The Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), through the Center for Life-Span Development (CLSD), is strengthening its collaboration in the development and application of the Fairy Tale Test (FTT) through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Projective Fairy Tale Test Society of Greece. This collaboration supports the development of psychological assessment, research, education, and the broader and more responsible use of the Fairy Tale Test in Indonesia.
The Fairy Tale Test is a projective psychological assessment tool used to understand an individual’s personality dynamics, particularly in children, through their responses to stories and fairy tale characters. The instrument has been translated and standardized in several countries, including France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, Poland, and Russia. However, the Fairy Tale Test has not yet been adapted and standardized for the Indonesian context. Adaptation is therefore necessary to ensure that the instrument can be used appropriately and meaningfully in accordance with Indonesian cultural contexts. Through this collaboration, the FTT will be officially adapted into Indonesian to support its valid use within the country’s cultural context.
The Fairy Tale Test is designed for children aged 6–12 and was developed by Carina Coulacoglou as part of her doctoral dissertation at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. The instrument consists of 21 cards divided into seven sets, illustrated by artist and graphic designer Anthony Glykos, along with a manual and a protocol containing a series of standardized questions and children’s responses. The characters featured on the cards are drawn from popular fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Jack and the Beanstalk. In these stories, the characters’ thoughts and emotions are not explicitly depicted. Through identification with these characters, children project their own thoughts, emotions, and conflicts.
The collaboration involves the UGM Faculty of Psychology, represented by Rahmat Hidayat, S.Psi., M.Sc., Ph.D., Dean for the 2021–2026 term, and Aikaterini (Carina) Coulacoglou, the administrator and author of the Fairy Tale Test. The collaboration is coordinated by the CLSD team, comprising Wahyu Widhiarso, S.Psi., M.A., as Project Manager; Prof. Dr. Tina Afiatin, M.Si., Psikolog, as Head of CLSD; and researchers from CLSD.
Through this collaboration, the parties have agreed to establish an output-based research partnership. The scope of the collaboration includes translating the FTT manual into Indonesian, collecting 1,200 valid data protocols from children aged 6–12 across five regions—Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Kupang, Riau, and East Kalimantan—and conducting validation, norming, publication, and distribution of the work in Indonesia. The translation of the manual and data collection are scheduled to take place from September 1, 2026, to February 29, 2028.
The collaboration is expected to provide a platform for exchanging knowledge and experience among academics, researchers, and practitioners. In addition to supporting competency development, the partnership will create opportunities for scientific activities that enrich research on psychological assessment, particularly assessments used to understand children’s psychological experiences and dynamics.
“This provides CLSD with an opportunity to continue learning, sharing, and contributing more to our country,” said Prof. Dr. Tina Afiatin, M.Si., Psychologist, Head of CLSD.
In implementing the collaboration, the UGM Faculty of Psychology is committed to ensuring that all research activities comply with research ethics, including obtaining consent from parents and schools before collecting data from children. The assessment tool must be administered by appropriately qualified professionals and used in accordance with established procedures, ethical standards, and assessment contexts. Strengthening the competencies of its users is therefore an important aspect of this collaboration.
Beyond supporting academic activities, the partnership is also expected to encourage research that addresses societal needs. Further research and studies are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the use of the Fairy Tale Test in various contexts, including education, clinical practice, and child development.
This collaboration highlights the importance of partnerships between universities and professional organizations in advancing psychological knowledge and practice. The signing of the MoA between the UGM Faculty of Psychology and the Projective Fairy Tale Test Society is expected to mark the beginning of a sustainable partnership while reinforcing the Faculty’s commitment to advancing scientific, ethical, and socially relevant psychological assessment.
Writer: Raden Roro Anisa Anggi Dinda
Photo: Lina Kivaka – Pexels