Initial Reliability and Validity of the Perceived Social Competence Scale

Objective: This study describes the development and validation of a perceived social competence scale that social workers can easily use to assess children's and youth's social competence. Method: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on a calibration and a cross-validation sample of youth. Predictive validity was also established. Results: A four-item measure, labeled the Perceived Social Competence Scale (PSCS) , demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and factorial validity in samples of children and youth participating in youth development programs. Additionally, tests for gender invariance indicated that the PSCS worked equally well for males and females. The PSCS also demonstrated predictive validity, correlating positively with perceived belonging. Conclusion: Support was found for the PSCS as an empirically sound tool to assess children and youth's perceptions of social competence.