A child self-report exemplar: adapting administration procedures of the self-perception profile for children to reduce measurement error.
OBJECTIVE
Child self-reports can provide unique information to researchers. When the 2-step structured format of a frequently used self-concept measure resulted in unusable data during a pilot of inner-city school children, the framework of attention and executive control was used to analyze the task and adapt administration format.


METHODS
A card system was substituted for the paper format and Cronbach's alphas calculated on data obtained from 233 3rd-6th graders.


RESULTS
Complete data; alphas ranged from .58 (social competence) to .75 (behavioral conduct).


CONCLUSIONS
The use of cards to facilitate choices effectively reduced error by removing one option from view prior to completing second step. Two competence subscales (social and athletic) had alphas less than .70 suggesting further exploration with this population.
Pamela J
PJ
Galehouse
D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires