Development and psychometric properties of the short Polish version of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA).

BACKGROUND: The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA) is an instrument widely used among researchers to assess young children's self-perceptions. In two studies, we aimed to develop and validate a shortened version of the PSPCSA in Polish. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: In Study 1, 133 preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years participated. The goal was to shorten the scale by selecting the best-performing items and to verify the factor structure of both the full-length and shortened Polish versions of the PSPCSA. Study 2 involved 344 children aged 4 to 7 years, aiming to validate the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the shortened version within the Polish cultural context. RESULTS: The shortened PSPCSA demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor model (Competence and Acceptance) for the shortened scale, with satisfactory fit indices. Additional, theoretically and psychometrically reasonable modifications further improved the model fit. Our results confirmed the validity of the scale and supported both configural and metric measurement invariance across age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The Polish short version of the PSPCSA offers a reliable tool for assessing preschoolers' self-perceptions of competence and acceptance. Its validation ensures robust psychometric properties, supporting its utility in research studies to understand early self-esteem development. The shortened version reduces the fatigue associated with the longer scale, making it more suitable for young children.