Psychometric properties of the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory with rural middle school and high school children

Assessment. 2004 Mar;11(1):64-72. doi: 10.1177/1073191103260945.

Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory (SESBI) in a rural sample of children and adolescents. Thirty-eight 5th- through 12th-grade teachers completed the SESBI on 726 children in their classrooms. High Cronbach's alphas supported the reliability of the SESBI scales in this population. Higher SESBI scores were obtained by boys than girls and by African American students than Caucasian students, more so at lower grades. Teacher's race did not affect SESBI scores. In contrast to children with developmental delay, children with learning disabilities obtained higher scores than others on the SESBI Intensity scale but not on the Problem scale. This suggests that teachers of children with learning disabilities recognize the higher frequency of problem behaviors in their students but do not consider these behaviors to be problems for themselves. On both SESBI scales, children with developmental delay were not distinguishable from peers without developmental delays.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Alabama / epidemiology
  • Black or African American / psychology*
  • Child
  • Child Behavior Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Child Behavior Disorders / ethnology
  • Developmental Disabilities / diagnosis
  • Developmental Disabilities / ethnology
  • Faculty
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Learning Disabilities / diagnosis
  • Learning Disabilities / ethnology
  • Male
  • Personality Inventory / standards*
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Psychometrics / methods*
  • Psychometrics / statistics & numerical data
  • Rural Population / statistics & numerical data*
  • Schools
  • Students / psychology*
  • Students / statistics & numerical data
  • White People / psychology*