PROF LOUISE STROUDNELSON 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