Stability of Teacher Rated Children's Behaviour Problems During
the First Year at School. Relations to Children's Executive
Functioning and Peer Rated Aggressiveness. Tropp, K., Kikas, E.,
Mnnamaa, M. University of Tartu Presentation in Prague 2007 Slide 2
WHY? Several problem areas, especially children's aggressive
behaviour and problems with attention and hyperactivity are
important topics in Estonian education field. Numerous
environmental and personal aspects facilitate children's behaviour
problems. For example poor planning abilities are shown to be of
importance. Teacher-ratings are widely used in childrens problem
behavior research. Teachers work with behaviour problem children
daily, their ability to observe and discriminate between problems
is of importance. Slide 3 In this paper the stability of teacher
ratings of children's aggressiveness, attention problems and
hyperactivity during the first year at school was assessed,
concordance with peer rated aggression and relations to children's
executive functioning were investigated. Slide 4 Aggressive
behaviour - any behaviour directed toward another individual that
is carried out with the proximate intent to cause harm (Anderson
& Bushman, 2002). Aggressive behavior can be differentiated
according to its manifestations, i.e., physical verbal Indirect
(Bjrkqvist, sterman & Kaukiainen, 1992; Lagerspetz, Bjrkqvist
& Peltonen, 1988), social (Galen & Underwood, 1997), or
relational (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995; Crick, Bigbee, Howes,
1996). Slide 5 Attention deficit child has difficulties in
concentrating, staying on task, is absent-minded and needs frequent
assistance. Hyperactivity child is motorically restless, constantly
moving, loud and noisy. ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder. Executive functioning: a multidimensional behavioural
concept covering a range of assumed higher order cortical
functions, such as goal-directed behaviour, attentional control,
temporal organization, and planning (e.g. Lehto, Juujrvi, Kooistra,
and Pulkkinen, 2003). Slide 6 Method Participants: 239 7-8 year old
children (114 boys and 125 girls), and their class teachers (17)
from 10 different schools in Estonia. Measures: Teacher Reports of
Children's aggressive behaviour, attention problems and
hyperactivity were collected twice in the beginning of the first
grade, and 6 months later, Reliability of subscales ranged from.80
to.90. Three scales from the Peer Estimated Conflict Behaviour
Questionnaire (PECOBE); (Bjrkqvist & sterman, 1998) Executive
Functioning Task (Hedgehog task), a original test by one of the
authors of present paper (Mnnamaa, 2006; =.68). Slide 7 Executive
Functioning Task (Hedgehog task), Mnnamaa, 2006 Slide 8 Slide 9
Results Figure 1. Comparison of means of teacher ratings collected
at two assessment times. Slide 10 Figure 2. Problem behavior
ratings in children with low, medium, and high executive
functioning Slide 11 Results: Results: Profiles Employing the
person-oriented approach, we expected certain profiles of problem
behavior ratings to emerge at both times, with visible sex
differences. With LICUR procedure suggested by Bergman, Magnusson
& El- Khouri (2003), the individual stability of problem
behavior ratings was studied. Clusters characterized by high or
very high levels of all ratings, all medium or low levels, and
several profiles with one or some problem areas were revealed (see
Figure 2). A partial structural stability (e.g., Bergman et al.,
2003) was found between rating profiles at two time points. There
were significantly less boys with low and medium profile groups,
and more in high problem profiles Slide 12 Figure 3. Problem
profiles at two assessment points. Structural stability in teacher
ratings. ASED =.007 ASED =.039 ASED =.088 ASED =.680 ASED =.018
Slide 13 Figure 4. Problem profiles at two assessment points.
Individual stability in teacher ratings. * - p
