The Validity of the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale with Urban, Low-Income Kindergarten Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS), a teacher-rating instrument of interactive play behaviors for early childhood, was valid for urban, low-income children in kindergarten. The PIPPS demonstrated construct validity, and yielded three dimensions of interactive peer play: Play Interaction, Play Disruption, and Play Disconnection. These constructs were congruent with the dimensions found for preschool children. Concurrent validity was demonstrated with a standardized instrument assessing global social skills and academic competence. Children who displayed highly interactive peer play were given high ratings by teachers for social skills and were ranked higher in the class for academic competence. Those children who were disruptive or disconnected in play were viewed by teachers as having more problem behaviors and had lower academic achievement as compared to their peers. The PIPPS also was found to have predictive validity to first grade academic performance. Children who were reported by their teachers to have effective peer interactions during play had higher teacher ratings of academic success than children who were considered disruptive or disconnected in play. Implications for policy and practice in early childhood are discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Virginia R. Hampton

Virginia R. Hampton received her Ph.D. in School, Community, and Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999. She is a postdoctoral associate in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Her primary research interests include social competence, emergent numeracy, and assessment and intervention strategies to enhance the school readiness of children in high-risk urban settings.

John W. Fantuzzo

John W. Fantuzzo received his doctorate in clinical child psychology from the Fuller Graduate School of Psychology in 1980. He is the Diana Riklis Professor of Education in the Psychology in Education Division of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. His research has focused primarily on the design, implementation, and evaluation of school-and community-based assessment and prevention strategies for vulnerable, low-income children and families in high-risk urban environments.