by Hanna Vock

 
For a few years we used to recommend the “Interessenfragebogen für Kindergarten 1. (2.) Klasse” [Questionnaire on Child’s Interests for Kindergarten and 1st (2nd) Form] in our Certificate Courses. It can be found in Joelle Huser’s book “Lichtblick für Helle Köpfe” [Bright Spot for Bright Minds] (see: Bibliography). It is based on a concept by Renzulli.

The idea of a questionnaire on the child’s interests and a number of questions from it have proven quite useful in our practical work, when trying to find out about the current interests of the more talented children in more detail. In the course of our work we have then come up with some new ideas, so that we decided to create our own questionnaire, which you can find below.

It is important to keep in mind that the questionnaire should only be used if there is a substantiated suspicion or even certainty about a child’s extraordinary or high ability.

The questionnaire is not a diagnostic instrument (in the way of a test of giftedness) and cannot be used as such. It is not suitable for whole groups – frustration on the side of the kindergarten teacher and more so on the side of the children is to be expected when questions are not being understood, which is highly probable for 3 – 4 years old children who are not gifted.

Frustration may also occur when children are under the impression that the same question is being asked over and over again, because they do not grasp the subtle differences between some of the questions.

So before putting the questionnaire to use there should be thorough observation and evaluation as to the child’s ability to understand the questions.

With bright and gifted children the questionnaire shows its true value as it triggers an intensive exchange on the special interests, thoughts and abilities of the child.

This will work especially well if the questions are not simply being answered one by one, but if all opportunities for further inquiry and a deeper exchange are seized. This, of course, calls for a quiet and undisturbed atmosphere.

The benefit for the group may lie in deriving ideas for group activities and projects from such conversations.

We keep getting reports of gifted children taking the “interview” quite seriously and making an effort to express themselves precisely. The examples given are to show how kindergarten teachers asked and how children answered.

Frequently the interview itself is but the beginning of a series of in-depth exchanges which do not only lead to a better understanding of the child, but also result in ideas for projects in kindergarten.

Recommendation:

Deposit the questionnaire in the team’s ring binder or in the manual for quality management so that the implementation of the questionnaire will not be forgotten.

See also:
Examples of Working with the Questionnaire and a Selection of Interesting Answers

See also:
PDF-Format for Print-Out

 

Questionnaire:
What is the child currently interested in, what are its present intellectual pursuits?

Name and age of the child: _______________________________

Date of the interview: _______________________________

The questionnaire can also be worked on in several sessions, especially with children
of ages 3 – 4.

Who is the interviewer?: _______________________________
1) Have you got a favourite toy? What do you like playing with the most?

______________________________________________________________

2) Who do you like playing with the most?

______________________________________________________________

3) And then what do you play when you’re together?

______________________________________________________________

4) What have you been thinking about yesterday or today?

______________________________________________________________

5) Have you got a best friend?

______________________________________________________________

6) Is there anything that you fear?

______________________________________________________________

7) Is there anything that you really like collecting? Have you got a ‘treasure
chest’?

______________________________________________________________

8) What are you really good at?

______________________________________________________________

9) What would you like to learn?

______________________________________________________________

10) What’s your favourite thing to do in kindergarten – and why?

______________________________________________________________

11) What is difficult for you in kindergarten?

______________________________________________________________

12) What do you not like at all about kindergarten?

______________________________________________________________

13) Can you tell me what it is that you don’t like about it?

______________________________________________________________

14) Is there anything that often bothers you in kindergarten? What keeps
driving you mad?

______________________________________________________________

15) Name one toy that you have got at home and that is really important
to you – a toy that must never be thrown away.

______________________________________________________________

16) Can you tell me why it is so important to you?

______________________________________________________________

17) What is your favourite book or your favourite story?

______________________________________________________________

18) What is it that you like so much about it?

______________________________________________________________

19) What do you like watching on TV or on DVD?

______________________________________________________________

20) What do you like about it so much?

______________________________________________________________

21) What is the next thing you want to learn here in kindergarten?

______________________________________________________________

22) Have you ever done something that made you really proud of yourself?

______________________________________________________________

23) Which profession do you like a lot? And why?

______________________________________________________________

24) Which profession do you not like at all? And why?

______________________________________________________________
25) Who is the best person for you to talk to?

______________________________________________________________

26) Imagine you met a person who knows everything about the world and
about life, somebody who knows even much more than your parents.
What would you want to ask that person?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

27) Is there a rule here in kindergarten that you find really stupid?

______________________________________________________________

28) For the children to fill out:

Mark the field of your choice with a fat dot or a cross.

Print version (.pdf).

 

These questions may be asked additionally when interviewing
5 or 6 years old children: 

29) What would you change if you were the king or the queen?

______________________________________________________________

30) Is there something you can do better than even your mum or your dad?

______________________________________________________________

31) What wish have you got that might never be fulfilled?

______________________________________________________________

32) What have you ever taught to someone? And what was it?

______________________________________________________________

33) Have you ever made up a game all by yourself? And how does it go?

______________________________________________________________

(The questions 29 – 33 are from the book “Frag mich” [Ask Me],
or strongly resemble the questions therein.)

 

Published in German: January 2012
Copyright © Hanna Vock, see Imprint
Translated by Arno Zucknick

The translation of this article was made possible by
Sabine Handke, Bad Soden am Taunus, Germany.