Reliability and validity of the Paediatric Volitional Questionnaire - Chinese version

Area of Science:

• Occupational Therapy
• Developmental Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Assessing volition in children is crucial for understanding their engagement and motivation.
• The Paediatric Volitional Questionnaire (PVQ) is a key instrument, but its Chinese version (PVQ-C) requires psychometric validation for Taiwanese preschoolers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Paediatric Volitional Questionnaire (PVQ-C).
• To establish the reliability and validity of the PVQ-C for use with preschoolers in Taiwan.

Main Methods:

• Rasch measurement model and classical test theory were employed for data analysis.
• Participants included 40 preschoolers with developmental delays and 40 typically developing preschoolers from Taiwan.
• Construct validity, item reliability, rater reliability, and convergent validity were assessed.

Main Results:

• The PVQ-C demonstrated unidimensionality, with most participant responses fitting the model.
• Acceptable item reliability (0.97), intra-rater reliability (0.412-1.0), and convergent validity (r=0.562-0.656) were found.
• 86% of items showed good test-retest reliability, and 83% of participants' responses were appropriately estimated.

Conclusions:

• The PVQ-C is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing children's volitional status.
• Findings support its use as a reference for clinical judgment and client-centered interventions.
• The validated PVQ-C can inform treatment planning and evaluation of intervention effects.