Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE)

General Information on the Measure
Purpose of the measure

The Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE) measures social competence, emotion regulation and expression, and adjustment difficulties.

Main constructs measured

Intrapersonal competencies; Interpersonal competencies

Applicable grade levels

Children ages 30 to 78 months

Publication year for the most recent version

1995

Year originally developed

1995

Related measures
Measure Administration
Respondent

Teacher/Educator

Method of administration

Behavioral observation

Number of items

80

Item format

Six-point Likert-type scale

Administration time

15 minutes

Available languages

English, French, Slovenian

Fee for use Fee charged by developer
Credentials required for administration

Qualification Level B

Scoring
Overall score reporting

No overall scores are reported.

Subscore reporting

There are eight basic scales:

  • Depressive – Joyful
  • Anxious – Secure
  • Angry – Tolerant
  • Isolated – Integrated
  • Aggressive – Calm
  • Egotistical – Prosocial
  • Oppositional – Cooperative
  • Dependent – Autonomous

There are four summary scales:

  • Social Competence
  • Externalizing Problems
  • Internalizing Problems
  • General Adaptation
Scoring procedures

The SCBE is self-scored based on a scoring guide available for purchase from the developers.

Interpretive information

Scores are norm-referenced. Norms were established based on a sample of more than 1,200 preschool students.

Evidence of Technical Quality
Populations for which technical quality evidence has been collected

Technical evidence collected for the short form is based on a sample of 2,646 preschool students from three U.S. states and Montreal, Canada (LaFreniere & Dumas, 1996).

Reliability evidence

Inter-rater reliability of the three scales of the SCBE-30 ranged from 0.78 to .91. The internal consistency reliability of these scales ranged from 0.80 to 0.92. Test-retest reliability within a two-week period was in the range of 0.78-0.86 (LaFreniere & Dumas, 1996).

Validity evidence
Evidence based on content
No information is available in the references reviewed.
Evidence based on response processes
No information is available in the references reviewed.
Evidence based on internal structure
Principal components analysis supports the identification of eight distinct scales.
Evidence based on relations with other variables
No information is available in the references reviewed.
Locating the Measure
Obtaining a copy of the measure wpspublish.com
References

LaFreniere, P. J., & Dumas, J. E. , "Social competence and behavior evaluation: Preschool edition (SCBE)," Western Psychological Services, 1995.

LaFreniere, P.J. & Dumas, J.E. , "Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation in children aged three to six: The short form (SCBE-30)," Psychological Assessment, Vol. 8, No. 4, 1996, pp. 369–377.

Notes

Measure summary updated October 3, 2018.