Test of Playfulness (ToP)

Title of assessment: Test of Playfulness

Author(s): Anita Bundy, ScD, OTR, FAOTA

Year of Publication: 2005

Publisher: Bundy

Identify Type of Assessment: Observation-based behavior rating scale 

Cost: $36.49

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Occupational-Therapy-Children-Diane-Parham/dp/032302954X

Population: Designed for typically developing children aged 6 months through 18 years who require assessment of aspects of play such as motivation, social interaction, and behaviors.

Appropriate Settings: Familiar play settings, indoor and outdoors, with familiar playmates present.

Purpose of Assessment and Function Areas Assessed: This is administered by observing children engaging in free play. Occupation of play is assessed by the child’s playfulness. It assesses the child's engagement, motivation, social interactions, and creativity while playing. 

Administration: Time to administer: 15-20 minutes for free play and observation for 20-30 minutes- including scoring. It has 68 items, each reflecting a defined behavioral trait. Traits represent 4 elements of playfulness: (1) Intrinsic Motivation, (2) Internal Control, (3) Disengagement From Constraints of Reality, and (4) Framing. Child is observed by trained examiner and rated on 3 playfulness scales: (1) extent, (2) intensity, and (3) skillfulness. Ratings range from 0 (lowest) to 3 (highest).

User Qualifications: There are no specific required trainings needed.

Materials Required: Familiar toys or objects that can be used in play, a familiar caregiver should play with the child, and protocol sheet.

Scoring Procedure: ToP keyform may be used for scoring; it shows the relative difficulty of each item called the measure score. The examiner circles all the scores awarded on ToP items on the ToP Protocol Sheet 

Psychometrics/Standardization: Reliability: O’Brien and Shirley (2001) found that ToP scores remained stable over several years, with moderate test-retest coefficients. Internal consistency showed the Cronbach’s α equivalent near 1.00.

Validity: First 2 Versions were based on literature review; Version 3 scores correlated (0.46) with Children’s Playfulness Scale. ToP and Pediatric Volitional Questionnaire measured similar constructs. ToP appeared valid across several cultural groups according to data collected in multiple countries. Data from 94% of items, 95% of environments, and 96% of ratings conformed to expectation of Rasch model. Version 4 was revised to improve operational definitions, and items were added to be sensitive to small changes after intervention. 

Strengths: It does not require extra equipment or objects. 

Weaknesses: It is not standardized so it could be hard to compare results.