Beyond letters and numbers: Conceptualizing and measuring the inputs and outcomes of play across contexts

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

For centuries, developmental scientists have emphasized play as a universal means through which children develop foundational skills for healthy development. Nevertheless, applied research has largely judged the effectiveness of childhood programs and policies using academic measures developed for White, middle-class populations from the Global North, limiting understanding of the holistic developmental strengths of the world’s children. In this symposium, we use findings from diverse global settings to introduce a new set of frameworks for conceptualizing and measuring the inputs and outputs of play in early and middle childhood. The first paper focuses on the inputs of play by presenting results from a new initiative in Kenya, Ghana, Colombia, and Jordan to measure how adults support 0- to 12-year-olds’ learning through play and self-sustained engagement. The second and third papers focus on the outcomes of play. Specifically, the second paper uses results of a global, multidisciplinary literature review and measurement categorization exercise to present evidence on the malleability, measurability, predictive validity, and universality of a proposed set of foundational skills related to play in the early childhood period. Finally, the third paper presents findings from qualitative research conducted with school-age children, parents, and educators in Colombia, Haiti, Honduras, and Liberia regarding how social and emotional skills are defined and valued in these settings, as well as how this information can be leveraged to develop context-specific assessments. We will end the session with discussant comments focused on the substantive, empirical, and practical implications of this collective body of work.

Sub Unit

• Methods, History, Theory

Chair

• Terri Sabol, Northwestern University

Discussant

• Sharon Wolf, University of Pennsylvania

Individual Presentations

• Measuring support for children’s self-sustaining engagement in learning in Colombian, Ghanaian, Jordanian, and Kenyan preschool and primary classrooms - Presenting Author: Hirokazu Yoshikawa, New York University; Matthew Jukes, RTI International; Tahiya Mahbub; Sharon Kim; Peggy Dubeck; Jonathan Stern, RTI International; Kellie Lynne Betts, RTI International; Tabitha Nduku; Casey Moran; Kendra Strouf, New York University; Sharon Wolf, University of Pennsylvania

• Overcoming the streetlight effect: Shining light on under-represented skills of human development in early childhood - Presenting Author: Dana Charles McCoy, Harvard University; Terri Sabol, Northwestern University

• Measuring what matters: Understanding the nuances of social and emotional skills prioritized by children, parents and teachers in Colombia, Haiti, Honduras, and Liberia - Presenting Author: Nikhit D'Sa, University of Notre Dame