Cross-Context Agreement of the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Interobserver agreement of children's problem behavior was assessed using two samples of special education students ages 5 to 18 years. The first sample had observers from the same setting (N= 71); the second sample (N= 182) had observers from different settings with no concurrent observation. Regular and special education teachers and aides completed the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA; McDermott, Marston, & Stott, 1993). Inter- and intraclass correlations were generally significant for both samples, with some exceptions. Substantial interobserver agreement was found for the same-setting sample; however, agreement coefficients were lower for the different-setting sample and some level effects were noted. Overall, interobserver agreement for the ASCA was supported in common settings, but rating variability was evident across classrooms and appears indicative of contextual influences on behavior.