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Psychometric Properties of the Social Skills Questionnaire: Portuguese Adaptation of the Student Form (Grades 7 to 12)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Catarina Pinheiro Mota ,
Paula Mena Matos  and
Marina Serra Lemos
Catarina Pinheiro Mota*
Affiliation:
Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Portugal)
Paula Mena Matos
Affiliation:
Universidade do Porto (Portugal)
Marina Serra Lemos
Affiliation:
Universidade do Porto (Portugal)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Catarina Pinheiro Mota. Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto. Rua do Dr. Manuel Pereira da Silva. 4200-392 Porto. (Portugal). Phone: +35-1226079700. Fax: +351226079725. E-mail: Catarinap.mota@gmail.com
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Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the psychometric properties of the student form (Grades 7 to 12) of the Social Skills Questionnaire authored by Gresham and Elliott (1990), on a sample of Portuguese adolescents. Participants included 573 students, both female and male, aged 14 to 19. Reliability was assessed through Cronbach's alpha and was .87 for the total scale, ranging from.58 to .72 for the subscales. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the main adjustment indices presented unexpected values. A principal components analysis indicated that several items of the cooperation subscale correlated with other factors. Adequate adjustment indices were found when cooperation was removed from the model. Semantic dualities due to cultural factors and difficulties assuming the cooperation dimension as an independent dimension might explain the results observed. The reorganization of the SSQ offers a reliable and valid instrument for research within the Portuguese population.

El presente estudio ha tenido como objetivo el análisis de las propiedades psicométricas del Cuestionario de Habilidades Sociales (QHS) de Gresham y Elliott (1990), en la versión para estudiantes del 7º al 12º grado escolar. La muestra está compuesta por 573 estudiantes con edades comprendidas entre los 14 y los 19 años de ambos sexos. El análisis de consistencia interna con las dimensiones originales del cuestionario ha revelado un alpha de Cronbach total de .87 y alphas parciales entre .58 y .72. Un primer análisis factorial confirmatorio ha revelado índices inadecuados de ajuste comparativo con el modelo original. El análisis factorial exploratorio en componentes principales confirma una dispersión de los ítems de la dimensión cooperación. La eliminación de la dimensión cooperación mejora substancialmente los índices de ajuste en el análisis confirmatorio posterior. Entre las posibles explicaciones barajadas destacan: las dualidades semánticas, debidas a factores culturales y a dificultades en asumir como independiente la dimensión cooperación. La reorganización del QHS aporta un instrumento válido y fiable para la investigación en la población portuguesa.

Keywords

assessment of social skillsPortuguese version for adolescentsconfirmatory factor analysisevaluación de las competencias socialesversión portuguesa para adolescentesanálisis factorial confirmatorio
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , May 2011 , pp. 486 - 499
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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