ASSESSING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TEACHER AND CHILD PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL SKILLS

This study examined the effects of group membership on the perception of social skills by comparing discrepancies between self-ratings and teacher-ratings of social skills. Given that differences between groups are typically controlled for, profile comparisons of this kind are scarce in the current literature. In this study, social skills of children in third, fourth, and fifth grades (N=108) were rated both by the children and by their teachers. Results from the analysis of the data, using discrepancy scores on the Social Skills Inventory System (SSIS), suggest that significant group differences only exist between ratings of Latino and African American children and ratings by their teachers. Additionally, no significant differences were observed when examining groups by gender, Piagetian stage, and by child age. Implications indicate that ethnicity affects teacher perception of social skills.M.S. in Psychology, December 201