Abstract
The assessment of self-regulated learning is a relevant research topic in early childhood development. However, there are few measures to assess self-regulated learning in preschool as a dynamic and multidimensional process. This study aims to fill this gap by presenting the development and validation of the Dynamic Assessment of Self-regulation in Preschool (DASP) method. A dynamic assessment of the construct may constitute an important contribution, as it enables to cross observational, verbal and performance data. To achieve the study’s aim, 214 preschool children were asked to participate in the study voluntarily with parental consent. The DASP method was developed within a theoretical framework of self-regulation, including all cyclical phases, namely, forethought, performance and self-reflection. Specifically, this method requires children to be questioned in the forethought and self-reflection phases, and observed in the performance phase, as the researcher notes their strategies. This method is used while children engage in authentic preschool tasks. In this study, children performed the Clown task (cognitive task) and the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (motor task). Item Response Theory analyses provided good item fit (forethought: .99, performance: 1.00, self-reflection: .99) of the DASP method, good values of the tasks’ reliability (Clown: .92; HTKS: .85) and evidence of the participants’ difficulty level in completing the tasks. Results indicated that the children experienced more difficulty in the performance phase, as opposed to the other phases. The potentialities, constraints and implications of the DASP method will be discussed in terms of contributions for theory and practice.
Author Information
Janete Silva Moreira, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Ana Margarida Veiga Simão, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Paula Costa Ferreira, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Maria Itália Temudo, University of Lisbon, Portugal
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