive study of the use of play in occupational therapy. Master's thesis, University of Illinois at Chicago.
36.
Sutton-SmithB. (1970). A descriptive account of children's play between one and five years. New York: Teacher's College.
37.
TakataN. (1971). The play milieu-a preliminary appraisal. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 25, 281–284.
38.
TakataN. (1974). Play as a prescription. In ReillyM. (Ed.), Play as exploratory learning (pp. 209–246). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
