Use of a Teacher Rating Scale

Abstract

A study of the Pupil Behavior Rating Scale (PBRS) was made to determine its factor structure and to determine its utility for screening children at the elementary school level to identify potential learning disabilities. An analysis of teacher ratings of 183 boys identified as having learning problems and 176 normal learners indicated that teachers consistently rate the problem learners lower on each area of the scale. The factor structure of the scale, however, resulted in four rather than the designated five independent categories of behavior. The scale's validity was evaluated by comparing two groups of children identified on the basis of the PBRS, together with reading and WISC vocabulary scores. The learning disabled group scored significantly lower than the children on each measure. It was concluded that the PBRS provides an efficient and economical measure for screening purposes. However, further study of the validity and of the basis upon which teachers make such discriminations is necessary.