An investigation of the concurrent criterion-related validity of the Comprehensive Executive Function Inventory (CEFI) - Self-Report measure

Executive function (EF) processes are crucial for meeting demands in the classroom. Because of this impact on schooling, it is important to have tools that accurately measure EF in order to facilitate the identification of student needs and the development of interventions. This project assessed the concurrent, criterion-related validity of one of these tools, the Comprehensive Executive Functioning Inventory, Self-Report (CEFI-SR; Naglieri & Goldstein, 2013). This study correlated adolescents' reports about their own behavior to scores derived from a direct measure of executive function to determine if teens were able to accurately rate their own EF abilities, indicating that the CEFI-SR had concurrent validity. Seventy-nine seventh and eighth grade students from a suburban middle school were recruited. The average age for the sample was 13 years and 10 months old, and 62% of the sample consisted of female students. Participants completed the CEFI-SR in small groups, and then, the lead examiner returned to the school to complete direct one-on-one testing with each student. Data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlations and t-tests. The t-tests were used to determine if significant differences between groups were present. Results from the t-tests indicated that there were no significant differences in performance across genders or grades. Additionally, no significant correlations were found between the rating scale scores and the results of the direct testing. These findings do not support the hypotheses that the CEFI-SR subscales would have moderate correlations with the direct testing scores from the NEPSY-II, indicating that the two measures may not be measuring the same constructs.