Measuring self-concept among African-Americans: validating the factor structure of the self-perception profile for adolescents.
The purpose of this investigation was to examine the reliability and factor structure of the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA) with African-Americans. While the SPPA has demonstrated strong psychometric properties with European-Americans, limited information exists with African-Americans. Three hundred and ten (N = 310) female adolescents, from 14 through 18 years of age, completed the SPPA. Estimations of internal consistency reliability with Cronbach's alpha (alpha), item suitability with Pearson (gamma) correlations, and evaluation of factor structure fit utilizing principle axis extraction with oblimin (oblique) rotation were conducted. When compared with Harter's normative data, psychometric properties of the SPPA varied significantly with the current sample. Findings suggested cautious interpretation of data generated with demographically similar cohorts. Further study is warranted to ascertain the factor structure that is most relevant for use with African-American adolescents.
College of Nursing, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA. ypyoung@dillard.edu
Yolanda M
YM
Powell-Young
Ida J
IJ
Spruill
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D003120:Colorado; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D011581:Psychological Tests; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept