PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF A SOCIAL SKILLS ASSESSMENT TOOLKIT FOR VIETNAMESE PRESCHOOL CHILDREN AGED 5–6 YEARS
Authors
Nguyen Thieu Da Huong, Tran Thanh Nam, Dinh Thi Kim Thoa

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This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the KNXH5T, a newly developed toolkit designed to assess social skills among Vietnamese preschool children aged 5–6. Grounded in the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) framework and Classical Test Theory (CTT), the tool underwent a rigorous validation process involving a pilot study (N=140) and a formal survey (N=335) across ten preschools in Hanoi. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) identified a five-factor structure—Communication, Cooperation, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-control—explaining 62.4% of the total variance. Subsequent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) demonstrated a robust model fit with the empirical data (χ²/df = 2.57, CFI = 0.911, TLI = 0.900, and RMSEA = 0.0685). The assessment toolkit exhibited high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.88 for the teacher-report and 0.87 for the parent-report, while subscale reliability ranged from 0.78 to 0.85. Furthermore, strong temporal stability and inter-rater objectivity were confirmed by a test-retest reliability of r=0.86 and an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of 0.83. These findings suggest that the KNXH5T is a psychometrically sound and culturally sensitive tool, providing a reliable basis for evidence-based social skills assessment in the Vietnamese educational context.
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Authors
Nguyen Thieu Da Huong, Tran Thanh Nam, Dinh Thi Kim Thoa

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References:
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