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On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your self-esteem? If 1 means, “I’m a complete and utter failure,” and 10 means, “I’m at the top of my game in life, love, and work,” where do you fall?
What you are about to discover, if you do not already suspect it, is that the above question and that scale are probably not reliable or valid.
What you also will discover, though, is that the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is. In fact, it is considered by many to be the end-all-be-all, drop-the-mic self-esteem scale.
Before we get to the nitty-gritty about that, we need to understand a few crucial things about self-esteem.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students, or employees show more compassion to themselves.
Many psychological and sociological professionals would argue that the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is the best tool for measuring self-esteem. You will read more about it later in this article. Still, there are other options, and some are especially useful when working with young children.
Here is a brief list of the most-used instruments for evaluating self-esteem in younger populations (California Digital Library, n.d.):
Another possibility while working with adult populations is to assess the stability of self-esteem. To do this, you might use the Self-Esteem Stability Scale. You also could use the Instability of Self-Esteem Scale. You will learn more about these in the More Self-Esteem Tests and Assessments section.
The overall point is that self-esteem, self-concept, self-efficacy, and many other self-related constructs are measurable in some form. The bigger question revolves around the validity and reliability of the various instruments. How do we know that they actually measure what the researchers say that they measure?
In the psychological and social sciences, a variety of tools allow for the collection of data. Some of these include questionnaires, tests, predefined questions, rating scales, and checklists. Whatever the researcher uses must be valid and reliable for its intended purpose. This is true regardless of whether the study is qualitative or quantitative. The researcher’s credibility is at stake.
People who read the thousands of different studies published every day are looking for credible “proof” to support their cause, belief, situation, or idea. If the researcher’s tools miss the mark, the layperson might not realize it.
For example, bakers use specific measuring tools. Some are for liquids, others for solids, and still others for weight. If a baker uses a liquid measuring tool for something that should be weighed, then the end product could change. If the product is bread, it could end up dry and dense. If it is a cookie, it could end up stiff.
If a researcher wants to measure self-esteem in youth, what instrument is the right tool? Should the researcher create something new? If so, what should they consider? Does the structure of questions matter? Validity and reliability are critical in the process.
There are four types of validity: face, content, criterion, and construct. There also are four forms of reliability: interrater, test-retest, equivalent forms, internal consistency. A researcher must consider each of these when either creating an assessment or using an existing one.
A simple way for researchers to identify an assessment is through the Buros Center for Testing. The mission of the center is “to improv[e] the science and practice of testing and assessment” (Buros Center for Testing, n.d.). The organization houses the most extensive collection of tests in the world. Their series Mental Measurements Yearbook is a treasure trove of instruments.
Tests in Print (TIP) is another useful resource available through the center. It is a comprehensive bibliography of every known commercially available test in the English language.
Here are some pieces of information included in TIP:
Reviewing the above resources provides researchers with information about the validity and reliability of the instrument.
The Buros Center for Testing is a nonprofit organization at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The organization also offers assessment literacy through the following:
Another resource for researchers is The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Developed by the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education, it is “the gold standard in guidance on testing in the United States and in many other countries” (American Psychological Association, 2009).
It discusses validity, reliability, and fairness in testing in the first section of the text. It has been available in print since 1966.
These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you to help others create a kinder and more nurturing relationship with themselves.
