An examination of the first/second-grade form of the pictorial scale of perceived competence and social acceptance: Factor structure and stability by grade and gender across groups of economically disadvantaged children

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Abstract

We tested the structure of the Pictorial Scale of Competence and Social Acceptance (PSPCSA) across groups of first and second grade children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We used confirmatory factor analysis, including latent mean structures analysis, to test the fit of competing PSPCSA factor models and examined invariance across time and gender. Cohort 1 data were used to find a best fitting model. Cohorts 2 and 3 data were used for model cross-validation and invariance testing across time. Gender differences were examined with the multiple indicators, multiple causes model. We found support for a time invariant three-factor model but uncovered issues of concern related to score reliability. Consistent with the hypothesized decline in children's early optimistic bias, we found a statistically significant moderate decline in perceptions of cognitive and peer competence over time. In addition, we identified differences between boys and girls: (a) on perceptions of cognitive competence and (b) across several items within each of the PSPCSA subscales.

Section snippets

Research on the dimensionality of the PSPCSA

The theoretical basis of the PSPCSA rests on a 4-factor theoretical structure but the original construct validation study supported a 2-factor, rather than a 4-factor, solution for both the PK and the FS forms of the measure: Competence (comprised of Cognitive and Physical Competence) and Acceptance (comprised of Peer and Maternal Acceptance) (Harter & Pike, 1984). Harter and Pike interpreted this finding as evidence that young children are capable of domain specificity but also that they do

Participants

Participants were three cohorts (N1 = 109, N2 = 106, N3 = 93) of prior Head Start attendees who had transitioned to public schools in a Midwestern suburban district. These children had attended a Head Start center serving approximately 130 children per year and were part of a transition-to-school study. We used each sample to accomplish different purposes in this investigation as information was not collected longitudinally on the PSPCSA for all three cohorts. Specifically, we used second-grade data

Measures

Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance-First/Second-Grade Form (PSPCSA-FS; Harter & Pike, 1984). Three PSPCSA-FS subscales were individually administered to the sample. The scales included cognitive, physical, and peer competence and each comprised 6 items scored on a four-point scale (1 = low competence or acceptance, 4 = high competence or acceptance).

The administration procedure is as follows: A version with pictures of boys or girls is used to correspond to the examinee's

Internal consistency reliability

Table 1 contains internal consistency reliability coefficients (coefficient alpha) computed separately for each group for the three subscale scores and the total score. Coefficient alphas ranged from .45 to .84 and .52 to .90 for the first-grade and second-grade data respectively. It is noteworthy that internal consistency reliabilities were in the acceptable range for the Peer Acceptance subscale and the total scale scores across time and gender. Coefficients ranged from .81 to .87 for the

Discussion

In this study we found support for a 3-factor model of children's self-competence beliefs using the PSPCSA-FS form with samples of economically disadvantaged children and provided evidence that this model was essentially invariant across time (first and second grades). Although we uncovered issues of concern related to the scale's reliability we also found noteworthy gender differences on the likelihood of item endorsement across the three factors examined in the study. Specific findings are

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