Preliminary Results of the Scale of Self-Perception for School Children (SPSC)

Abstract

The author describes the characteristics of established methods for measuring the child's self-perception. She points out that in creating the instruments for measuring the self-perception of preschool children and children in the lower grades of elementary school, it is necessary to take into account some of their developmental psychological characteristics, such as short-span attention, inconsistency in their answers, tendency to give socially acceptable answers, etc. A new self-report instrument, the Scale of Self-Perception for School Children (SPSC) is described. The scale was tested in research which involved 240 children attending the first to fourth grades of elementary school (they are from 7 to 11 years old). The purpose of the study is to investigate the psychometric properties of SPSC. Dimensionality, internal consistency, and validity of the scale were adequate. Girls rated themselves higher on academic competence and artistic aesthetic competence and interest in artistic activities, while boys rated themselves higher on negative behaviour and motor competence. Significant grade differences were found in self-perception of anxiousness and social acceptance. Replication studies using clinical groups and samples from different cultures will be needed to assess the generalizability of the results.