Social-emotional and character development scale: Validation with urban middle school students

Peter Ji, David L. DuBois and Brian R. Flay

Children and Youth Services Review, 2021, vol. 127, issue C

Abstract: The Social-Emotional and Character Development Scale (SECDS) is intended as a measure of social-emotional skills and character for elementary and middle school-age children. Its psychometric properties were previously supported using data collected over five waves for a cohort of students followed from grades three to five in 14 urban elementary schools (Ji et al., 2013). The present study examined the psychometric properties of the SECDS for the same cohort of students when enrolled in grades seven and eight, and examined the mean scores from grades three to eight. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit to the measure’s hypothesized second-order factor structure for each grade. Scales (Prosocial Behavior, Honesty, Self-Control, Self-Development, Respect at School, Respect at Home) corresponding to the first-order portion of this factor structure demonstrated adequate internal consistency. A longitudinal analysis indicated that the means for these scales remained stable from grade seven to eight. The validity of the SECDS general and individual scales was supported via their patterns of association with measures of expected correlates of social-emotional skills and character. Overall, findings suggest the SECDS is appropriate for assessing different facets of social-emotional skills and character for students during early adolescence and that it could be useful for investigating their role in the developmental pathways for a range of important outcomes during this period.

Keywords: Social-emotional; Character development; Assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:127:y:2021:i:c:s0190740921002000

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106124

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