The Boston Teacher Questionnaire. 2. Assessments of validity.

Abstract

We assessed the validity of the Boston Teacher Questionnaire in a sample of 3451 9-year-old children. Those identified by the questionnaire as having a learning difficulty syndrome were compared to those without any characteristic of that syndrome. The validity reference measures were individually administered neuropsychological assessments at age 7 years and a group-administered reading achievement test at age 9 years. Girls and boys with the reading syndrome had much lower reading scores at age 9 years than did their peers. Boys, but not girls, with the arithmetic syndrome were much more likely than their peers to have arithmetic scores more than one grade below the expected level at age 7 years. Girls and boys with the tasks syndrome, characterized by impersistence, dependence, and inflexibility, were more likely than those without any features of the syndrome to be classified as having little or no goal orientation by a neuropsychologist who assessed the children in an office setting. Similarly, the neuropsychologist was much more likely than expected to have classified children with the attention syndrome as having a short attention span, and to have classified boys, but not girls, with the hyperactivity syndrome as having an unusual/extreme level and nature of overactivity. Children with any syndrome were more likely than others to have low scores on components of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, items of the Bender-Gestalt Test that assessed integration and distortion, and measures of reading comprehension. We conclude that the Boston Teacher Questionnaire validly identifies children with learning problems.