Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation in Brazilian Preschoolers

Abstract

This study examined teacher's description of social competence and difficulties using the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation scale (SCBE) in a Brazilan (N = 301) sample of preschoolers. Our results showed that the Portuguese/Brazilian version (SCBE-P30) is similar to the original one in terms of stability, internal consistency, and factorial structure. Moreover, results with the Brazilian sample are comparable to the original French-Canadian sample where girls displayed less anger-aggression behaviors and more social competence than boys. Similarities and disparities of relations found between the SBCE-P30 and cognitive as well as family variables are discussed in the light of the Brazilian context.