A TYPOLOGY OF TEACHER-RATED CHILD-BEHAVIOR FOR A NATIONAL US SAMPLE

The purpose of the current study was to build on the emerging effort t o produce a meaningful typology of classroom behavior for elementary s chool age children. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) Teacher Rating Scales for Children (TRS-C) norming data were collecte d for 1,227 six-to eleven-year-old children at 116 sites representing various regions of the United Stares. The TRS-C has 148 items that are rated by the teacher on a 4-point scale of frequency, ranging from Ne ver to Almost always. The Ward method of cluster analysis was used to identify the initial centroids or cluster seeds. An iterative clusteri ng method, a K-means procedure, was used to refine the Ward cluster so lution. A seven-cluster solution was selected based on both rational a nd empirical considerations. The resulting clusters were named well-ad apted, average, learning disorder, disruptive behavior disorder, physi cal complaints and worry, severe psychopathology, and mildly disruptiv e. The seven-cluster solution resembles those of Achenbach (1991), Cur ry and Thompson (1985), and other researchers. The resulting typology points the way toward future cluster studies of child psychopathology by delineating additional research and theoretical questions.