A Re-Examination of the Validity and Reliability of the School-Age Temperament Inventory

BACKGROUNDAs a construct, temperament provides a framework for understanding differences among individuals in reaction to their life experiences. The measurement of the construct concerns both researchers and clinicians. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to examine whether the School-Age Temperament Inventory continued to demonstrate reliability and validity when retested with three existent samples of parent respondents. METHODSample 1 was a sociodemographically and racially heterogeneous group of 200 children from New England in the United States. Data for Sample 2 was provided by 589 mothers and fathers from the state of Georgia in the United States. In Sample 3, data was provided by parents (principally, mothers) of 1,391 adolescents from Australia. Orthogonal Procrustes rotations were conducted to examine the underlying structure of the inventory when it was contrasted with the results obtained in the original standardization of the tool. RESULTSThe total coefficients of congruence for the samples were .88 to .97, while those of the four factors ranged from .84 to .98. Across the samples, Cronbach alphas for the dimensions ranged from .80 to .92. Independent t-tests identified that boys were significantly more active and less task persistent than girls. However, regression analyses revealed that sex accounted for only 5% of the variance in task persistence and activity. DISCUSSIONThe results provide substantial additional support for the reliability and validity of the School-Age Temperament Inventory. Recommendations for future research are offered which include exploring the role of temperament in contributing to developmental outcomes in children and examining cross-cultural samples.