Do Self Concept Tests Test Self Concept? An Evaluation of the Validity of Items on the Piers Harris and Coopersmith Measures

Items from Peirs-Harris and Coopersmith self-concept tests were evaluated against independent measures on three self-constructs, idealized, empathic, and worth. Construct measurements were obtained with the semantic differential and D statistic. Ratings were obtained from 381 children, grades 4-6. For each test, item ratings and construct measures were subjected to factor analysis. In each instance, six factors were extracted, but only one was designated by the construct measures. Multiple regressions were run between items and construct measures. Multiple correlations were small. These findings raise substantial doubt about the construct and predictive validity of the Peirs-Harris and Coopersmith tests. (Author)