La valutazione del gioco nella ricerca psico-pedagogica italiana. Una sintesi di ricerca

In the literature, the play definitions and classifications are varied, and many tools and procedures for their evaluations are present. The current review investigated 6 bibliographic databases and reported the tools and the evaluation procedures about play used in the Italian psycho-pedagogical research since 1980. Seventy studies have been retrieved; 43 of them were considered relevant. Play evaluation was basically carried out with typically developing children aged 0-6 years, through tools translated from the international research and using observation as the main instrument for data collection. The retrieved studies did not focus on play participation, a research topic that is currently investigated at international level.