Content Validity Study of a Subjective Well-Being Measurement Tool for Early Childhood

Halie Welsh

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology and Special Education

Date of Award

8-14-2024

Abstract

With a focus on positive Psychology and Special Education in early childhood education, the research addresses the critical need to evaluate and promote the subjective well-being of young children. However, there is a dearth of available instruments to assess this in young children who have emerging reading abilities and language to adequately describe their feelings. This study aimed to validate a measurement tool designed for assessing subjective well-being in early childhood through a content validity assessment conducted by a panel of experts. The proposed instrument, encompassing five key domains—family, home, school, friends, and self—utilizes age?appropriate language and smiley-face scales to gauge emotional experiences of young children. A diverse panel of 8 experts in relevant fields reviewed the instrument for relevance, clarity, and comprehensiveness. The study followed a multi-step process. Firstly, the development of the measurement tool involved creating items tailored for young children’s current level of understanding while employing a smiley-face Likert scale for response collection via electronic devices. Secondly, a panel of experts independently reviewed the instrument, providing feedback on item relevance. There were a total of eight experts, each with more than 10 years of experience in their field. The expert’s fields consisted of school Psychology and Special Education, early education, child development, and curriculum and instruction in early education. Analysis of the expert panel's data involved calculating the content validity ratio (CVR) for each item, with items falling below a predetermined threshold subject to revision or removal. The significance level for a panel of eight experts is .75, and a total of 14 items met or exceeded this significance level, in which they will be retained in the revised measurement tool. An additional 5 items did not meet this threshold but resulted in a positive CVR. Four expert panelists volunteered to assist in a refinement and review of the five items; resulting in a unanimous agreement to retain 3 of these items in the final measurement tool. Once each item CVR had been calculated, CVR’s were averaged to calculate the content validity index (CVI). This index is the overall score for the measurement tool and must also meet the .75 threshold. The full 25 items resulted in a CVI of .50, but the retained 17 items have a total CVI of .79, which exceeds the threshold. With these revisions, the outcome is a validated instrument that comprehensively measures subjective well-being in early childhood. This research contributes to the advancement of positive Psychology and Special Education in early childhood education by providing a reliable and comprehensive means of measuring subjective well-being in young children.

Advisor

Kendra Saunders

Subject Categories

Education | Educational Psychology

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