CROSS-VALIDATIONAL EVIDENCE ON THE DIMENSIONS OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR IN THE EARLY GRADES

Abstract

One hundred forty-seven children in the first through the third grades were rated by their teachers on a behavior problem inventory employed in previous studies. The data were subjected to a principal axis factor analysis and rotated to an oblique position. Congruence coefficients were computed among the twelve factors resulting from the current analysis, and the eight factors extracted in an earlier study. Six of the factor matches were significant at or beyond the .O1 level. Five of these matches had a sufficient number of salient variables common to the two studies. The five dimensions meeting the consideration of significance of congruence across samples and sufficient common salients were termed, in an earlier study, Hyperactivity, Sluggishness, Paranoid Tendencies, Social Withdrawal, and Acting Out. The evidence of the predictive validity of these was briefly discussed.