Ioanna Vatsina, Psychometric evaluation of a parental rating scale for estimating language and cognitive functions in preschoolers: A pilot investigation, Προσχολική & Σχολική Εκπαίδευση, 3|2015, 136-156

This pilot study examined the psychometric characteristics of a scale to be used by parents of young children for rating cognitive skills and literacy development. The scale was roughly based on the parent form of “Ratings of Everyday Academic & Cognitive Skills” (REACS) (Lamb, 2008) in an effort to develop a cost-effective tool that could potentially increase the predictive validity of early screening assessments. The original scale had been developed to contain three indexes (academic skills, cognitive skills, self-regulation) related to school functioning subscales (Math, Reading, Writing, Language, Learning, Memory, Problem Solving, Attention, Hyperactivity Control, Impulse Control, and Organization). Raters respond to each item on a 6-point scale: 1 = Never, 2 = Rarely, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Usually, and 5 = Always and 6= Unknown. For this study we collected 243 forms from parents while individualized testing was conducted with 22 Kindergarten children. A subsample of parents (N=44) completed the scale a second time to investigate reliability of their ratings. Test-retest reliability of the raters' estimations and the internal consistency of the scale were examined, while the validity of the Greek scale was established by inspecting the factor structure through exploratory factor analyses. Associations with child achievement measures (letter names and sounds, phonological awareness, vocabulary, invented spelling, word reading, etc.) were also examined. Study's initial findings regarding the psychometric properties of the scale support our claim that it should be used by parents of young children for rating child's cognitive, language and academic skills. They are also discussed within the context of early identification of at-risk children within the school for providing early intervention programs.