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School children's responses on a semantic differential over a 10-year span
Andrew A Helwig1, Nanci Avitable
1Division of Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education, University of Colorado at Denver, 80217-3364, USA. andrew.helwig@cudenver.edu
Psychological Reports
|October 6, 2004
Summary
This study tracked children's perceptions of education and work over 10 years. Findings suggest that the semantic differential scale's factor structure and reliability improve with age, but caution is advised for young children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- The semantic differential (SD) is a widely used tool for measuring attitudes and perceptions.
- Understanding how children perceive abstract concepts like education and work is crucial for developmental and educational research.
- Cognitive development significantly influences how individuals interpret and respond to psychological measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factor structure and reliability of the semantic differential scale in measuring children's perceptions of "Education" and "Work" across different developmental stages.
- To examine the influence of age and cognitive development on the evaluative, potency, and activity factors of the SD scale.
- To assess the longitudinal stability and developmental trajectory of these perceptions.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study administered a 15-item semantic differential scale to 208 schoolchildren across grades 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 (ages 7–18).
- Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were used to assess the underlying factor structure.
- Reliability analyses (e.g., Cronbach's alpha) were conducted for each age group.
Main Results:
- Confirmatory factor analysis did not consistently identify the expected three factors (Evaluative, Potency, Activity) across all age groups.
- Exploratory factor analysis revealed a trend suggesting a shift from six to four factors over time as children aged.
- Scale reliability demonstrated improvement with increasing age, indicating greater consistency in responses among older children.
Conclusions:
- The factor structure of the semantic differential scale for abstract concepts like "Education" and "Work" evolves with cognitive development.
- While reliability improves with age, the underlying factor structure may not align with the theoretically proposed three factors in younger children.
- Researchers should exercise caution when applying the semantic differential scale to young children for abstract concept measurement.