title: Cognitive Pretesting and the Developmental Validity of Child Self-Report Instruments: Theory and Applications.
abstract: OBJECTIVE: In the context of the importance of valid self-report measures to research and evidence-based practice in social work, an argument-based approach to validity is presented and the concept of developmental validity introduced. Cognitive development theories are applied to the self-report process of children and cognitive pretesting is reviewed as a methodology to advance the validity of self-report instruments for children. An application of cognitive pretesting is presented in the development of the Elementary School Success Profile. METHOD: Two phases of cognitive pretesting were completed to gather data about how children read, interpret and answer self-report items. RESULTS: Cognitive pretesting procedures identified validity problems with numerous items leading to modifications. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive pretesting framed by an argument-based approach to validity holds significant potential to improve the developmental validity of child self-report instruments.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Woolley
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: Natasha K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Bowen