Brief Description

This is a questionnaire designed to help preschool teachers identify children who may have particular emotional needs or behavioral problems. It is completed by the teacher and includes 22 questions covering four key areas of behavior: conduct, emotional difficulties, social relationships, and attention span. Each question has three or four options that indicate the frequency or severity of the problem, and the teacher selects the option that best describes the child’s recent behavior.

Purpose

A questionnaire designed to detect emotional and behavioral problems in children aged 2 to 5 years.

Scoring Method

Scoring is based on a three-point scale (0 = no problem, 1 = possible problem, and 2 = definite problem). Therefore, the possible total score ranges from 0 to 44. The specific factors are identified by the following questions: (1, 2, 6, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20) aggression, (9, 11, 17, 19) social isolation, (12, 13, 21) emotional disorders, (3, 4, 22) psychosomatic disorders, and (5, 7, 8, 15) difficulties in concentration and attention. A score of 12 and above (out of a range from 0 to 44) was defined as the cut-off point for the diagnosis of problematic behavior. Based on this division, 25.3% of the sample fell into category 2 (definite problem).

Validity

The questionnaire has good face validity. Furthermore, the correlation between the teachers’ assessments of problematic behavior or adaptation and the PBCL scores related to emotional or behavioral difficulties is statistically significant.

Reliability

The internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach’s alpha) per factor was as follows: aggression 0.82, social isolation 0.73, emotional disorders 0.65, psychosomatic disorders 0.73, and difficulties in concentration and attention 0.56.

Data Analysis and Use

Five factors emerged with eigenvalues greater than 1.0, and items with loadings below 0.4 were excluded. Based on the content of the items, the following factors were identified: (1) aggression, (2) social isolation, (3) emotional disorders, (4) psychosomatic disorders, and (5) difficulties in concentration and attention. The mean total score for the sample was 8.23 with a standard deviation of 5.96. For boys, the mean score was 9.29 (SD = 6.27), while for girls it was 7.07 (SD = 5.37). The means and standard deviations (in parentheses) for boys and girls by factor were as follows: aggression 4.03 (3.34) and 2.64 (2.71), social isolation 1.14 (1.55) and 1.03 (1.45), emotional disorders 1.11 (1.31) and 1.20 (1.32), psychosomatic disorders 0.50 (1.00) and 0.30 (0.75), difficulties in concentration and attention 2.25 (1.76) and 1.77 (1.50).

References

Zafeiropoulou, M., Argyroukoulis, E., Rousi, Ch., Angelosopoulou, A., Georgiou, E. & Menegatou, M. (2003). Evaluation of emotional difficulties and behavioral problems in kindergarten: The Preschool Behaviour Checklist. 9th Panhellenic Conference of Psychological Research, University of the Aegean, Rhodes.
McGuire, J. & Richman, R. (1988). Preschool Behaviour Checklist. Windsor: NFER-Nelson.
St James-Roberts, I., Singh, G., Lynn, R. & Jackson, S. (1994). Assessing emotional and behavioural problems in reception class school-children: factor structure, convergence and prevalence using the PBCL. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 64, 105–118.