Validation of a role-play measure of children's social skills.
A videotape-administered role-play test of children's social skills was developed and its psychometric properties tested. Performance criteria for the test were derived from popular children's ratings of the effectiveness of different role-play responses. The test was administered to 157 fourth- and fifth-grade boys and girls who had been classified as popular, average, neglected, or rejected, on the basis of sociometric testing. The test evidenced good interrater, test-retest, and internal consistency reliabilities. Children's role-play performance correlated significantly with teacher ratings of social competence and with peer-liking ratings. Neglected children performed more poorly on the role-play test than popular children. When differences in intelligence among social status groups were statistically controlled, social status groups did not differ on the role-play test. Results of the discriminant analyses support the conclusion that teacher ratings are better than role-play tests for identifying rejected children, whereas role-play tests and measures of intelligence appear more accurate than teacher ratings for identifying neglected children.
Hughes
J N
JN
Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4225.
Boodoo
G
G
Alcala
J
J
Maggio
M C
MC
Moore
L
L
Villapando
R
R
D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011577:Psychodrama; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012381:Role Playing; D012928:Social Desirability; D012934:Social Isolation