James W. Chapman

Academic self‐concept in elementary learning disabled children: Study with the student's perception of ability scale

Academic self-concept as measured by the Students Perception of Ability Scale (SPAS) was compared for 81 learning disabled (LD) and 81 normally-achieving control children in grades three to six. The results show that LD children hold significantly more negative self-perceptions of ability in reading, spelling, and arithmetic than do the control children. Further, these negative school subject-related attitudes in the LD children had generalized to lower self-perceptions of ability in general, to expressions of less confidence in school, and more negative attitudes toward school. No grade level or sex effects were observed. It was concluded that the SPAS is able to discriminate between normally-achieving children and those experiencing problems in school, and, accordingly, that the SPAS has good external validity. The results were discussed in terms of using the SPAS for evaluating affective components of remediation, and for identifying high-risk elementary school children. Continuing external validity studies being undertaken by the authors also were noted.

The Student's Perception of Ability Scale: An Instrument for Measuring Academic Self-Concept in Elementary School Children.

The Students Perception of Ability Scale (SPAS) was developed in response to a need for a reliable and valid instrument to measure subject-based academic self-concept in elementary school children. This scale was designed for use with children in grades three to six. Descriptive data on the SPAS were discussed in terms of their substantive, structural, and external validity. Normative data were also highlighted. The scale was found to have six meaningful factors, relatively high alpha and test-retest reliability estimates, and reasonably strong discriminant and experimental validity. Data were presented which indicate that the SPAS clearly differentiates between children who have learning problems and those who do not. A concurrent validity coefficient of .489 was obtained with school grades. Further, a recent study indicates that the scale appears useful in assessing affective change over time. It was concluded that the SPAS is measuring a unique domain of academic self-concept and that the scale has good measurement characteristics. Practical and research implications for the scale were also discussed.

Comments on Discriminant Validity of Self-Concept Constructs

This paper questions the claim that self-concept is a unitary trait which cannot be satisfactorily divided into discrete components. The authors suggest that molecular aspects of self-concept can be measured through the use of instruments specifically designed to tap distinct facets of self-concept. Data supporting this supposition are discussed in terms of recent findings with the Students Perception of Ability Scale.

STUDENT'S PERCEPTION OF ABILITY SCALE: COMPARISON OF OPSCAN AND HANDSCORING FORMS

An Optical Scan (OPSCAN) computer-scoreable form of the Students Perception of Ability Scale was compared with the Regular hand-scored form. The results indicated that similar scores may be obtained using either form of the scale.