Validity and reliability study of the childhood executive functioning inventory (CHEXI) parent/teacher form in primary school students

In this study, the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) were evaluated in a sample of 1st–4th grade primary school students. Parents and teachers of primary school students participated in the study. Parents completed a sociodemographic information form, the CHEXI, and the Turgay DSM-IV–Based Disruptive Behavior Disorders and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Screening and Rating Scale (Turgay-DSM-IV). Teachers were asked to select five students from their classrooms, representing different levels of academic achievement, and to complete the CHEXI and the Turgay scale for those students. Analyses of the collected data included assessments of construct validity, reliability, and criterion-related validity. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) tested both the two-factor and four-factor structures of the parenting scale, and both structures were found to have adequate fit values. However, because high correlations were found between the Working Memory and Planning sub-dimensions and the Regulation and Inhibition sub-dimensions in the four-factor model, it was concluded that the two-factor structure obtained by combining these factors provides a more valid measurement model. For the teacher form, one-factor, two-factor, and four-factor models were examined, but structural validity could not be established. Subsequently, items with high cross-loadings across multiple factors were removed, and CFA was re-conducted with the remaining 14 items. The three-factor model, in which Working Memory and Planning were combined under a single factor, was observed to provide construct validity. The internal consistency coefficients of both forms were within acceptable ranges. Moreover, test–retest analyses conducted after an eight-week interval demonstrated consistent and reliable results. Scale scores were found to be correlated with academic achievement and early developmental competencies, as well as with the Turgay-DSM-IV Scale. This finding supports the educational and developmental importance of executive functions, as well as the relationships between behavioral regulation. In conclusion, the findings indicate that the Turkish version of the CHEXI is a valid and reliable assessment tool that can be utilized in both research and application areas. Keywords: executive functions, children, CHEXI, validity, reliability