Measure reliability of the Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Children Scale via Rasch analysis

Abstract

Background The self‐concept of children has an impact on later behavioural development and psychopathology; therefore, evidence of the accurate measurement of self‐concept is important. Harter and Pike's (1984, Child Development, 55, 1969) commonly used measure of self‐concept, the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Children, has demonstrated varying evidence of its construct validity and reliability, particularly with preschool‐ or kindergarten‐aged participants. Aim To examine the measurement properties of the Acceptance and Competence measures, and to substantiate the measures’ adequacy within the latter participant age range. Sample One hundred and ninety‐seven preschool or kindergarten‐aged children (M = 5.40 years, SD = 0.30) provided data as part of the Animal Fun study over three measurement periods. Methods The study conducted a pair of Rasch analyses on the Acceptance and Competence measures described prior, with adherence to the assumptions of univariate measurement, item fit, item invariance, and response category adequacy examined as part of these analyses. Results While the Acceptance measure demonstrated adequate reliability outside of some potentially misfitting items, the study identified several limitations for the Competence measure, including potential gender‐based and verbal IQ‐based response biases. Conclusions Practitioners and research applications of these subscales may benefit from the response recoding recommendations provided in this study for the Acceptance measure, as they improved the measure's properties. The study provides potential solutions to item adequacy concerns, and avenues for future research, involving these measures.

Effects of Asian cultural values on parenting style and young children’s perceived competence: A cross-sectional study

“… Harter and Pike (1984) developed the 24-item scale with pictures covering the domains of cognitive competence (six items), physical competence (six items), peer acceptance (six items), and maternal acceptance (6 items). The scale has been tested in various countries showing good reliability and validity ( Fantuzzo et al, 1996 ; Venetsano et al, 2018 ; Heritage et al, 2020 ). Each item has two pictures: one image represents a child who can perform the task, and the second image denotes a child who cannot perform the same task.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Goal Orientation Scales in Ecuadorian Undergraduate Students

“…In recent years, important studies have applied the item response theory (IRT) methods to validate educational measures (Heritage et al, 2020). In fact, Thomas (2011) has claimed that IRT analysis, which focuses on the quality of items in measuring underlying constructs, is a valuable complement to classical test theory approaches (e.g., factor analysis and internal consistency analysis).…”

Okul Öncesi Dönemdeki Çocukların Sosyoekonomik Düzeylerine Göre Baba-Çocuk İlişkisi ve Akran Oyun Davranışları Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

“…Ebeveynlerin çocuklarının sosyal ve duygusal gelişimini desteklemeye yönelik davranışları; onların kendilerine güvenen, yaratıcı, bağımsız ve kendi haklarını korumasını bilen, başkalarıyla işbirliği ve dayanışma içerisine girebilen, kendisiyle ve çevresiyle barışık, dengeli ve uyumlu bir kişilik yapısı geliştirmelerinde etkili olabilmektedir (Tarkoçin & Tuzcuoğlu, 2014). Çocukların ebeveynleri ve akranları tarafından istenilmesi, kabul edilmesi ve sevildiğini bilmesi onları güvende hissettirir (Heritage, Mancini, Rigoli & Piek, 2019). Anne babası ve akranlarından sosyal kabul açısından olumlu dönütler alan çocuklar daha dost canlısı, empati yeteneği gelişmiş, güvenilir kişiler olarak tanımlanmakta ve toplumda olumlu sosyal davranışlar sergilemektedirler.…”