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Agreement between teachers' ratings and observations of hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and defiance

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology volume 14, pages 331–345 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

The relationship of directly observed classroom behavior and teacher ratings on questionnaires with a judgmental (Conners Teacher Rating Scale) or operational format was examined for 33 boys aged 6 years 5 months to 7 years 7 months. Results showed a high degree of association between observed and rated behavior. This association did not vary with the format of the rating scales but did vary with the nature of the behavior being rated. Defiance was more reliably rated than hyperactivity or inattentiveness. Several behaviors exerted a halo effect on ratings of hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and behavior problems. In particular, defiance toward a teacher increased the likelihood that a child would be rated as hyperactive or inattentive regardless of his observed level of activity or attentiveness. These results support the validity of behavior rating scales as screening measures for hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and defiance and indicate that a child's defiance and disobedience are significant causes of misclassification.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

    Russell Schachar

  2. Institute of Psychiatry, London

    Seija Sandberg & Michael Rutter

Authors
  1. Russell Schachar
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  2. Seija Sandberg
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  3. Michael Rutter
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Additional information

The first author was supported by the Ontario Mental Health Foundation and the Medical Research Council of Canada. The authors would like to thank Mrs. Penny Roy for her help in the reliability study. The manuscript was prepared with the assistance of the Medical Publications Department, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.

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Schachar, R., Sandberg, S. & Rutter, M. Agreement between teachers' ratings and observations of hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and defiance. J Abnorm Child Psychol 14, 331–345 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00915450

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00915450

Keywords

  • Behavior Problem
  • Operational Format
  • Teacher Rate
  • Behavior Rating
  • Classroom Behavior