Further Examination of Two Measures of Community-Based Social Skills for Adolescents and Young Adults with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

Two measures of community-based social behavior for adolescents and young adults with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD), the male and female forms of the Test of Community-Based Social Skill Knowledge (TCSK) and the Scale of Community-Based Social Skill Performance (CBSP), were examined. In previous research, conceptually derived subsections of the two measures yielded high intercorrelations, suggesting the need to conduct further analyses to refine and shorten both instruments to make them more applicable for use in school and service programs. The male and female forms of the TCSK were each treated as one factor. Item-total correlations were computed, identifying 17 items in the female form and 15 items in the male form to be deleted. Factor analysis of the CBSP yielded a logical and psychometrically adequate factor structure, with a total of 78 items across four factors. The shortened TCSK forms and the four CBSP factors (a) yielded acceptable reliabilities, (b) discriminated among subgroups of participants, and (c) exhibited convergent and divergent correlations in hypothesized directions. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for social skills instruction and future research on the measures.