There are common psychometric issues in self-assessment questionnaires: Personal bias, answer style, and inconsistency. Steps have been taken to insulate the SEI scores from these obscuring influences:
Personal bias: the SEI has been tested to consider the effects of these biases by utilizing a “positive impression” scale. To a very large extent, the SEI functions effectively without correction. However, the Positive Impression factor is reported on the data sheet to provide useful insight to a SEI Assessor interpreting SEI results.
Answer style: Another common psychometric issue is that different people assign a Likert scale (e.g., 1-5) with different meanings. Some rarely use extremes, others “always leave room for improvement.” To compensate for these differences, the SEI includes an Answer Style index.
Inconsistency: some test takers are inconsistent in their answers which can reveal a lack of understanding or a lack of focus. These can reduce the value of the results. The SEI includes a test of consistency that also evaluates completion time.
POSITIVE IMPRESSION
Average performance and the distribution of scores for positive impression is closely aligned with that of other EQ scales. This is a standardized score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, similar to that of the EQ components and Life Barometers. This means that a markedly high, standardized positive impression score, as identified by standard deviation points, remains a valid gauge for further follow-up as indicated in SEI-YV reports across the different survey versions. Positive impression range can be: Very Low, Low, Average, High or Very High.
EXECUTION TIME
As in the other SEI indices, the individual test-taker’s behavior is compared to a large international sample; typically individuals take around eight minutes to complete the SEI. If completion time is unusually fast or slow, it’s a signal of a potential issue. The completion time index is calculated based on main questionnaire, starting after the personal data page, and ending before the final, optional, mood question.
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Average: Green Light
Long: Yellow Light
CONSISTENCY ANSWERS (CA)
The consistency index evaluates the frequency of answer choices that the test-taker uses in the 5-point Likert Scale (e.g, “I Agree,” “I Disagree”). This evaluation is based on the elaboration of two indicators:
1. DENSITY INDICATOR - how often does the person use option 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5? Their frequency is compared to the international standard. If one or more options is significantly over-used, the system identifies a potential problem.
2. RANDOM INDICATOR - this test compares way the test taker answers every item with the international standard. If they follow a random pattern in answering, the system detects a potential problem. To increase accuracy, this indicator is also linked to completion time to make the final random feedback more accurate.
These indicators are summarized in a single CA index, reported in the Data sheet through 3 lights:
Red Light - Low Consistency (problems in one or both indicators)
Yellow Light - Moderate Consistency (potential problem in the random index)
Green Light - High Consistency (both indicators in a normal range
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Concurrent Validity
In the SEI-YV survey, the assessment measures Life Barometers under a separate section, which asks the youth about current performance in specific arenas that impact their lives daily. The overall Life Barometer score breaks down into five different Barometers. Youth tend to rate themselves slightly lower on the Life Barometer items than on the EQ component items.
Importantly, the Life Barometers afford us a built-in opportunity to measure concurrent validity via multiple regression analysis. The validity is said to be concurrent rather than predictive due to the fact that youth complete the second section of the survey immediately after the first section. The insights gained from this analysis are also reported in a powerful EQ Yardstick that is extremely useful for purposes of further development. Many practitioners view the EQ Yardstick as the most powerful part of the SEI-YV report.
The variance in scores within each of the Life Barometers is explained as follows by the EQ components:
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Life Barometer
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Percentage of Variance Explained
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Overall
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%R2 = 43.73%
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Good health
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%R2 = 15.73%
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Relationship quality
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%R2 = 38.22%
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Life satisfaction
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%R2 = 32.42%
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Personal achievement
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%R2 = 26.21%
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Self-efficacy
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%R2 = 13.57%
Overall, the regression results, and hence the concurrent validity of the SEI-YV, look favorable. The results for the two outer Life Barometers are only moderate due to a slight bimodality in the responses: youth tend to have either good health habits or not so much, and are either moderately self-efficacious or slightly more. This latter aspect is addressed via refinements in the item wording of the current edition of the SEI-YV. While we include good health as a Life Barometer in the SEI-YV in recognition of this being a growing issue among youth in many parts of the world, we are still working to fully understand the relationship between physical health (eating and exercise) and emotional intelligence. The most important EQ scales contributing to each Life Barometer are determined by a statistical technique called stepwise regression analysis (forward procedure). The top three with the highest contributing value to each of the five Life Barometers are shown below. Note that some EQ components repeat across the Life Barometers, though their order of importance may differ. It is also helpful to keep in mind that the EQ components contribute value as they work together to explain the variance in Life Barometer scores from the norm base. Therefore, all indicated EQ components should be considered together when compared against the corresponding Life Barometer.
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Life Barometer
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Most Significant EQ Contributors
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Good Health
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EIM Engage Intrinsic Motivation
EO Exercise Optimism
PNG Pursue Noble Goals
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Relationship Quality
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EIM Engage Intrinsic Motivation
EO Exercise Optimism
PNG Pursue Noble Goals
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Life Satisfaction
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EO Exercise Optimism
EIM Engage Intrinsic Motivation
NE Navigate Emotions
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Personal Achievement
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NE Navigate Emotions
IE Increase Empathy
PNG Pursue Noble Goals
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Self-Efficacy
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EO Exercise Optimism
EIM Engage Intrinsic Motivation
NE Navigate Emotions
Ultimately, all eight EQ components are important for further development of the Life Barometers. The top EQ components that statistically contributed most to the regression model for each Life Barometer were selected, hence the order in which they are listed is meaningful. Note that the same EQ component can contribute to different Life Barometers, but in a different order of importance, and in combination with different EQ components each time. From the perspective of further developing the Life Barometers then, Assessors should pay particular attention to these combinations of EQ components.
Since the beta values in the respective regression equations of all the identified EQ components are positive, one should interpret the relationship that high scores in these EQ components are generally associated with high scores in the Life Barometers. The statistical selections above help users target their development with an enhanced chance of success. Ideally, the Life Barometer and three EQ component scores grouped together should be in balance with one another.