ERIC Number: EJ1179262
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Jun
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0734-2829
EISSN: N/A
Latent Structure of Scores from the Emotional and Behavioral Screener
Lambert, Matthew C.; January, Stacy-Ann A.; Pierce, Corey D.
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, v36 n3 p249-260 Jun 2018
The Emotional and Behavioral Screener (EBS) is a recently developed teacher-reported brief screening instrument for identifying students who are at-risk of an emotional or behavioral disorder (EBD). Although prior research supports the technical adequacy of scores from the EBS, there is a gap in the literature regarding strong evidence of the factor structure underlying EBS scores. This study investigated the latent structure of scores from the EBS in a sample of 646 elementary students who were rated by their teachers in a 2-week screening period. Single-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and bifactor models were used to test the hypothesis that EBS scores are a measure of both overall emotional and behavioral risk and students' externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results supported a bifactor structure, in that scores from the EBS can be considered to represent a general factor (i.e., risk of EBD) and two group factors (i.e., externalizing and internalizing domains). Findings have implications for interpreting scores when using the EBS as a universal screener for the risk of EBD.
Descriptors: Screening Tests, Scores, Emotional Disturbances, Behavior Disorders, Factor Structure, Elementary School Teachers, Elementary School Students, Test Reliability, Rating Scales, Factor Analysis, Goodness of Fit, Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R324B110001