Abstract

MAJOR, Sofia  and  SEABRA-SANTOS, Maria João. The use of rating scales in the social-emotional assessment of pre-schoolers. Aval. psicol. [online]. 2013, vol.12, n.1, pp. 101-107. ISSN 1677-0471.

The last 30 years are ruled by an increased interest in the assessment of the social-emotional development/functioning of preschool children. However, the assessment of this younger population, with specific characteristics (example, restricted vocabulary), requires the use of a distinct approach from the one used with school age children/adults. In this context, the use of rating scales has assumed a prominent role. The present paper aims to highlight the importance of rating scales as a measure of preschoolers’ social-emotional functioning. The critical review indicates that, despite several advantages (example, brevity and cost efficiency), there are also some limitations related to this kind of assessment instrument (example, bias of response), and recommendations for its efficient use are pointed out.

Keywords : social-emotional assessment; pre-schoolers; rating scales.

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