PROF LOUISE STROUD
NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITYPORT ELIZABETHSOUTH AFRICA
GRIFFITHS III: REVISING THE SCALES FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Revisions of tests are becoming a fact of life (Butcher, 2000)
Tulsky and Ledbetter (2000) say that a horse put together by a committee need not resemble an elephant but rather may be better, more powerful, and ultimately more satisfyingly a horse
Changing from a ‘beloved and relied-upon test’ to an improved updated version is daunting
Few people give up an old shoe without a struggle
Psychological tests are susceptible to the effects of time
It is important for tests of child development to be updated regularly to ensure that they continue to accurately reflect stages of development in a modern context, and to maintain links with the broader educational context
One challenge when updating a test is the thin line between modernisation and retaining the original spirit of the measure
The team tasked with the revision of the Griffiths Mental Development Scales has tackled this quandary from the foundation up, distilling the true essence of the measure whilst rigorously holding it up to the needs of modern practitioners and up-to-date theory and psychometric influences
Extensive research at the outset of the project recognised the predominanceof new attitudes to early learning in 0 to 6 year olds
The findings of this research highlighted the need for a more extensive revision than originally anticipated
THE REVISION PROCESS – SETTING THE LANDSCAPE
Phase One – DiagnosticLiterature Review, Stakeholder Feedback and Market Research
Phase Two – Fine Grain AnalysisConstruct Development and Item Review
Phase Three – Item DesignItem Construction and Development
Phase Four – Deployment and TestingPilot testing and Sampling
Phase Five – OptimisationTest Release
Phase Six - Training
The Five Scales of the Griffiths IIIScale A: Gross-Motor Scale B: Personal-Social-EmotionalScale C: Language and CommunicationScale D: Eye and Hand Co-ordinationScale E: Foundations of Learning
THE GRIFFITHS III DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Prof Louise Stroud (South Africa)Dr Elizabeth Green (England)Mrs Hilary Lane (Ireland)Dr Sue Bloomfield (Scotland)Dr Ruth Paradice (Wales)Dr Paula McAlinden (Northern Ireland)Mrs Rosemary O’Connell (Ireland)Mr Johan Cronje (South Africa)Prof Cheryl Foxcroft (South Africa)Mrs Rivca Marais (South Africa)
“Every child needs at least one adult who is irrationally crazy about him or her”
Urie Bronfenbrenner