Preferences for Activities of Children

Abstract

The Preferences for Activities of Children (PAC) is a supplementary tool designed to complement the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE). While the CAPE measures actual participation and enjoyment, the PAC specifically focuses on inventorying the preferences children hold regarding the activities listed within the CAPE framework. This instrument is crucial for understanding the motivational drivers behind a child’s engagement patterns.

The PAC tool evaluates preferences across five distinct dimensions of participation: diversity of activities, intensity of involvement, level of enjoyment derived, social context (with whom), and environmental context (where). The questions typically cover activities performed or preferred over the preceding four months. Administration involves direct interaction with the child, often supplemented by discussions with parents or caregivers, and can be completed independently by the child or collaboratively with an examiner.

Keywords

Preferences for Activities of Children, PAC, Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, CAPE, participation, activity preference, pediatric assessment, occupational therapy, questionnaire.

Authors

King G, et al. (2004), Bult MK, et al. (2010) (Dutch Version)

Purpose

The primary purpose of the PAC is to capture the subjective choices and desires of children regarding their engagement in various activities. By isolating preference from actual participation (which might be limited by environmental or physical constraints), the PAC helps clinicians and researchers identify activities that are intrinsically motivating for the child. This information is vital for goal setting in intervention planning, particularly in occupational therapy and pediatric rehabilitation.

The scale serves as a comprehensive preference inventory, ensuring that intervention strategies are tailored to maximize the child’s potential for meaningful and enjoyable participation. It provides a deeper qualitative understanding of the child’s inner world of leisure and social engagement beyond mere observation of behavior.

Construct

The PAC measures the construct of Activity Preference within the broader domain of child participation. This construct is operationalized through five core dimensions that define the nature of participation:

• Diversity: The range of different activities the child prefers.
• Intensity: The frequency or degree of involvement preferred in specific activities.
• Enjoyment (Plezier): The anticipated or desired level of pleasure derived from an activity.
• Social Context (Met wie): The preferred social partners or group size for the activity.
• Environmental Context (Waar): The preferred setting or location for engaging in the activity.

By assessing these dimensions, the PAC provides a detailed profile of the child’s desired activity engagement, differentiating it clearly from participation measures like the CAPE, which focus on current or past performance.

Validity

While specific detailed validity studies for the original 2004 PAC scale are often published alongside the CAPE, initial development focused on ensuring strong Content Validity. The items were derived directly from the extensive list of activities included in the companion CAPE instrument, ensuring comprehensive coverage of typical childhood leisure, recreation, and social activities.

Furthermore, studies establishing Construct Validity typically examine the relationship between PAC preference scores and corresponding CAPE enjoyment scores, hypothesizing a strong positive correlation, especially in children without significant environmental barriers. Criterion Validity is often assessed by comparing PAC scores against established measures of quality of life or child satisfaction, confirming that preferred activities correlate positively with overall well-being.

Reliability

The reliability of the PAC, particularly the revised and translated versions, is generally evaluated using standard psychometric properties. Internal Consistency is measured using Cronbach’s Alpha, focusing on the homogeneity of items within the five dimensions of participation preference (diversity, intensity, enjoyment, social context, and environmental context).

Test-Retest Reliability is crucial for preference measures, ensuring that a child’s stated preferences remain stable over a short period (e.g., two to four weeks), provided no major life changes have occurred. Reliable administration procedures, whether independent or examiner-assisted, are critical to ensuring consistent data collection across different clinical settings and populations.

Factor Analysis

Formal Factor Analysis is typically employed during the development and adaptation phases of the PAC to confirm the underlying structure of the preference construct. The analysis aims to verify that the item groupings align with the five hypothesized dimensions of participation preference.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA and CFA) studies often support a multidimensional model, confirming the differentiation between factors such as the “What” (diversity/intensity of activity itself) and the “Context” (social and environmental settings). Successful factor analysis ensures the scale maintains its theoretical integrity and that the subscales provide meaningful, distinct measures of preference.

Instrument

Test Type: Questionnaire (Self-report/Interview Supplement)

Format: Structured inventory administered directly to the child, often using visual aids or activity cards corresponding to the CAPE activities. Questions reference activity preferences over the last 4 months.

Language Available: Original English; Dutch version (Bult MK, et al., 2010).

Population Group: Children, typically those requiring assessment of participation patterns in clinical or educational settings.

Age Group: Typically utilized for school-aged children, often ranging from 6 to 12 years, depending on the version and adaptation.

Population Details: The scale is designed for use across various populations, including typically developing children and those with physical, developmental, or cognitive disabilities, to ensure inclusive assessment of preferred activities.

Test Methodology: Administration can be conducted by the child independently or collaboratively with an examiner, therapist, or researcher. It is often used in conjunction with interviews with parents and caregivers to provide a holistic view of the child’s preferred activities and potential barriers to participation. The original explanation form (Toelichtingsformulier) for this instrument can be downloaded here: PAC-form.pdf.

Keywords

Pediatric measurement, activity preference, occupational assessment, child motivation, leisure activities, psychometrics, questionnaire, rehabilitation.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original conceptualization and development of the PAC occurred in 2004 (King G, et al.), serving as a critical companion to the CAPE. The Dutch adaptation was published in 2010 (Bult MK, et al.).

Usage permissions and associated fees are typically managed by the original authors or the publishing institutions/organizations holding the copyright for the CAPE/PAC scales. Researchers and clinicians should consult the relevant academic publications or official distributors for current licensing requirements and costs before administration.

Reference’s

• King, G., Law, M., King, S., Rosenbaum, P., Kertoy, M., & Bot, J. (2004). The Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) and Preferences for Activities of Children (PAC). Toronto: McMaster University.
• Bult, M. K., Verschuren, O., Gorter, J. W., & van Hulst, K. (2010). Nederlandse vertaling en psychometrische evaluatie van de CAPE en PAC. [Dutch translation and psychometric evaluation of the CAPE and PAC].
• Further specific references related to the psychometric properties of the PAC are typically found in publications detailing the validation of the CAPE, as the instruments are designed to be used concurrently.

Items of the Preferences for Activities of Children

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The PAC utilizes the same extensive list of activities (typically over 50 items) as the companion Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE). For each activity, the child is asked to rate their level of preference or desire to participate, often using a three-point or five-point Likert scale (e.g., “Not interested,” “A little interested,” “Very interested”). The specific items are proprietary to the scale developers and are not provided in the source metadata.