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Normative and parametric analyses of school maladjustment
American Journal of Community Psychology
|December 1, 1975
Summary
Revisions to the Child Adjustment Rating Scale (CARS) improved its diagnostic and screening capabilities. The updated CARS maintains its structure while enhancing factor loadings and providing subgroup data for better child adjustment assessment.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Psychometric Measurement
Background:
- The Child Adjustment Rating Scale (CARS) is a previously reported measure for assessing school adjustment.
- Revisions were implemented to enhance its diagnostic, prescriptive, and empirical utility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To refine the CARS for improved diagnostic and screening functions in primary school children.
- To evaluate the psychometric properties of the revised CARS.
Main Methods:
- Factor analyses were conducted on school adjustment ratings from a normative sample of primary graders using the revised CARS.
- Normative and parametric comparisons were performed across demographic subgroups (sex, age, location).
- Discriminative validity was assessed by comparing children referred to secondary prevention programs with those not referred.
Main Results:
- The revised CARS maintained the original three-factor structure.
- Revisions led to increased specific item factor loadings and accounted for greater scale variance.
- Normative data were established for various subgroups, and evidence for discriminative validity and screening potential was demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- The revised CARS offers enhanced diagnostic and screening utility for assessing school adjustment in primary school children.
- The updated measure provides improved psychometric properties and valuable subgroup data for targeted interventions.