Achenbach Teacher’s Report Form [TRF-113]

Description

The Teacher’s Report Form (TRF-113) is one of the core instruments within the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA). It is completed by teachers or other school staff members who know the child well in the school environment.

The instrument includes 113 items assessing emotional, social, and behavioral problems, as well as aspects of the child’s adaptive functioning and competencies. It can be used alongside other Achenbach instruments, such as the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), to provide a broader multi-informant view of the child’s functioning.

Purpose

The main purpose of the TRF-113 is to assess school adjustment, social and emotional functioning, and behavioral difficulties in children and adolescents aged 6–18 years, as observed by teachers in the school setting.

Its use helps identify difficulties that may not be equally evident in other environments and supports comparison of the child’s behavior across school and home contexts.

Scoring

The assessment is based on the child’s behavior during the previous two months.

Each item is rated on a three-point scale:

• 0 = Not True
• 1 = Somewhat or Sometimes True
• 2 = Very True or Often True

Responses are organized into emotional, social, and behavioral dimensions and are used to assess the child’s overall adjustment within the school environment.

Validity

The validity of the TRF has been supported through extensive research use and through associations with related measures and clinical findings.

The instrument demonstrates evidence of construct, convergent, and discriminant validity, and has also been used in research examining the prediction of later psychosocial adjustment.

Reliability

The TRF demonstrates high reliability.

Reported Cronbach’s alpha coefficients range from 0.72 to 0.95 across the different scales, while scales corresponding to DSM-related categories show values ranging from 0.73 to 0.94.

High agreement between raters has also been reported, supporting the stability and consistency of the assessment.

Data Analysis and Use

TRF-113 data can be analyzed across specific emotional and behavioral dimensions and compared with normative reference data.

The instrument can contribute to:

• identification of possible indicators of psychopathology,
• diagnostic assessment,
• planning of educational and psychosocial interventions,
• monitoring the child’s progress and school adjustment.

Applications

The TRF-113 may be used in:

• school and educational psychology,
• child psychological and psychiatric assessment,
• special education,
• research on child and adolescent psychopathology,
• monitoring the effectiveness of interventions.

Reference

Achenbach, T. M. (2003). Manual for the ASEBA School-Age Forms and Profiles. Athens: Ellinika Grammata.