Measuring the social competence of preschool children.

Abstract

To identify positive indicators of social competence in preschoolers, a four-stage study involving over 100 three-and four-year-olds was done to examine correlates oi the frequency, quality, and effectiveness of various types of initiated and respondent behavior which occurred in social interaction situations. It was found that the most effective discriminator of competence was the succcssfulness of child-child social influence attempts, and a measure of social competence based on this finding was developed. Social competence, defined and measured as social influence effectiveness, was positively related to cognitive competence in a variety of problem soiving situations, and to affective and cognitive perspective-taking ability. The results arc discussed with reference (o the concept of effectancc motivation.Eflbrts to evaluate the effects of early education on the social development of young children have been handicapped by a dearth of suitable criterion measures (Zigler & Trickett, 1978). The purpose of this project was, therefore, to develop a set of objective criteria for assessing the social competence of three-to five-year-olds in the preschool.Social competence is a hypothetical construct with no universally accepted meaning (O'Malley, 1977). It is a complex notion that involves cognitive as well as affective and conative variables which are difficult to separate (Anderson & Messick, 1974). For psychometric purposes it has been operationalized in multi-dimensional terms (Circus, 1975). Some have approached it from a personality trait or interpersonal relations point of view and have used teacher ratings of coping styles in social conflict situations to measure it (Kohn & Rosman, 1972). Only a few have attempted to assess the social competence of children by direct observation of their behaviour in natural settings (White & Watts, 1973; Licberman, 1977). These have, however, used widely different criteria for judging social ability. Typically, both positive and negative indicators have been employed and the scores obtained have been combined in complex and sometimes arbitrary ways. The goal of this project was to identify a set of

Social Interactions of Preschoolers With and Without Impaired Hearing in Integrated Kindergarten

“…In the third stage of the model, maintenance, children attempt to maintain their involvement in the social activity by using a range of behaviors having a high probability of sustaining the activity. Children who are successful at the third stage, are generally considered socially competent (Guralnick, 1992;Wright, 1980).…”

Evaluating the social competence of young children: A review of the literature

“…Some researchers have found that the social competence of children is reflected in the effectiveness of their interactions with others rather than the frequency or quality of the interactions (Ross & Rogers, 1990;Pellegrini & Glickman, 1990;Wright, 1980;Zigler & Trickett, 1978). These interactions initiate a recursive cycle, according to Katz (1988), in that reactions to an initial interaction increases the chances that the child will respond in an identical way under similar circumstances.…”

“…The social competence of children is reflected primarily in the interactions of children with their peers (Dodge, 1983;Howes, 1987;Wright, 1980). The stability, size, and composition of the peer groups are factors which influence the development of social competence of children (Howes, 1987).…”

“…A Q-sort technique involved observers "sorting statements into groups according to how like or unlike a given child the statements were" (p. 94). Wright (1980) described an inventory based on the definition of social competence as social adaptive ability. The Peer Interaction, Quality-Effectiveness Score (PI, Q-ES), a teacher or observer rating scale, was shown to evaluate the social influence effectiveness of peers and was clearly related to cognitive competence (motivation and ability to apply intelligence in problem situations) (Wright, 1980, p. 31).…”

A Reassessment of the Kohn Social Competence Scale and the Walker Problem Behavior Identification Checklist

“…Although three methodologies (2)sociometry (1,15,16), teacher-rating evaluations (9, 10, 11, 12, 13,14,17,18), and systematic observation of behavior (7, 8, 19)-have been used extensively, methodolgy for adequately assessing these constructs is not yet clearly established (2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Since teacher-rating instruments are more economical and practical, many have been constructed.…”