Concordance of teacher-rated and performance-based measures of executive functioning in preschoolers

ABSTRACT

The most common method used to evaluate child behavior and functioning is rating scales completed by parents and/or teachers. Given that executive functioning (EF) plays a fundamental role in the developing child’s cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional development, it would be ideal if ratings of EF and performance-based EF measures assess the same construct. However, most studies report a small to negligible association between performance-based measures and ratings of EF. There are few studies investigating this association for preschoolers, and most only include parent ratings. Teachers may be more reliable reporters of EF behaviors due to the higher demand for EF skills in the preschool setting than at home and because teachers may have a better sense of what behaviors are normative. In this study, we reviewed the associations between three EF rating scales completed by teachers on 243 preschool children. Results showed small to moderate correlations with EF measures of inhibition and cognitive flexibility/switching for all three scales, with the strongest associations observed between Child Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS) Behavioral Regulation subscale and child EF measures. Exploratory multivariate path analyses showed that, after controlling for age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES), Behavioral Regulation significantly predicted performance-based measures of EF and accounted for incrementally more variance in the models. We conclude that in ideal situations, it is best to measure EF using both rating scales and performance-based measures of EF. The CBRS seems to be a sensitive measure of EF in preschoolers and may be a helpful brief screening tool for use with teachers.

KEYWORDS:

• Preschool
• ecological validity
• executive functioning
• parent–teacher agreement
• Child Behavior Rating Scale
• Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool
• Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Second Edition
• behavior regulation concordance of teacher-rated and performance-based measures of executive functioning in preschoolers

Acknowledgment

The primary study from which this data was obtained was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02225236).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by grant from the Brady Education Foundation, Inc., in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.