ERIC Number: EJ1045320
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0734-2829
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Multidimensional Screening Tool for Preschoolers with Externalizing Behavior: Factor Structure and Factorial Invariance
Vancraeyveldt, Caroline; Verschueren, Karine; Wouters, Sofie; Van Craeyevelt, Sanne; Colpin, Hilde
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, v32 n8 p699-709 Dec 2014
Externalizing behavior (EB) in preschool has been found to predict maladjustment later in life. Therefore, it is important to identify children most at risk for continuing EB beyond preschool. To date, a number of questionnaires are available for teachers to assist in identifying those children. A frequently overlooked aspect in this screening process is the consideration of different dimensions of EB instead of the use of broadband scales. Therefore, a brief, user-friendly teacher questionnaire was adapted to capture different dimensions of EB (hyperactivity, opposition, and physical aggression). First, the a priori three-factor structure of this questionnaire was assessed in a large sample of preschoolers (N = 3,610). Second, factorial invariance of the questionnaire over child gender and child home language was investigated. Results confirmed the three-factor structure of the questionnaire. Configural, metric, and scalar invariance was found for child gender and child home language, which indicates that teachers assigned the same meaning to the three EB-dimensions across these groups.
Descriptors: Screening Tests, Preschool Children, Behavior Problems, Aggression, Hyperactivity, Questionnaires, Teacher Attitudes, Factor Structure, Gender Differences, Native Language, At Risk Persons, Adjustment (to Environment), Foreign Countries, Factor Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Belgium
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A