Convergent Validity of Four Instruments for Teachers' Assessing Social Competence of Kindergarten Children

The construct of social competence of children has received much attention lately. Although a variety of methodologies have been used, most of the studies rely on teachers' evaluations. None, however, has systematically assessed their convergent validity. The present study establishes the correlations obtained among scores on four instruments for teachers' evaluating social competence, namely, the Popularity Ranking Task, Greenwood's Positive Social Behavior Scale, Kohn's Social Competence Scale, and Walker's Withdrawal Factor. Six kindergarten classes of 99 children were evaluated by their respective teachers and teachers-in-training. Analysis indicated that all instruments are significantly related, but that Walker's Withdrawal Factor and Kohn's Compliance-cooperation Factor assess different constructs from the other instruments. The author recommends studies include the Popularity Ranking Task and Greenwood's scale and suggests further study of validity.