Questionnaire measures of curiosity are difficult to use validly with young children¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2011 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2014: tool and model accuracy changes quickly

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Questionnaires are difficult to use with children because of limited reading and comprehension abilities and inability to self-assess abstract states or traits. → Jirout 2011

Evidence¶

Jirout 2011¶

Jirout, J. & Klahr, D. (2011). Children's scientific curiosity: In search of an operational definition of an elusive concept. Developmental Review (in press, draft). https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/developmental-review

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review's argument, based on its synthesis of questionnaire measures, that self-report instruments fit adults but not young children; the authors note children "lack the skills and knowledge necessary to self-assess on abstract states or traits like curiosity."

"First, children have limited reading and comprehension abilities, and second they lack the skills and knowledge necessary to self-assess on abstract states or traits like curiosity."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Traditional on-demand standardized tests pose problems when used to assess the achievement of young children in preschool program evaluations. — a broader claim this one bears on
• Cognitive ability and curiosity are positively correlated in young adults — related
• Schellings' questionnaire-thinking-aloud convergent correlation of .51 rests on a small sample and is questionable against other studies — related
• Low questionnaire–think-aloud correlations may have two alternative explanations besides poor self-report ability: the methods may measure different strategies or be aimed at different tasks — related