The Development of a Direct Observation Code for Use in Preschool Settings

Abstract

With the passage of recent preschool legislation, it is essential that school psychologists are prepared to assess children's behaviors and their interactions with others within specific contexts such as classrooms. Furthermore, assessment procedures are needed that may be applied throughout the intervention process. This article reports the development of an observation system, Preschool Observation Code (POC), for use across the phases of preschool intervention design and evaluation. The purpose of the code, the procedures used for code, the procedures used for code construction, and two related studies of interrater and criterion-referenced agreement are described. Practical issues related to direct observation and preschool assessment are discussed.