Creation and Validation of an Observational Tool to Assess Children's Domain-General Skills at Museum Exhibits

ABSTRACT

Research on the skills children display in museums often focuses on specific domains of knowledge and ability. However, museum exhibits also may provide opportunities for children to practice domain-general skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and confidence. This article describes the development of a 14-item observational tool (the Museum Exhibit Skills Inventory; MESI) that may be used to measure the extent to which children display some of these domain-general skills in different hands-on museum environments. In Study 1, interrater reliability for measure items was examined. In Study 2, the results of a principal component analysis suggested a 3-factor model for the MESI. In Study 3, confirmatory factor analyses revealed good fit for both a 3-factor model and a 5-factor model, and this study demonstrated strong convergent validity between the MESI and the Scale for Teachers' Assessment of Routines Engagement (McWilliam, 2000).

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the families who participated in the study, along with the staff at the Children's Discovery Museum in Normal, IL, and Shari Buckellew. Also, I would like to thank Danielle Alesi, JonTayé Bonds, Shelly Braxton, Daisy Bueno, Jordan Lewis, and Brooke Wennmacher for their assistance in data collection and data entry.

About the author

Gregory S. Braswell, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Illinois State University's Department of Psychology. His research interests are in children's interactions with adults, peers, and objects in museums, classrooms, and homes. Address correspondence to: Gregory S. Braswell, Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4620, Normal, IL 61790-4620, USA. E-mail: [email protected].