Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale – Second Edition

E.V. Piers, D.B. Harris & D.S. Herzberg

The Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale, one of the most widely used measures of psychological health in children and adolescents, is now available in a revised and updated Second Edition. Like the original scale, the Piers-Harris 2 quickly identifies youngsters who need further testing or treatment. And it now offers an expanded age range; reduced length; improved interpretive guidelines; a larger, more divers standardization sample; and updated computer assessment tools.

Based on the child’s own perceptions rather than the observations of parents or teachers, the Piers-Harris 2 assesses selfconcept in individuals ages 7 to 18. It is now composed of 60 (rather than 80) items covering six subscales:

• Physical Appearance and Attributes

• Intellectual and School Status

• Happiness and Satisfaction

• Freedom From Anxiety

• Behavioural Adjustment

• Popularity

In addition, two validity scales identify biased responding and the tendency to answer randomly.

Test items are simple descriptive statements, written at a second-grade reading level. Children indicate whether each item applies to them by selecting a yes or no response. This usually requires just 10 to 15 minutes.

The Piers-Harris 2 provides a Total Score that reflects overall self-concept, plus subscale scores that permit more detailed interpretation.

The Piers-Harris 2 is widely used in both schools and clinics. It is often administered as routine classroom screening to identify children who might benefit from further evaluation. And it is commonly used in clinical settings to determine specific areas of conflict, typical coping and defence mechanisms, and appropriate intervention techniques. It is an ideal choice when you need a quick but comprehensive measure of self-concept in children and adolescents.

Norms

New, nationally representative norms are based on a sample of nearly 1,400 students, ages 7 to 18, recruited from school districts throughout the U.S.