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Abstract
The results of a study examining the psychometric quality of a pictorial scale to measure perceived physical competence, perceived cognitive competence and perceived social acceptance by peers and caregivers in individuals with intellectual disabilities are reported. The scale was administered twice to 100 subjects. The stability of the scale proved good: the test–retest correlations were sufficiently high and significant; and the internal consistency of the scale also proved good. To establish the internal validity of the scale, the correlations between the four subscales were calculated. The correlations were reasonable, which shows coherence between the four scales but also sufficient differentiation. The correlations between the two subscales for social acceptance were quite high, and it was therefore decided to combine them. To gain insight into the external validity of the pictorial scale, a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was constructed to measure the three domains of perceived competence from the pictorial scale in a more global manner. The VAS yielded reliable results. The correlations between the VAS and the pictorial scale were moderate to reasonable. Finally, the scores on the pictorial scale did not vary according to sex or level of functioning. All of the subscales differed according to age, however. Individuals over the age of 35 scored significantly lower than younger individuals. The results of this research show the pictorial scale to be a reliable instrument for the measurement of perceived competence and social acceptance in individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Notes
* Corresponding author. School of Education, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands. Email: [email protected]