Pupil Evaluation Inventory Research Articles

Social Problem Solving in High‐risk Mother–Child Dyads: An Intergenerational Study

AbstractThis study examined the contribution of maternal childhood histories of aggression and social withdrawal to the prediction of mother–child social problem solving in the next generation. Fifty‐seven women (M = 37.32 years), previously rated (on a version of the pupil evaluation inventory) by their peers during childhood on measures of aggression and withdrawal, discussed conflicts with their 9‐ to 13‐year‐old children. Problem‐defining statements, solutions, and resolution strategies were coded using an observational measure developed by the authors. Maternal childhood histories of aggression and withdrawal predicted poorly sophisticated solutions in both mothers and children as well as antisocial solutions in children. Histories of withdrawal predicted solitary solutions in children as well as less guidance and structure during decision making. Findings suggest that mothers who were withdrawn, and those aggressive and withdrawn in childhood, display less sophisticated problem solving, which may be mirrored in children. Results have implications for the development of aggressive and withdrawn girls into parenthood and highlight a potential pathway for the transfer of risk.

Self-Report Problem Scales and Subscales and Behavioral Ratings Provided by Peers

The relationship between children's self-reported problems on the Personality Inventory for Youth (PIY) and peer descriptors derived from the Pupil Evaluation Inventory was examined in a regular education sample of 156 children in fourth through eighth grade. The relative contributions of the PIY scales and subscales to the prediction of peer ratings were compared. Peer ratings of withdrawn, disruptive, and prosocial behaviors were substantially correlated to self-report problem scales made up of logically related content. The addition of more content-specific PIY subscales contributed to the prediction made by PIY scales of peer-reported disruptive behaviors and withdrawal.

A Comparison of Two Peer-Referenced Assessment Techniques with Parent and Teacher Ratings of Social Skills and Problem Behaviors

The relationship of parent and teacher ratings of social skills and problem behaviors, using the Social Skills Rating System with two peer-referenced measures (the Peer Nomination Technique and the Pupil Evaluation Inventory), were examined with a sample of regular education fifth- and sixth-grade students. The differential magnitudes of parent and teacher ratings with sociometric reports were examined as indicators of convergent and discriminant validity. The relationships among scales of prosocial and problem behaviors were found to be logically consistent. Teacher ratings of social skills, problem behaviors, and academic competence showed moderate correlations with both peer measures. Parent ratings of social skills and problem behaviors were similarly related, but at somewhat lower magnitudes.

The Social Behaviour of 11- to 12-year-old Children Born as Low Birthweight and/or Premature Infants

Two studies (Study 1 and Study 2) were carried out to compare the social behaviour of school-aged children born as premature and/or low birthweight infants, with that of children born as healthy fullterm infants. Participants in Study 1 were 147 11-year-olds of whom 49 (29 females and 20 males) were reported by their parents to have been born prematurely. Participants in Study 2 were 84 11-year-old boys, 28 of whom were born with a birthweight less than 2000 grams. These at-risk subjects were followed for a period of two years. Subgroups within both study groups were matched with control groups using gender, age, and the school environment as common factors. Children in the target classes of Study 1 were classified using the Revised Class Play (Masten, Morison, & Pelligrini, 1985) and the Peer Nomination Inventory (Perry, Kusel, & Perry, 1988). In Study 2, the children completed the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI) (Pekarik, Prinz, Liebert, Weintraub, & Neale, 1976). Findings suggest that aggressive behaviour is not related to birth status and that birth status is not linked to prosocial behaviour associated with sociability and likeability. However, both studies showed that children (boys and girls alike) born as premature or low birthweight infants, expressed greater levels of internalised social behaviour. These findings suggest that infants born premature and/or with a low birthweight may be less socially competent with their peers during their school-age years.

Self-esteem, social competence and psychopathology in boys without friends

Very little is known about relationships between children's self-reported self-esteem and their behavior. In order to evaluate this relationship, the Piers-Harris Self Concept (PHS) Scale was administered to 59 non-psychotic boys referred to an outpatient children's social skills program. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1983) was administered to the mother and the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI; Pekarik, Prinz, Liebert, Weintraub & Neil, 1976) to the teacher. Social competence, as reflected in CBCL and PEI measures, and externalizing behavior, as measured by the CBCL Externalizing Behavior scale were positively related to self-esteem. Relationships to conceptions of self-esteem and implications for assessment of treatment outcome were discussed.

Exploring Research Strategies for Identifying Invulnerable Children: an Indian Context

The main aim of the present work was to find out the various research strategies to identify Invulnerable children in an Indian socio‐economic and cultural context. Competence based measures such as, peer perceived competence, pupil evaluation inventory and teacher behaviour ratings were used in the present study to identify the Invulnerable children from the normal children. Other research strategies were also discussed for further applications.

A dimensional approach to the assessment of social competence in boys.

Mothers of 93 7-11-year-old boys seeking treatment for their sons' peer relationship problems completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; T. M. Achenbach & C. S. Edelbrock, 1983). Factor analysis was used to identify subscales that tap social competence within the CBCL, the Social Skills Rating System (F. M. Gresham & S. N. Elliott, 1990) for parents, and the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (E. Pekarik, R. Prinz, D. Liebert, S. Weintraub, & J. Neil, 1976) for teachers. Among the CBCL scales, only the Social Withdrawal scale and 1 Social Competence subscale tapped a Social Competence factor in common with Social Competence subscales from the other instruments. Combinations of CBCL scales resulted in improved classification of social competence over base rates

The Relationship of the Pupil Evaluation Inventory to Indicators of School Success

Scores on three scales of the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (Aggression, Withdrawal, and Likability) were derived from a sample of 200 regular education and mainstreamed elementary students and were compared with group achievement test results and membership in referral subgroups. Results showed low to moderate correlations of the PEI measures with achievement test scores and indicated some gender differences in the magnitude of the relationships. Groups referred for special ser-vices or gifted programs showed significant differences from regular education students on all of the PEI measures. The PEI holds promise for the further study of the social and behavioral correlates of school success.

Peer Problems in Tourette's Disorder

To explore the social adjustment and peer relationships of children with Tourette's disorder, 29 patients with mild to moderate Tourette's disorder were studied. Children underwent neuropsychological testing. The patients completed self-esteem scales and their parents and teachers completed behavior rating scales. Peer relationships were examined with the Pupil Evaluation Inventory, which is a sociometric questionnaire completed by the child's classmates and provides measures of aggression, withdrawal, and likability. As a group, Tourette's disorder patients were significantly more withdrawn, more aggressive, and less popular than their classmates. Thirty-five percent of the children with Tourette's disorder received the lowest rating in the class on one or more of the Pupil Evaluation Inventory factors. These social problems were not predicted by the frequency or duration of tics. A clinical diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and teachers' ratings on the summary scale of the Child Behavior Checklist and the Pupil Evaluation Inventory did predict poor adjustment. It is concluded that social adjustment is a major difficulty for many children with Tourette's disorder, irrespective of tic severity.

Aggression, hyperactivity, and inattention-immaturity: Behavior dimensions associated with peer rejection in elementary school boys.

Sociometrics and a revised Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI) were administered to 362 boys in Grades 3-6 to define peer-rated narrow-band dimensions of undercontrolled behavior associated with peer rejection. Three dimensions resulted from factor analysis: aggression, hyperactivity, and inattention-immaturity. All 3 dimensions were associated with peer rejection; but only inattention-immaturity was negatively associated with positive socionietric status. Two distinct clusters of boys with undercontrolled behavior problems were found: a hyperactive and inattentive-immature group and a hyperactive and aggressive group. Results indicate that a more precise and powerful model of peer rejection in boys is obtained through the use of narrow-band dimensions of undercontrolled behavior than through broad-band aggression-disruption scales from existing peer-rating measures.

Peer Assessments and Psychological Status of School Children

Abstract In this study an investigation was carried out to assess the appropriateness of children's peer evaluations in the prediction of psychological vulnerability. A sample of 265 Year 6 primary school children were the subjects. The General Health Questionnaire, the Test of Early Socio‐Emotional Development and the Pupil Evaluation Inventory were the scales used. Analysis indicates that peer ratings of aggression and withdrawal are strongly correlated with measures of psychological vulnerability. However, the teachers’ ratings were more perceptive than the peer evaluations when assessing withdrawn behaviour. The results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of peer evaluations in assessing social and emotional adjustment in children.

The differential validity of teacher ratings of inattention/overactivity and aggression.

The ability of school-based measures of child behavior to predict differentially the IOWA Conners teacher rating scale Inattention/Overactivity (IO) and Aggression (A) factors was evaluated in a sample of 71 school-aged boys. Multiple measures and multiple methods of assessment were utilized to provide a comprehensive assessment of social and academic behavior. These included direct observations of children in the classroom and on the playground, examination of the organization of children's desks, measures of academic performance, peer nominations of popularity and rejection, and sociometric ratings using the Pupil Evaluation Inventory. Despite moderately high correlations between the teacher rating factors (r = .60), considerable evidence was provided for differential validity on measures of academic performance, peer rating measures, and measures of disruptive or inappropriate classroom and playground behavior. These differences between IO and A factors indicated that the factors were logically independent in important ways, supporting prior work validating separate hyperactivity and aggression dimensions.

A psychometric study of positive and negative nominations and the pupil evaluation inventory.

Two peer evaluation measures, the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI) and positive and negative nominations were compared in a sample of 260 children in grades 1 to 5. Stabilities of the measures were assessed over a 4-month period. In the total sample, PEI factors and negative nominations were more stable than positive nominations, and PEI Aggression and Withdrawal scores were more stable than negative nominations. PEI Aggression and Withdrawal scores were more stable in grades 3 and 5 than in grade 1, and the Likability factor was more stable in grades 2 to 5 than in grade 1. Negative nominations were most strongly correlated with the PEI Aggression factor, and positive nominations were more strongly correlated with Likability than with Aggression. Implications for the use of these nomination measures are discussed.

The predictive power of first-grade peer and teacher ratings of behavior: sex differences in antisocial behavior and personality at adolescence.

Peer and teacher assessments of aggression, social withdrawal, and likability using the Pupil Evaluation Inventory were recorded for 104 French Canadian girls and boys in grade 1. Self-reported delinquency and personality measures were administered to these children when they were in junior high school 7 years later. Linear regression analyses revealed significant predictive differences between the grade 1 assessment of girls and boys: For antisocial behavior, teacher and peer assessments of boys were equally good predictors, and the combination of the two assessments did not improve prediction; for girls, peer and teacher assessments taken separately were weak predictors, but, taken together, they were better predictors for girls than for boys; for personality, peers were better predictors than teachers both for girls and for boys. When categorical analyses were used to predict extreme antisocial behavior, peer and teacher assessments were equally good predictors for girls and boys. The use of peer and teacher ratings together, however, decreased the number of false positives. The implications of these findings for research and clinical work are discussed.

Comparability of peer-assessment measures: A multitrait-multimethod and selection analytic approach

This research attempted to assess the relationship among the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI), sociometric nominations, and sociometric ratings in terms of (1) a multitrait-multimethod analysis, (2) selection agreement indices of extreme individuals, and (3) stability over an 8-week period. Subjects were members of four second-grade classrooms at a regional school serving a diverse population of children. While stability estimates for measures were adequate and evidence for convergent validity was reasonably good, evidence for divergent validity was weaker. Selection agreement analyses yielded highly variable results, indicating that different samples of children tend to be selected by different instruments despite the similarity in dimensions being tapped. Methodological and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Friendship in Normal and Socially Deviant Children

The present study assessed whether groups of normal and socially deviant children differed in numbers of friends and popularity. Subjects were 844 children in grades 4 through 7. They were classified as aggressive, withdrawn, aggressive-withdrawn or nondeviant on the basis of a peer nomination sociometric, the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI). Friendship was defined as a reciprocated friendship nomination between two children. Popularity was measured by the likeability factor of the PEI. Correlations between numbers of friends and likeability scores were low, in particular in the older grades. With respect to PEI classification, aggressive-withdrawn children had fewer friends than aggresive and nondeviant children. Aggressive-withdrawn children also received lower likeability scores than children in other deviant and nondeviant groups. Subjects in grade 6-7 had more friends than subjects in grade 4-5, although the two age-groups did not differ on likeability. There were no sex differences in numbers of friends or likeability, although all children had more same-sex than opposite-sex friends. The distinction between friendship and popularity, and the classification and age differences in numbers of friends are discussed.

Peer relationships in ADDH and normal children: a developmental analysis of peer and teacher ratings.

Peer and teacher perceptions of younger and older ADDH and normal children were compared. Peer nominations on the Pupil Evaluation Inventory revealed that ADDH children received more nominations on the Aggression factor and fewer on the Likability factor. ADDH boys received more nominations on the Withdrawal factor. Generally, older children received fewer nominations, but age did not interact with diagnosis; that is, younger and older ADDH children were perceived by peers as equally deviant. Discriminant analyses showed that peer ratings were useful in discriminating between ADDH and normal boys, but not between ADDH and normal girls. Teacher ratings of peer behavior suggested that older ADDH girls were perceived as less disturbed than younger girls. However, teacher ratings of boys revealed no age by diagnosis interactions. Low to moderate correlations were found between peer and teacher ratings of ADDH boys, and the pattern of relationship varied with age.

The Sensitivity of a Peer-Nomination Technique in Assessing Changes in Children's Social Behavior: A Case Study

The present case study examines the sensitivity of the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI) in detecting changes in children's social behavior subsequent to treatment intervention. Peer-ratings on three factors of aggression, withdrawal, and likeability were obtained for a 7-year-old boy, referred by his school because of severe difficulties interacting with other children. Ratings were obtained from classmates prior to and immediately following a 7-month treatment program. The program involved four phases: (a) a peer-reinforcement system introduced into the child's classroom, (b) individual coaching sessions in which therapist-modeling and role-play techniques were used to teach the child specific social skills, (c) a semistructured play group consisting of the target child and male classmates, and (d) a free-play activity group involving boys and girls from both within and outside the child's own class. A comparison of the child's pre- and post-treatment scores on the PEI revealed substantial declines in peer-rated aggression and withdrawal, coupled with a small increase in likeability. Findings suggest that the PEI may provide a useful instrument for evaluating the efficacy of treatment programs designed to modify maladaptive social behavior in children.

Agreement among teacher, peer, and self-ratings of children's aggression, withdrawal, and likability.

This study examined the relationship among teacher, peer, and self-ratings of children's social behavior. The Pupil Evaluation Inventory was completed by 172 first-graders, 346 fourth-graders, 283 seventh-graders, and 30 teachers. Groups of deviant responders and controls were also selected from the total sample on the basis of peer-rated aggression and withdrawal scores. Interrater agreement was consistently greater between peer and teacher ratings than between self-ratings and either peer or teacher ratings. Discrepancies between raters were greatest for children with more deviant scores, with peer ratings providing the highest estimates of deviant behavior, and self-ratings yielding the lowest. Self ratings were lower than teacher or peer ratings on aggression and withdrawal, and higher on likability. Aggression produced greatest agreement between raters. Agreement was uninfluenced by the cognitive maturity of peer evaluators. The results suggest that the selection of raters should be influenced by the class of behaviors to be evaluated and the context in which they occur.

Peer acceptance: the correspondence between children's sociometric scores and teachers' ratings of peer interactions.

In view of the current interest in children's peer relationships and social skills, and the need for valid assessment procedures for children's peer problems, the intent of the present study was to examine the correspondence between peer ratings of acceptance and teacher ratings of a child's social behavior and likability. The 92 children were males and females from the third, fourth, and fifth grades. Classroom teachers rated each of the children on withdrawal, aggressive, and likable behavior using the Pupil Evaluation Inventory. Peer ratings of the child's acceptance in play and work situations were obtained from same-sex classmates. The teacher rating of likability was the best predictor of peer acceptance scores for males; withdrawn behavior was the best predictor of peer acceptance scores for females. Ratings of withdrawn and aggressive behavior contributed to the prediction of peer acceptance scores for males; for females, only withdrawn behavior contributed to the prediction of peer acceptance. In terms of the clinical utility of teacher ratings for assessing children with peer problems, the use of the withdrawn and/or aggressive ratings scales appeared to offer promise as a means of identifying such children. Implications for the area of children's social skills and directions for future research were discussed.