Ann E. McDonald, Cheryl Vigen; Reliability and Validity of the McDonald Play Inventory. Am J Occup Ther 2012;66(4):e52–e60. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2012.002493
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© 2019 American Occupational Therapy Association
OBJECTIVE. This study examined the ability of a two-part self-report instrument, the McDonald Play Inventory, to reliably and validly measure the play activities and play styles of 7- to 11-yr-old children and to discriminate between the play of neurotypical children and children with known learning and developmental disabilities.
METHOD. A total of 124 children ages 7–11 recruited from a sample of convenience and a subsample of 17 parents participated in this study.
RESULTS. Reliability estimates yielded moderate correlations for internal consistency, total test intercorrelations, and test–retest reliability. Validity estimates were established for content and construct validity.
CONCLUSION. The results suggest that a self-report instrument yields reliable and valid measures of a child’s perceived play performance and discriminates between the play of children with and without disabilities.
The MPI is a valid and reliable tool for clinicians who evaluate the perceived performance in play during middle childhood for children from middle- and upper-middle-class families.
The domains of play activities and play styles assessed by the MPI provide another key facet of information contributing to the multidimensional assessment of play for children with a suspected play deficit.
Occupational therapists who work with children from similar backgrounds and locales in school district or other after-school programs could use data yielded from the MPI to guide intervention programs.
Data regarding perceived play performance contributes to a greater understanding of the personal meaning of the child’s sense of mastery or challenges during play across many different settings.
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