[Fabiola Lara]

How much probing and repeating is appropriate?

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[Fabiola Lara]

Probing and repeating are important when administering the IDELA, but it is equally important to understand when and how much is appropriate. Too little probing/repeating might bias results towards an incorrect response. A child could have known the answer but not understood the question or responded to the wrong question. Too much probing/repeating might bias results towards a correct response. A child who receives many opportunities to respond may be helped by the extra chances. In short, probing should be used to clarify your understanding of a child’s response.

[Fabiola Lara]

Probing and repeating are critical components of administering the IDELA tool, but it is important to clearly understand when and how much is appropriate. Too little probing/repeating might bias results towards an incorrect response. A child could have known the answer but not understood the question or responded to the wrong question. Too much probing/repeating might bias results towards a correct response. A child who receives many opportunities to respond may be helped by the extra chances.

Probing should be used to clarify your understanding of a child’s response. Young child are still developing their verbal abilities so sometimes they speak very softly or say things that are unclear. We probe to make sure we clearly understand the child and their intended response.

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