You are a middle school counselor who is starting a new group aimed at enhancing self-concept
in students. You work at a large urban school with a culturally and linguistically diverse
population of students. You have heard about the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), but
you’re not sure if it’s the appropriate instrument to use.
After reviewing information below about the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), answer
the questions that follow.
Description:
The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI; Coopersmith, 1981) measures evaluative attitudes
toward the self in social, academic, family, and personal areas of experience. Coopersmith
defined self-esteem as a judgment of worthiness that is expressed by the attitudes he or she holds
toward the self. He believes that self-esteem is significantly associated with effective
functioning, such as school performance.
Administration time rarely exceeds 10 minutes. The instrument can be hand scored in a few
minute using scoring keys. For interpretation, high scores correspond to high self-esteem. A high
Lie scale score suggests defensiveness (indicates that the test taker attempted to respond
positively to all items).
Technical Information
Norm Group: The SEI was administered to 643 public school children in grades 3 through 8.
The sample consisted primarily of students from the lower and middle upper socioeconomic
ranges. The test manual stated that, “a considerable number of Spanish surnamed and Black
children were included in the sample.” The manual strongly recommends that users develop local
norm groups.
Reliability
Test-retest: The test-retest reliability coefficient after a 5 week interval (with a sample of 30 5th
graders) was .88. Test-retest reliability after a three year interval (with a sample of 56 public
school children) was .70.
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Internal consistency: Studies reported KR20 coefficients ranging from .87 to 92 on scores for
school children in grades 4 to 8.
Alternate forms: A study comparing the SEI to a Canadian version of the test (using a sample of
198 children in 3rd through 6th grades) found correlation coefficients ranging from .71 to .80.
Validity
Content Validity Evidence: Most of the items on the SEI School form were adapted from scale
items used by Rogers and Dymond (1954) in their classic study of nondirective psychotherapy;
several original items were also included. All of the statements were worded for use with
children aged eight to ten. Five psychologists sorted the items into two groups—those indicative
of high self-esteem and those indicative of low self-esteem. Items that seemed repetitious or
ambiguous, or about which there was disagreement, were eliminated.
Concurrent Validity Evidence: SEI scores correlated with the SRA Achievement Series and the
Lorge Thorndike Intelligence Test at .33 and .30 respectively.
Convergent validity Evidence: Correlation between SEI scores and the California
Psychological Inventory Self-Acceptance Scale was .45.
Questions:
1. Describe and evaluate the norm group. Do you think it is representative? Do you think
the norm group is current? Do you believe the size of the norm group was large enough?
Is the sample related to the population you intend to use the test with? Explain.
The norm group used in this instrument consists of 643 public school children in grades 3
through 8. The SES of these students was from low, to middle upper socioeconomic ranges. I
believe the norm group is representative and current. I do believe the size of the norm group
wasn’t too large so an updated norm group would be beneficial. The population I now work with
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is High School students. This instruments intended use is for students grade 3-8 and in adult
form. I would use this instrument with my students because its adult version/form is
2. Describe and evaluate each method used to estimate reliability. Does the reliability
evidence support a decision to use the instrument? Explain.
The methods used to estimate reliability are Test-retest, internal consistency, and alternate forms.
I think this was a great starting point in assessing the instruments reliability. There was allotting
of work put into this instrument from my research on its origins. Most of my research suggested
that that this instrument was tested with students from the Philippines. I haven’t found any
research suggesting a norm group, test-retest, internal consistency, and alternate forms of
students from the United States. Hopefully some updates are conducted so we can truly see how
The practical aspects of this instrument rest on the fact that I can administer the assessment and
receive feedback within minutes. I personally took the assessment online and received instant
results upon completion (2 minutes time). I think this will be beneficial for me as a school
counselor because I don’t have much time to visit with my students. Using an instrument like this
can help me identify problematic areas and help the student work through them.
One of the strengths of this instrument is that it is both valid and reliable with use in children
ages 8-10 and adults. This is extremely important because it is developmentally appropriate in
use with children in the later stages of elementary school as well as adults in the secondary and
post secondary areas. Another strength in this instrument is that it its norm group is current and
was of an adequate sample size. As of 2015 this instrument has been used by thousands of
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students nationwide. Another very important factor in this instrument is how fast and easy it is to
administer. I took the assessment myself and I completed it within 2 minutes. After 2 minutes of
taking the assessment I was given a score that informed me how my self-esteem compares to that
of others. I think this is very useful because I can have a student complete the assessment in a
very short amount of time then explore the students results in individual counseling sessions.
5. Based on your review of the SII, would you adopt this instrument? Explain your answer.
Based on the review of the SII, I would adopt this instrument into my school-counseling
program. As a school counselor I understand that instruments serve as valuable tools for
professionals in my occupation. We use these instruments to help us empower our students and
advocate for our students unique needs. An instrument like the SII can provide my students and
me with valuable information about the students attitudes toward self, others, academia, and
particular personal aspects of their lives. Knowing and highlighting some of these responses can
help us identify underlying issues, as well as irrational beliefs/dysfunctional thoughts that may be
Coopersmith, S. (1981). Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventories: Manual. Menlo Park, CA: Mind
Garden, Inc.