A typology of teacher-rated child behavior for a national U.S. sample

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to build on the emerging effort to produce a meaningful typology of classroom behavior for elementary school age children. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) Teacher Rating Scales for Children (TRS-C) norming data were collected for 1,227 six- to eleven-year-old children at 116 sites representing various regions of the United States. The TRS-C has 148 items that are rated by the teacher on a 4-point scale of frequency, ranging from Never to Almost always. The Ward method of cluster analysis was used to identify the initial centroids or cluster seeds. An iterative clustering method, a K-means procedure, was used to refine the Ward cluster solution. A seven-cluster solution was selected based on both rational and empirical considerations. The resulting clusters were named well-adapted, average, learning disorder, disruptive behavior disorder, physical complaints and worry, severe psychopathology, and mildly disruptive. The seven-cluster solution resembles those of Achenbach (1991), Curry and Thompson (1985), and other researchers. The resulting typology points the way toward future cluster studies of child psychopathology by delineating additional research and theoretical questions.