Parents and/or Teachers?
Inter-Ratter Agreement on Preschoolers Social-Emotional Assessment
Keywords:
Parents, Teachers, Inter-ratter agreement, Social-emotional assessment, PreschoolAbstract
Parents and teachers are the most requested informants for preschool social-emotional assessment. However, the fact that informants who interact with the child in different settings may have different perspectives frequently calls into question the reliability and validity of these reports. The present paper intends to review 22 studies of 57 identified, published between 1987 and 2011, about the agreement between informants from home and school settings while completing rating scales. The studies suggest a low to moderate informant agreement and the inexistence of a key-informant in social-emotional assessment, therefore drawing attention to the need to collect the perspectives of both parents and teachers, as a means of achieving a more complete picture of behaviors. Results are discussed in their implications for future research.
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References
Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for the Teacher’s Report Form
and 1991 Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont,
Department of Psychiatry.
Achenbach, T. M., & McConaughy, S. H. (1987). Empirically
based assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology:
Practical applications. Developmental Clinical Psychology and
Psychiatry (Vol. 13). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. H., & Howell, C. T. (1987).
Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems:
Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational
specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101(2), 213-232.
Berg-Nielsen, T. S., Solheim, E., Belsky, J., & Wichstrom, J.
(2012). Preschoolers’ psychosocial problems: In the eyes of
the beholder? Adding teacher characteristics as determinants of
discrepant parent”“teacher reports. Child Psychiatry and Human
Development, 43, 393-413. doi: 10.1007/s10578-011-0271-0
Crane, J., Mincic, M. S., & Winsler, A. (2011). Parent”“
teacher agreement and reliability on the Devereux Early
Childhood Assessment (DECA) in English and Spanish
for ethnically diverse children living in poverty. Early
Education and Development, 22(3), 520-547. doi:
10.1080/10409289.2011.565722
Culp, R. E., Howell, C. S., Culp, A. M., & Blankemeyer, M. (2001).
Maltreated children’s emotional and behavioral problems: Do
teachers and parents see the same things? Journal of Child and
Family Studies, 10(1), 39-50.
De Los Reyes, A., & Kazdin, A. E. (2005). Informant discrepancies
in the assessment of childhood psychopathology: A critical
review, theoretical framework, and recommendations for
further study. Psychological Bulletin, 131(4), 483-509.
doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.4.483
Gagnon, C., Vitaro, F., & Tremblay, R. E. (1992). Parent-teacher
agreement on kindergarteners’ behavior problems: A research
note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 33(7),
1255-1261.
Gagnon, S. G., Nagle, R. J., & Nickerson, A. B. (2007).
Parent and teacher ratings of peer interactive play and
social-emotional development of preschool children
at risk. Journal of Early Intervention, 29(3), 228-242.
doi:10.1177/105381510702900303
Gimpel, G. A., & Holland, M. L. (2003). Emotional and behavioral
problems of young children: Effective interventions in the
preschool and kindergarten years. New York: Guilford Press.
Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the Strengths and
Difficulties Questionnaire. Journal of American and Academic
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(11), 1337-1345.
Grietens, H., Onghena, P., Prinzie, P., Gadeyne, E., Van Assche,
V., Ghesquière, P., & Hellinckx, W. (2004). Comparison of
mothers’, fathers’, and teachers’ reports on problem behavior
in 5- to 6-years-old children. Journal of Psychopathology
and Behavioral Assessment, 26(2), 137-146. doi:10.1023/
B:JOBA.0000013661.14995.59
Gross, D., Fogg, L., Garvey, C., & Julion, W. (2004). Behavior
problems in young children: An analysis of cross-informant
agreements and disagreements. Research in Nursing & Health,
27, 413-425. doi:10.1002/nur.20040
Herrera, M., & Little, E. (2005). Behaviour problems across home
and kindergarten in an Australian sample. Australian Journal
of Educational & Developmental Psychology, 5, 77-90.
Hinshaw, S. P., Han, S. S., Erhardt, D., & Huber, A. (1992).
Internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in preschool
children: Correspondence among parent and teacher ratings and
behavior observations. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology,
21(2), 143-150.
Hundert, J., Morrison, L., Mahoney, W., Mundy, F., & Vernon,
M. L. (1997). Parent and teacher assessments of the
developmental status of children with severe, mild/moderate,
or no developmental disabilities. Topics in Early Childhood
Special Education, 17(4), 419-434.
Kamphaus, R. W., & Frick, P. J. (1996). Clinical assessment of
child and adolescent personality and behavior. Boston: Allyn
and Bacon.
Keenan, K., & Wakschlag, L. S. (2000). More than the terrible twos:
The nature and severity of behavior problems in clinic-referred
preschool children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology,
28(1), 33-46.
Keogh, B. K., & Bernheimer, L. P. (1998). Concordance between
mothers’ and teachers’ perceptions of behavior problems of
children with developmental delays. Journal of Emotional and
Behavioral Disorders, 6(1), 33-41.
Klyce, D., Conger, A. J., Conger, J. C., & Dumas, J. E. (2011).
Measuring competence and dysfunction in preschool children:
Source agreement and component structure. Journal of Child
and Family Studies, 20, 503-510. doi: 10.1007/s10826-010-
9417-0
Kroes, G. (2006). The perception of child problem behavior. The role
of informant personality and context (Doctoral dissertation,
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, Netherlands). Retrieved from
http://dare.ubn.kun.nl/dspace/bitstream/ 2066/55482/1/55482.
pdf
Lane, K. L., Stanton-Chapman, T., Jamison, K. R., & Phillips,
A. (2007). Teacher and parent expectations of preschoolers’
behavior: Social skills necessary for success. Topics in Early
Childhood Special Education, 27(2), 86-97. doi:10.1177/027
11214070270020401
Liu, J., Cheng, H., & Leung, P. W. (2011). The application of
the Preschool Child Behavior Checklist and the Caregiver-
Teacher Report Form to Mainland Chinese children: Syndrome
structure, gender differences, country effects, and interinformant
agreement. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology,
39, 251-264. doi: 10.1007/s10802-010-9452-8
Major, S. (2011). Avaliação de aptidões sociais e problemas de
comportamento em idade pré-escolar: Retrato das crianças
portuguesas (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Retrieved
from https://estudogeral.sib.uc.pt/bitstream/10316/17774/5/
Tese_Sofia%20Major.pdf
Mashburn, A. J., Hamre, B. K., Downer, J. T., & Pianta, R. C.
(2006). Teacher and classroom characteristics associated
with teachers’ ratings of prekindergartners’ relationships and
behaviors. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 24(4),
367-380. doi:10.1177/0734282906290594
Merrell, K. W. (2002). Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales.
(2nd Ed.). Austin, TX: PRO-ED..
Milfort, R., & Greenfield, D. B. (2002). Teacher and observer ratings
of head start children’s social skills. Early Childhood Research
Quarterly, 17, 581-595. doi:10.1016/s0885-2006(02)00190-4
Miner, J. L., & Clarke-Stewart, K. A. (2008). Trajectories of
externalizing behavior from age 2 to age 9: Relations
with gender, temperament, ethnicity, parenting, and rater.
Developmental Psychology, 44(3), 771-786. doi:10.1037/0012-
1649.44.3.771
Murray, D. W., Kollins, H. S., Hardy, K. K., Abikoff, H. B.,
Swanson, J. M., Cunningham, C., . . . , & Chuang, S. Z. (2007).
Parent versus teacher ratings of attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder symptoms in the preschoolers with Attention-Deficit/
Hyperactivity Disorder treatment study (PATS). Journal of
Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 17(5), 605-619.
doi: 10.1089/cap.2007.0060
Offord, D. R., Boyle, M. H., Racine, Y., Szatmari, P., Fleming, J. E.,
Sanford, M., & Lipman, E. L. (1996). Integrating assessment
data from multiple informants. Journal of American and
Academic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35(8), 1078-1085.
Ordway, M. R. (2011). Depressed mothers as informants on child
behavior: Methodological issues. Research in Nursing &
Health, 34(6), 520-532. doi:10.1002/nur.20463
Phares, V., & Compas, B. E. (1992). The role of fathers in child
and adolescent psychopathology: Make room for daddy.
Psychological Bulletin, 111(3), 387-412.
Phares, V., Fields, S., Kamboukos, D., & Lopez, E. (2005). Still
looking for poppa. American Psychologist, 60(7), 735-736.
doi:10.1037/0003-066X.60.7.735
Phillips, B. M., & Lonigan, C. J. (2010). Child and informant
influences on behavioral ratings of preschool children.
Psychology in the Schools, 47(4), 374-390. doi:10.1002/
pits.20476
Renk, K. (2005). Cross-informant ratings of the behavior of children
and adolescents: The “Gold Standard”. Journal of Child and
Family Studies, 14(4), 457-468. doi:10.1007/s10826-005-
7182-2
Renk, K., & Phares, V. (2004). Cross-informant ratings of social
competence in children and adolescents. Clinical Psychology
Review, 24, 239-254. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2004.01.004
Seabra-Santos, M. J., & Gaspar, M. F. (2012). Pais, educadores e
testes: Estão de acordo na avaliação de aptidões de crianças
pré-escolares? Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 25(2), 203-211.
Stanger, C., & Lewis, M. (1993). Agreement among parents,
teachers, and children on internalizing and externalizing
behavior problems. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology,
22(1), 107-115.
Stefan, C. A., Balaj, A., Porumb, M., Albu, M., & Miclea, M. (2009).
Preschool screening for social and emotional competencies ”“
Development and psychometric properties. Cognition, Brain
& Behavior. An Interdisciplinary Journal, 13(2), 121-146.
Stone, L. L., Otten, R., Engels, R. C. M., Vermulst, A. A., &
Janssens, J. M. A. (2010). Psychometric properties of the
parent and teacher versions of the Strengths and Difficulties
Questionnaire for 4- to 12-year-olds: A review. Clinical Child
Family Psychology Review, 13, 254-274. doi: 10.1007/s10567-
010-0071-2
Tarren-Sweeney, M. J., Hazell, P. L., & Carr, V. J. (2004). Are
foster parents reliable informants of children’s behaviour
problems? Child: Care, Health & Development, 30(2), 167-
175. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2003.00407.x
Treutler, C. M., & Epkins, C. C. (2003). Are discrepancies among
child, mother, and father reports on children’s behavior related
to parents’ psychological symptoms and aspects of parentchild
relationships? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology,
31(1), 13-27.
Verhulst, F. C., & Akkerhuis, G. W. (1989). Agreement between
parents’ and teachers’ ratings of behavioral/emotional problems
of children aged 4-12. Journal of Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, 30(1), 123-136.
Vitaro, F., Gagnon, C., & Tremblay, R. E. (1991). Teachers’
and mothers’ assessment of children’s behaviors from
kindergarten to grade two: Stability and change within and
across informants. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral
Assessment, 13(4), 325-343.
Winsler, A., & Wallace, G. L. (2002). Behavior problems and
social skills in preschool children: Parent-teacher agreement
and relations with classroom observations. Early Education &
Development, 13(1), 41-58. doi:10.1207/s15566935eed1301_3
and 1991 Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont,
Department of Psychiatry.
Achenbach, T. M., & McConaughy, S. H. (1987). Empirically
based assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology:
Practical applications. Developmental Clinical Psychology and
Psychiatry (Vol. 13). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. H., & Howell, C. T. (1987).
Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems:
Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational
specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101(2), 213-232.
Berg-Nielsen, T. S., Solheim, E., Belsky, J., & Wichstrom, J.
(2012). Preschoolers’ psychosocial problems: In the eyes of
the beholder? Adding teacher characteristics as determinants of
discrepant parent”“teacher reports. Child Psychiatry and Human
Development, 43, 393-413. doi: 10.1007/s10578-011-0271-0
Crane, J., Mincic, M. S., & Winsler, A. (2011). Parent”“
teacher agreement and reliability on the Devereux Early
Childhood Assessment (DECA) in English and Spanish
for ethnically diverse children living in poverty. Early
Education and Development, 22(3), 520-547. doi:
10.1080/10409289.2011.565722
Culp, R. E., Howell, C. S., Culp, A. M., & Blankemeyer, M. (2001).
Maltreated children’s emotional and behavioral problems: Do
teachers and parents see the same things? Journal of Child and
Family Studies, 10(1), 39-50.
De Los Reyes, A., & Kazdin, A. E. (2005). Informant discrepancies
in the assessment of childhood psychopathology: A critical
review, theoretical framework, and recommendations for
further study. Psychological Bulletin, 131(4), 483-509.
doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.4.483
Gagnon, C., Vitaro, F., & Tremblay, R. E. (1992). Parent-teacher
agreement on kindergarteners’ behavior problems: A research
note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 33(7),
1255-1261.
Gagnon, S. G., Nagle, R. J., & Nickerson, A. B. (2007).
Parent and teacher ratings of peer interactive play and
social-emotional development of preschool children
at risk. Journal of Early Intervention, 29(3), 228-242.
doi:10.1177/105381510702900303
Gimpel, G. A., & Holland, M. L. (2003). Emotional and behavioral
problems of young children: Effective interventions in the
preschool and kindergarten years. New York: Guilford Press.
Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the Strengths and
Difficulties Questionnaire. Journal of American and Academic
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(11), 1337-1345.
Grietens, H., Onghena, P., Prinzie, P., Gadeyne, E., Van Assche,
V., Ghesquière, P., & Hellinckx, W. (2004). Comparison of
mothers’, fathers’, and teachers’ reports on problem behavior
in 5- to 6-years-old children. Journal of Psychopathology
and Behavioral Assessment, 26(2), 137-146. doi:10.1023/
B:JOBA.0000013661.14995.59
Gross, D., Fogg, L., Garvey, C., & Julion, W. (2004). Behavior
problems in young children: An analysis of cross-informant
agreements and disagreements. Research in Nursing & Health,
27, 413-425. doi:10.1002/nur.20040
Herrera, M., & Little, E. (2005). Behaviour problems across home
and kindergarten in an Australian sample. Australian Journal
of Educational & Developmental Psychology, 5, 77-90.
Hinshaw, S. P., Han, S. S., Erhardt, D., & Huber, A. (1992).
Internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in preschool
children: Correspondence among parent and teacher ratings and
behavior observations. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology,
21(2), 143-150.
Hundert, J., Morrison, L., Mahoney, W., Mundy, F., & Vernon,
M. L. (1997). Parent and teacher assessments of the
developmental status of children with severe, mild/moderate,
or no developmental disabilities. Topics in Early Childhood
Special Education, 17(4), 419-434.
Kamphaus, R. W., & Frick, P. J. (1996). Clinical assessment of
child and adolescent personality and behavior. Boston: Allyn
and Bacon.
Keenan, K., & Wakschlag, L. S. (2000). More than the terrible twos:
The nature and severity of behavior problems in clinic-referred
preschool children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology,
28(1), 33-46.
Keogh, B. K., & Bernheimer, L. P. (1998). Concordance between
mothers’ and teachers’ perceptions of behavior problems of
children with developmental delays. Journal of Emotional and
Behavioral Disorders, 6(1), 33-41.
Klyce, D., Conger, A. J., Conger, J. C., & Dumas, J. E. (2011).
Measuring competence and dysfunction in preschool children:
Source agreement and component structure. Journal of Child
and Family Studies, 20, 503-510. doi: 10.1007/s10826-010-
9417-0
Kroes, G. (2006). The perception of child problem behavior. The role
of informant personality and context (Doctoral dissertation,
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, Netherlands). Retrieved from
http://dare.ubn.kun.nl/dspace/bitstream/ 2066/55482/1/55482.
Lane, K. L., Stanton-Chapman, T., Jamison, K. R., & Phillips,
A. (2007). Teacher and parent expectations of preschoolers’
behavior: Social skills necessary for success. Topics in Early
Childhood Special Education, 27(2), 86-97. doi:10.1177/027
11214070270020401
Liu, J., Cheng, H., & Leung, P. W. (2011). The application of
the Preschool Child Behavior Checklist and the Caregiver-
Teacher Report Form to Mainland Chinese children: Syndrome
structure, gender differences, country effects, and interinformant
agreement. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology,
39, 251-264. doi: 10.1007/s10802-010-9452-8
Major, S. (2011). Avaliação de aptidões sociais e problemas de
comportamento em idade pré-escolar: Retrato das crianças
portuguesas (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Retrieved
from https://estudogeral.sib.uc.pt/bitstream/10316/17774/5/
Tese_Sofia%20Major.pdf
Mashburn, A. J., Hamre, B. K., Downer, J. T., & Pianta, R. C.
(2006). Teacher and classroom characteristics associated
with teachers’ ratings of prekindergartners’ relationships and
behaviors. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 24(4),
367-380. doi:10.1177/0734282906290594
Merrell, K. W. (2002). Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales.
(2nd Ed.). Austin, TX: PRO-ED..
Milfort, R., & Greenfield, D. B. (2002). Teacher and observer ratings
of head start children’s social skills. Early Childhood Research
Quarterly, 17, 581-595. doi:10.1016/s0885-2006(02)00190-4
Miner, J. L., & Clarke-Stewart, K. A. (2008). Trajectories of
externalizing behavior from age 2 to age 9: Relations
with gender, temperament, ethnicity, parenting, and rater.
Developmental Psychology, 44(3), 771-786. doi:10.1037/0012-
1649.44.3.771
Murray, D. W., Kollins, H. S., Hardy, K. K., Abikoff, H. B.,
Swanson, J. M., Cunningham, C., . . . , & Chuang, S. Z. (2007).
Parent versus teacher ratings of attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder symptoms in the preschoolers with Attention-Deficit/
Hyperactivity Disorder treatment study (PATS). Journal of
Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 17(5), 605-619.
doi: 10.1089/cap.2007.0060
Offord, D. R., Boyle, M. H., Racine, Y., Szatmari, P., Fleming, J. E.,
Sanford, M., & Lipman, E. L. (1996). Integrating assessment
data from multiple informants. Journal of American and
Academic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35(8), 1078-1085.
Ordway, M. R. (2011). Depressed mothers as informants on child
behavior: Methodological issues. Research in Nursing &
Health, 34(6), 520-532. doi:10.1002/nur.20463
Phares, V., & Compas, B. E. (1992). The role of fathers in child
and adolescent psychopathology: Make room for daddy.
Psychological Bulletin, 111(3), 387-412.
Phares, V., Fields, S., Kamboukos, D., & Lopez, E. (2005). Still
looking for poppa. American Psychologist, 60(7), 735-736.
doi:10.1037/0003-066X.60.7.735
Phillips, B. M., & Lonigan, C. J. (2010). Child and informant
influences on behavioral ratings of preschool children.
Psychology in the Schools, 47(4), 374-390. doi:10.1002/
pits.20476
Renk, K. (2005). Cross-informant ratings of the behavior of children
and adolescents: The “Gold Standard”. Journal of Child and
Family Studies, 14(4), 457-468. doi:10.1007/s10826-005-
7182-2
Renk, K., & Phares, V. (2004). Cross-informant ratings of social
competence in children and adolescents. Clinical Psychology
Review, 24, 239-254. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2004.01.004
Seabra-Santos, M. J., & Gaspar, M. F. (2012). Pais, educadores e
testes: Estão de acordo na avaliação de aptidões de crianças
pré-escolares? Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 25(2), 203-211.
Stanger, C., & Lewis, M. (1993). Agreement among parents,
teachers, and children on internalizing and externalizing
behavior problems. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology,
22(1), 107-115.
Stefan, C. A., Balaj, A., Porumb, M., Albu, M., & Miclea, M. (2009).
Preschool screening for social and emotional competencies ”“
Development and psychometric properties. Cognition, Brain
& Behavior. An Interdisciplinary Journal, 13(2), 121-146.
Stone, L. L., Otten, R., Engels, R. C. M., Vermulst, A. A., &
Janssens, J. M. A. (2010). Psychometric properties of the
parent and teacher versions of the Strengths and Difficulties
Questionnaire for 4- to 12-year-olds: A review. Clinical Child
Family Psychology Review, 13, 254-274. doi: 10.1007/s10567-
010-0071-2
Tarren-Sweeney, M. J., Hazell, P. L., & Carr, V. J. (2004). Are
foster parents reliable informants of children’s behaviour
problems? Child: Care, Health & Development, 30(2), 167-
175. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2003.00407.x
Treutler, C. M., & Epkins, C. C. (2003). Are discrepancies among
child, mother, and father reports on children’s behavior related
to parents’ psychological symptoms and aspects of parentchild
relationships? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology,
31(1), 13-27.
Verhulst, F. C., & Akkerhuis, G. W. (1989). Agreement between
parents’ and teachers’ ratings of behavioral/emotional problems
of children aged 4-12. Journal of Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, 30(1), 123-136.
Vitaro, F., Gagnon, C., & Tremblay, R. E. (1991). Teachers’
and mothers’ assessment of children’s behaviors from
kindergarten to grade two: Stability and change within and
across informants. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral
Assessment, 13(4), 325-343.
Winsler, A., & Wallace, G. L. (2002). Behavior problems and
social skills in preschool children: Parent-teacher agreement
and relations with classroom observations. Early Education &
Development, 13(1), 41-58. doi:10.1207/s15566935eed1301_3
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Published
2015-03-04
How to Cite
Major, S., & Seabra-Santos, M. J. (2015). Parents and/or Teachers? Inter-Ratter Agreement on Preschoolers Social-Emotional Assessment. Psicologia: Teoria E Pesquisa, 30(4), 373–383. Retrieved from https://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/revistaptp/article/view/18577
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