How Valid Are Measures of Children’s Self-Concept/ Self-Esteem? Factors and Content Validity in Three Widely Used Scales
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12959203 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Suzanne Guerin (0000-0002-6744-7590, University College Dublin, corresponding author), Mimi Tatlow-Golden (0000-0002-8280-9131, The Open University) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1507-1528 |
| Publication date | 2018-08-18 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Child Indicators Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1874-8988 • E-ISSN: 1874-897X |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12187-018-9576-x |
| OpenAlex | W2887757970 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 21 |
Children’s self-esteem/self-concept, a core psychological construct, has been measured in an overwhelming number of studies, and the widespread use of such measures should indicate they have well-established content validity, internal consistency and factor structures. This study, sampling a demographically representative cohort in late childhood/early adolescence in Dublin, Ireland (total n = 651), examined three major self-esteem/self-concept scales designed for late childhood/early adolescence: Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale for Children 2 (Piers et al. 2002), Self-Description Questionnaire I (Marsh 1992) and Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter 1985). It also examined findings in light of the salient self factors identified by participants in a linked mixed-methods study. The factor structure of Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale was not replicated. The Self-Description Questionnaire I and Self-Perception Profile for Children were replicated only in part although in similar ways. In all three scales, a global/ appearance self evaluation factor accounted for the largest variance in factor analyses. Sport/athletic ability, school ability, school enjoyment, maths and reading ability/enjoyment, behaviour, peer popularity, and parent factors were also identified but did not always reflect existing scale structures. Notably, the factors extracted, or items present in these scales, often did not reflect young people’s priorities, such as friendship over popularity, the importance of family and extended family members, and the significance of incremental personal mastery in activities rather than assessing oneself as comparatively good at preferred activities. The findings raise questions about how self-esteem/self-concept scales are used and interpreted in research with children and young people
Construct (python library · Construct validity · Developmental psychology · Early childhood education · Popularity · Psychometrics · Scale (ratio · Self-concept · Self-esteem · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports · Psychology · Social Psychology · Youth Development and Social Support
Measuring self-concept across the life span
Age and other correlates of self-concept in children.
The Perceived Competence Scale for Children
Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being
Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being
Broadening the research on self-esteem
Physical Self-Concept and Sports
Who I Am
Fuzzy Concepts, Scanty Evidence, Policy Distance
Multidimensional Self-Concepts
Multitrait-Multimethod Analyses of the Self-Description Questionnaire
My favourite things to do' and 'my favourite people
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2025 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |