Relationships of children's grade in school,sex, and social class to teachers' ratings on the behavior problem checklist

The present study investigated the relationships of children's grade in school, sex, and social class to teachers' ratings on the Behavior Problem Checklist (BPCL). The sample consisted of 1,999 white children from kindergarten through fifth grade who were in regular classes. Three conclusions may be drawn from the study. The first is that grade and the interactions of grade with sex and social class are determinants of scores on the BPCL, but that no particular trends are characteristic of the relationships between these and the dependent variables. The second is that sex and social class are also determinants of scores on the BPCL, with boys and children from the lower social classes having more problems and girls and children from the higher social classes having fewer problems. The third is that the differences between schools and between teachers are responsible for more of the variance on the BPCL than grade, sex, and social class.For permission and assistance in obtaining the sample, the authors gratefully acknowledge John Bowser, superintendent of the Alief Independent School District, Alief, Texas. The authors thank Dorothy Schreiner, secretary-to-the-superintendent, and the following school principals and their teachers for their valuable cooperation: Betty A. Bennett, Jane E. Hunt, Bertha Jamison, James Keel, and James R. Woodfin. Appreciation is also expressed to Richard M. Patterson and James J. Wilmoth who generously offered their advice concerning the data analysis.