Development and Validation of the Scales of Emotional Functioning: Preschool and Kindergarten (SEF:PAK)

Data were collected from early childhood professionals about the emotional functioning of their four- and five year-old students and used to determine the psychometric properties of the Scales of Emotional Functioning: Preschool and Kindergarten, or SEF:PAK: Teacher Form, an experimental measure developed to measure emotional intelligence (EI). Analyses included descriptive statistics, item-scale correlations, and exploratory factor analyses, which provided evidence for a two-factor solution with 15 items per scale and 30 items total. In addition, reliability estimates (i.e., Cronbach’s alphas) for the Emotional Management (EI) and Interpersonal Skills (IS) subscales are .96 and .89, respectively. Finally, concurrent validity was estimated from correlation coefficients between these two scales and the Behavior Assessment System for Children – 3^rd Edition (BASC-3): Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS), and range from -.43 to -.85, providing evidence that children who tend to exhibit low levels of EI-related skills exhibit high levels of internalizing and externalizing disorders as measured by the BASC-3:BESS. Limitations, implications, and future applications of the SEF:PAK are discussed.