Psychological Reports, 1976, 39, 221-222. @ Psychological Reports 1976
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN COOPERSMITH'S SELF-ESTEEM INVENTORY AND THE CALIFORNIA TEST OF PERSONALITY FOR CHILDREN IN GRADES FOUR AND SIX DARWIN DORR,
CHRISTINE BERG RUMMER,
RUSSEL F. GREEN'
Highland Hospital Duke University
University of Hawaii
BOCES No. 1 Monroe Couniy, N.Y.
Summary.-Correlations between scores on Coopersmith's self-esteem inventory and a measure of emotional adjustment, the California Test of Personality. for 214 fourth and 213 sixth grade children. contrary to expectations. were not curvilinear. For n = 427 Coopersmith scores correlated .62, .49, and .59 with the California Personal, Social and Total scores respectively. rs by grade and sex were not substantially different. However, for fourth graders, self-esteem scores were more strongly related to Personal Adjustment scores than they were to the Social Adjustment scores, whereas for sixth graders, these 7s were about the same. While Coopersmith (1, 2 ) has investigated the concept of self-esteem extensively, relationships between his self-esteem inventory and measures of positive emotional adjustment have been largely overlooked. In view of the potential importance of the concept of self-esteem to the development of emotional health, the absence of such research is surprising. Therefore, this study investigated Pearson correlations between Coopersmith's self-esteem inventory (1, 2 ) and one measure of emotional adjustment, the California Test of Personality (4, p. 3 8 ) . Since self-esteem is, theoretically, only one aspect of adjustment ( 3 ) , we expected correlations of the measures to be positive though moderate. Children in Grades 4 and 6 from two public schools ( N s = 650, 750) in a middleto working-class suburb near Rochester, New York were tested. Mean age of the 214 fourth graders was 9.5 yr. (SD = 3.1 mo.) and of the 213 sixth graders 11.5 yr. (SD = 3.1 m o ) . The schools had a "no rerention" policy, hence, age and grade were nearly perfectly related. End of fourth grade Stanford Achievement Averages (total battery) were 5.3 in both schools. End of sixth grade Stanford averages were 7.3 and 7.8 in the two schools respectively. Average household income was approximately $16,00O/yr. in the two neighborhoods. Adult education level was 12.1 yr.'and 60% of the homes had two wage earners. The fourth graders took Form AA of the primary series of the California and sixth graders took Form AA of the elementary series. The California yields a Personal Adjustment score, a Social Adjustment score, and a Total Adjustment score. Because a curvilinear relationship between Coopersmith and California scores was anticipated (if self-esteem scores are too high, adjustment scores may be low), scatter plots were made of all Coopersmith-California relationships and plots judged to be .curvilinear were analyzed via an P test of linearity using eta ( ? ) and Pearson's r. However, there was no evidence of departure from linearity. Coopersmith-California scores were correlated using Pearson's rs for the full.population and each of .the four subgroups. Means and standard deviations for these groups appear in Table 1 and relevant 7s in Table 2. 'The authors thank Cathy Sachs of Washington University who assisted in data analysis and Professor David E. Weldon, also of Washington University, who generously provided statistical consultation.
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TABLE 1 MEANSAND STANDARD DEVIATIONS FOR COOPERSMITH AND CALIFORNIA SCORES Measure Coopersmith California Personal Social Total
Boys, Grade 4 M S D n
Girls, Grade 4 M S D n
Boys, Grade 6 M S D n
Girls, Grade 6 M S D n
61.002 17.68 114 62.18219.36 100 67.592 16.19 102 65.84218.71 100 31.38f 8.87 112 29.4610.24 97 48.27210.32 98 48.12212.53 98 29.55f 7.20 110 33.672 7.05 98 45.98+10.00 97 50.64f 9.81 96 60.94k13.45 110 63.10~16.05 96 94.41218.25 95 99.03f 20.45 94
In the full sample the self-esteem scale correlated .62, .49, and .59 with the California Personal, Social, and Total scales respectively, indicating approximately one-quarter to two-thirds shared variance. Interpretively, a moderate portion of the California variance could be attributed to a "self-esteem" factor though clearly there is substantial independent variation in both instruments. In the four subgroups, rs ranged from .44 to .79. The rs for fourth and sixth grade boys and girls were compared using Fisher's z' technique, e.g., in Grade 4 girl vs boy, etc., rs for correlated data, e.g., self-esteem-Personal Adjustment vs self-esteem-Social Adjustment, etc., were compared using t tests for correlated data. There were no differences in Coopersmith-California rs by grade or by sex. InTABLE 2 CORRELATIONS BETWEENCOOPERSMITHAND CALIFORNIASCORES BY GRADEAND SEX California Scale
Total
Personal Social Total
.62 .49 .59
Grade 4 Girls Boys
.79 .62 .78
.69 .44 .68
Grade 6 Girls Boys
.73 .63 .76
.61 .62 .70
terestingly, however, Personal Adjustment-self-esteem correlations were significantly ( p < .05) greater than Social Adjustment-self-esteem correlations in fourth graders but parallel correlations for the sixth graders did not differ significantly. Perhaps selfesteem may be more strongly related to intrapersonal adjustment for fourth graders, but as youngsters grow older social adjustment may become as related to a positive self-concept as personal adjustment. Use of alternative measures of self-esteem and adjustment seems warranted. Of particular interest would be developmental trends in the relationship of social adjustment and self-esteem. REFERENCES 1. COOPERSMITH, S. A method of determln~ngrypes of self esteem. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1959, 59, 87-94. 2. COOPERSMITH,S. The antecedents of self-esteem. San Francisco: Freeman, 1967. 3. JAHODA,M. Current concepts of positive mental health. New York: Basic Books,
1958. 4. THORPE,L. P., CLARK,W. W., & TIEGS,E. W. California Test of Personality, 1953 Revision. In 0. K. Buros (Ed.), The fifth mental measurements yearbook. Highland Park, N. J.: Gryphon Press, 1959. P. 38. Accepted June 2, 1976.
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN COOPERSMITH'S SELF-ESTEEM INVENTORY AND THE CALIFORNIA TEST OF PERSONALITY FOR CHILDREN IN GRADES FOUR AND SIX DARWIN DORR,
CHRISTINE BERG RUMMER,
RUSSEL F. GREEN'
Highland Hospital Duke University
University of Hawaii
BOCES No. 1 Monroe Couniy, N.Y.
Summary.-Correlations between scores on Coopersmith's self-esteem inventory and a measure of emotional adjustment, the California Test of Personality. for 214 fourth and 213 sixth grade children. contrary to expectations. were not curvilinear. For n = 427 Coopersmith scores correlated .62, .49, and .59 with the California Personal, Social and Total scores respectively. rs by grade and sex were not substantially different. However, for fourth graders, self-esteem scores were more strongly related to Personal Adjustment scores than they were to the Social Adjustment scores, whereas for sixth graders, these 7s were about the same. While Coopersmith (1, 2 ) has investigated the concept of self-esteem extensively, relationships between his self-esteem inventory and measures of positive emotional adjustment have been largely overlooked. In view of the potential importance of the concept of self-esteem to the development of emotional health, the absence of such research is surprising. Therefore, this study investigated Pearson correlations between Coopersmith's self-esteem inventory (1, 2 ) and one measure of emotional adjustment, the California Test of Personality (4, p. 3 8 ) . Since self-esteem is, theoretically, only one aspect of adjustment ( 3 ) , we expected correlations of the measures to be positive though moderate. Children in Grades 4 and 6 from two public schools ( N s = 650, 750) in a middleto working-class suburb near Rochester, New York were tested. Mean age of the 214 fourth graders was 9.5 yr. (SD = 3.1 mo.) and of the 213 sixth graders 11.5 yr. (SD = 3.1 m o ) . The schools had a "no rerention" policy, hence, age and grade were nearly perfectly related. End of fourth grade Stanford Achievement Averages (total battery) were 5.3 in both schools. End of sixth grade Stanford averages were 7.3 and 7.8 in the two schools respectively. Average household income was approximately $16,00O/yr. in the two neighborhoods. Adult education level was 12.1 yr.'and 60% of the homes had two wage earners. The fourth graders took Form AA of the primary series of the California and sixth graders took Form AA of the elementary series. The California yields a Personal Adjustment score, a Social Adjustment score, and a Total Adjustment score. Because a curvilinear relationship between Coopersmith and California scores was anticipated (if self-esteem scores are too high, adjustment scores may be low), scatter plots were made of all Coopersmith-California relationships and plots judged to be .curvilinear were analyzed via an P test of linearity using eta ( ? ) and Pearson's r. However, there was no evidence of departure from linearity. Coopersmith-California scores were correlated using Pearson's rs for the full.population and each of .the four subgroups. Means and standard deviations for these groups appear in Table 1 and relevant 7s in Table 2. 'The authors thank Cathy Sachs of Washington University who assisted in data analysis and Professor David E. Weldon, also of Washington University, who generously provided statistical consultation.
222
D. DORR, ET AL.
TABLE 1 MEANSAND STANDARD DEVIATIONS FOR COOPERSMITH AND CALIFORNIA SCORES Measure Coopersmith California Personal Social Total
Boys, Grade 4 M S D n
Girls, Grade 4 M S D n
Boys, Grade 6 M S D n
Girls, Grade 6 M S D n
61.002 17.68 114 62.18219.36 100 67.592 16.19 102 65.84218.71 100 31.38f 8.87 112 29.4610.24 97 48.27210.32 98 48.12212.53 98 29.55f 7.20 110 33.672 7.05 98 45.98+10.00 97 50.64f 9.81 96 60.94k13.45 110 63.10~16.05 96 94.41218.25 95 99.03f 20.45 94
In the full sample the self-esteem scale correlated .62, .49, and .59 with the California Personal, Social, and Total scales respectively, indicating approximately one-quarter to two-thirds shared variance. Interpretively, a moderate portion of the California variance could be attributed to a "self-esteem" factor though clearly there is substantial independent variation in both instruments. In the four subgroups, rs ranged from .44 to .79. The rs for fourth and sixth grade boys and girls were compared using Fisher's z' technique, e.g., in Grade 4 girl vs boy, etc., rs for correlated data, e.g., self-esteem-Personal Adjustment vs self-esteem-Social Adjustment, etc., were compared using t tests for correlated data. There were no differences in Coopersmith-California rs by grade or by sex. InTABLE 2 CORRELATIONS BETWEENCOOPERSMITHAND CALIFORNIASCORES BY GRADEAND SEX California Scale
Total
Personal Social Total
.62 .49 .59
Grade 4 Girls Boys
.79 .62 .78
.69 .44 .68
Grade 6 Girls Boys
.73 .63 .76
.61 .62 .70
terestingly, however, Personal Adjustment-self-esteem correlations were significantly ( p < .05) greater than Social Adjustment-self-esteem correlations in fourth graders but parallel correlations for the sixth graders did not differ significantly. Perhaps selfesteem may be more strongly related to intrapersonal adjustment for fourth graders, but as youngsters grow older social adjustment may become as related to a positive self-concept as personal adjustment. Use of alternative measures of self-esteem and adjustment seems warranted. Of particular interest would be developmental trends in the relationship of social adjustment and self-esteem. REFERENCES 1. COOPERSMITH, S. A method of determln~ngrypes of self esteem. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1959, 59, 87-94. 2. COOPERSMITH,S. The antecedents of self-esteem. San Francisco: Freeman, 1967. 3. JAHODA,M. Current concepts of positive mental health. New York: Basic Books,
1958. 4. THORPE,L. P., CLARK,W. W., & TIEGS,E. W. California Test of Personality, 1953 Revision. In 0. K. Buros (Ed.), The fifth mental measurements yearbook. Highland Park, N. J.: Gryphon Press, 1959. P. 38. Accepted June 2, 1976.
