Validity of the Spanish Preschool Language Scale-3 for Use With Bilingual Children

Abstract

This study evaluated the validity of the Spanish edition of the Preschool Language Scale-3 (I. L. Zimmerman, V. G. Steiner, & R. E. Pond, 1993). As a preliminary step, the authors reviewed the test to determine whether it met psychometric criteria established by McCauley and Swisher (1984) and Hutchinson (1996). Examination of the test's psychometric characteristics revealed that the test met only 4 out of 10 criteria proposed by McCauley and Swisher and none of the additional criteria from Hutchinson. Problems were evident in the test's norming and in the lack of reliability and validity data. The authors then investigated whether, despite the test's psychometric shortcomings, it was useful for the assessment of Spanish/English-speaking children. Results revealed that the children studied performed approximately 1.5 SD below the mean. Moreover, the children's performance on the subtests did not reflect an even progression of item difficulty, indicating limited evidence of construct and content validity.