Design of a Self-esteem Scale for Schoolchildren: EVA 2015

Abstract

Background. We designed and validated a Self-Esteem Scale for Catalan and Venezuelan schoolchildren, with the joint aims of both examining its psychometric properties and emergent factors, and comparing its behaviour between the two communities. Method. Data collection was conducted twice: a pilot (300 schoolchildren) and a final test (636 schoolchildren aged from 6 to 9 years). Results. A factor analysis (principal component analysis) of the Catalan sample conformed a final instrument with 19 items organized into 4 factors: Social acceptance, Negative emotions, School satisfaction, and Self-assessment. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the Venezuelan sample, and the method of maximum likelihood estimation suggested a good fit (CFI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.039). Conclusions. The factors emerging from the scale suggest different dimensions of self-esteem at the beginning of school age.