Abstracts Psychology

Student Internalizing Behavior Screener and Student Externalizing Behavior Screener: An Analysis of Reliability, Validity, and Usability in Elementary School Populations

by Kelsey Lynn Hartman

Universal screening for emotional and behavioral risk in schools facilitates early identification and intervention for students as part of multitiered systems of support. Because early intervention has the potential to mitigate adverse outcomes of emotional and behavioral disorders and schools are prime locations to reach at-risk youth, research on the technical adequacy and usability of universal screeners to identify students for available school-based supports is vital. The purpose of this study was to extend existing research by Cook et al. (2011) and Cook, Volpe, and Gresham (2012) on the technical adequacy and usability of two universal screening measures, the Student Internalizing Behavior Screener (SIBS) and the Student Externalizing Behavior Screener (SEBS). Findings provided evidence for the reliability, concurrent validity, short-term predictive validity, and usability of the SIBS and SEBS in a sample of elementary-school students and their teachers. As a secondary focus, the technical adequacy and usability of the SIBS and SEBS was compared to that of two well-researched universal behavior screening measures. Results indicated that, in general, the SIBS and SEBS as a combined measure performed similarly to the criterion screening measures. Advisors/Committee Members: Kelley, Mary L (committee member), DiCarlo, Cynthia (committee member), Gresham, Frank M (chair), Long, Anna C (committee member), Renshaw, Tyler L (committee member).