Measures of Self-Concept and Self-Esteem for Children Ages 3–12 Years: A Review and Recommendations

When clinicians wish to assess self-concept or self-esteem while conducting personality evaluations, few adequate instruments are currently available. Nineteen most frequently used or newly constructed scales which are appropriate for use with children 9 to 12 years, 6 to 8, and 3 to 5 years are reviewed, as well as four instruments designed to be completed by an adult (teacher or parent). Recommendations regarding the best scale for each age level are made, with psychometric adequacy and age appropriateness of test format as criteria for evaluation. The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale was judged to be the best for clinical use with older children, with no measure evaluated as adequate for nonresearch use at the lower age levels. The Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem scale is recommended as the best teacher report instrument. General issues related to the measurement of self-esteem, including social desirability, method variance, and construct validity are discussed.