The Development and Validation of a Basic Psychological Needs Scale for Children (BPNS-C)

Abstract

Objectives This study aims to develop and validate a basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration scale for school-aged children. Methods A total of 49 preliminary questions were extracted using the Delphi method. These questions were first composed through pilot studies and a group interview with children. The present study was conducted among students in 4th to 6th grade in elementary school. The data of a total of 455 participants were analyzed through exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and correlations. Results The results of factor analysis identified a total of 33 questions constituting 6 factors (autonomy need satisfaction, competence need satisfaction, relationship need satisfaction, autonomy need frustration, competence need frustration, and relationship need frustration). This scale showed a significant correlation with life satisfaction, school adjustment, aggression, and depression variables, which verified the convergent validity. A comparison of the means of basic psychological needs of clinical and nonclinical children showed a significant difference, verifying the discriminant validity of the scale. Finally, the results of calculating internal consistency coefficient and split-halves reliability coefficient showed that the scale was reliable. Conclusions This study is meaningful, in that it developed a reliable and valid scale to measure the satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs, reflecting children’s actual experiences and developmental characteristics. Keywords: basic psychological needs, children, scale development, validation