Validation of the Devereux early childhood assessment for preschoolers in measuring child well-being in Indonesia

Abstract

Child well-being remains a pressing issue in Indonesia, with many children lacking fulfillment of essential physical and psychological needs. Addressing this requires valid and reliable tools to assess early childhood well-being, yet few instruments have been adapted for the Indonesian context. This study aims to adapt and validate the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for Preschoolers (DECA-P), a comprehensive tool designed for parent and teacher reports on early childhood well-being. Data were collected from 377 parents of children aged 1 to 6 years. Results indicate that the Indonesian adaptation of DECA-P demonstrates strong internal reliability. Additionally, validity testing using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient yielded favorable values. These findings suggest that the Indonesian DECA-P adaptation is a suitable instrument for assessing early childhood well-being in Indonesia.

Keywords: Assessment; childhood well-being; Devereux early childhood; well-being