A Multitrait-Multimethod Study of Three Self-Concept Inventories

A program of construct validity research is needed to clarify past self-concept research and to provide a stronger foundation for future research. A multimethod-multitrait study was done in which facets of self-concept defined by subscale labels in 3 self-concept instruments' manuals are compared. 61 boys and 42 girls in the third through sixth grades were given the Sears Self-Concept Inventory, the Gordon How I See Myself Scale, and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Results are discussed in terms of a nomological network of self-concept and its implications for basic research and program evaluation.