Measurement Invariance Across Sex and Language Background of a Self-Report Social-Emotional Learning Questionnaire for Middle Childhood

• DOI: 10.1007/s12187-023-10015-3
• Publication Date: 2023-02-06T12:03:09Z
• Authors: Emma J. Carpendale; Melissa J. Green; Kate E. Williams; Stacy Tzoumakis; Vaughan J. Carr; Kristin R. Laurens
• Keywords: Measurement Invariance; Social emotional learning

Abstract This study investigates the measurement invariance of a brief self-report measure childhood social-emotional competencies, Middle Childhood Survey: Social-Emotional Learning (MCS-SEL), across demographic subgroups. Invariance was tested simultaneously among subgroups children aged 11–12 years that were differentiated by sex (male, female) and main language spoken at home (English, not English). Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis evaluated structural item-level using two random, independent samples 2,000 students (500 per strata) selected disproportionate sampling from New South Wales Child Development Study (NSW-CDS) population cohort. The achieved full configural, metric, scalar, residual all subgroups, validating its utility for assessing middle competencies population-level.