ERIC Number: EJ1144878
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1543-1223
EISSN: N/A
Social-Emotional and Character Development Scale: Development and Initial Validation with Urban Elementary School Students
Peter Ji; David L. DuBois; Brian R. Flay
Journal of Research in Character Education, v9 n2 p121-147 2013
The Social-Emotional and Character Development Scale (SECDS) is intended as a measure of social-emotional skills and character for elementary school-age children. This study investigated the measure's psychometric properties using data collected over 5 waves for a cohort of students followed from Grades 3 to 5 in 14 urban elementary schools (N Range = 500 to 593). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit to the measure's hypothesized first- and second-order factor structure at each wave. Scales corresponding to the first-order factor structure demonstrated adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Consistent with previous research using similar measures of social-emotional skills and character, a longitudinal analysis indicated that the means for these scales decreased over the 5 waves. 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 the development of different facets of social-emotional skills and character during elementary grades and that it could be useful for investigating their role in the developmental pathways for a range of important youth outcomes.
Descriptors: Social Development, Emotional Development, Ethics, Validity, Factor Analysis, Longitudinal Studies, Correlation, Factor Structure, Personality, Measures (Individuals), Elementary School Students, Peer Groups, Moral Values, Altruism, Self Concept Measures, Self Esteem, Life Satisfaction, Anxiety, Depression (Psychology), Student Attitudes, Grades (Scholastic), Health Behavior, Risk, Statistical Analysis, Trend Analysis, Urban Areas
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Self Esteem Inventory
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305L030004
WWC Study Page: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Study/90701