Evaluation of the Lamer social competence in preschool scale

Abstract

The Lamer Social Competence in Preschool Scale (LSCIP) has been widely used in Norway to assess children’s social competence; however, the six-factor structure has not been validated since the scalewas developed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the structure of the LSCIP using confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. The results show that the original model has a nearly adequate fit according to model fit criteria, but also suggest the need for revisions to achieve a better model. The study contributes to the further development of the LSCIP as a measurement tool that can be used to measure children’s social competence in both research and practice.

The Lamer Social Competence in Preschool Scale (LSCIP) has been widely used in Norway to assess children’s social competence; however, the six-factor structure has not been validated since the scale was developed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the structure of the LSCIP using confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. The results show that the original model has a nearly adequate fit according to model fit criteria, but also suggest the need for revisions to achieve a better model. The study contributes to the further development of the LSCIP as a measurement tool that can be used to measure children’s social competence in both research and practice.