The Adaptation and Psychometric Examination of a Social-Emotional Developmental Screening Tool in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: The Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) was translated and adapted into Traditional Chinese in Taiwan. A sample of 1,455 children, ranging from 42 months 0 days to 53 months 30 days old, reflecting the population sizes of different regions in Taiwan, completed the 48-month ASQ:SE-2. Data were analyzed by item response theory modeling. A multidimensional Rasch Partial Credit Model was chosen for data analysis. Differential item functioning (DIF) was used to explore the difference between the Traditional Chinese ASQ:SE-2 and the English ASQ:SE-2 (N = 3,005) administered in the U.S. Results indicated that (a) item fit statistics was between 0.88 – 1.26 (M = 1.00, SD = 0.10), (b) difficulty was between -0.79 – 3.19 (M = 2.06, SD = 0.84), (c) reliability was 0.79 for all items, 0.75/0.74 for Emotion/Sociality dimension, and (d) six out of 35 items (17.1%) with moderate to large DIF. Practice or Policy: This research provided psychometric evidence for using the ASQ:SE-2-TC with a Taiwanese population. The promising psychometric findings encourage the further investment on validating ASQ:SE-2-TC. The cultural explanations can inform test developers to become aware of the potential influence from social values, parenting style, or childrearing practices.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the many families and children that participated in our research study. We thank Sesame Chen, Kathleen Scalise, Kimberly Murphy, for their support.

Disclosure statement

Jane Squires acknowledges a conflict of interest as she receives the royalties from publication of Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional