The Harter adult measure captures a wider range of domains than the SDQ-III and thus might be more
suitable for non-college students. These additional domains include scales related to work and parenting, con-
cerns which are relevant for many adults past their college years. We also acknowledge that the Harter measures
appear to have generated more citations than the SDQ measures.
Like the Harter scales, there are several notes of caution to consider before deciding to use the SDQ scales. First,
the number of response scale options changes across the SDQ-I, SDQ-II, and SDQ-III measures, making longitudinal
research across a wide range of age groups more challenging. For researchers studying more than one developmental
period, there are potential advantages to adopting a standard response set across measures. Second, some of the
items and specific wording varies across the SDQ-I, SDQ-II, and SDQ-III. Third, there might be important domains
not well captured by the SDQ and there are domain specific scales on the SDQ which need more attention. Similar to
the Harter scales, there might be too many domains on some SDQ versions. These domains add length without neces-
sarily providing critically important information. Thus, more work is needed to establish the validity and necessity of
all the domains. Much of the existing work has focused on achievement-related domains. Fourth, there seems to be
room to develop an SDQ-IV to tap more of the domains of life relevant to adults outside of a college or university set-
ting. Fifth, the length of the SDQ is a potential concern but development of the short-form of the SDQ-II seems prom-
ising (see Marsh et al., 2005a,b ). The final concern is that if researchers only want to measure global self-esteem, then
it would be hard to recommend the SDQ over the RSE, given the latter’s ongoing popularity.
SCALES OF THE SELF-DESCRIPTION QUESTIONNAIRE
Version of the self
description questionnaire
ScaleSDQ-I Age:
preadolescent SDQ-II Age: adolescentSDQ-III Age: late
adolescent/college age
General A lot of things about
me are good.Overall, I have a lot to be
proud of.Overall, I am pretty accepting
of myself.
Physical
abilitiesI can run fast. I am good at things like
sports, gym, and dance.I am a good athlete.
Physical
appearanceI like the way I look. I am good looking. I have a physically attractive
body.
Peer
relationshipsI am easy to like.
Same-sex
relationshipsI make friends easily with
members of my own sex.I share lots of activities with
members of the same sex.
Opposite-sex
relationshipsPeople of the opposite sex
whom I like, don’t like me.I get a lot of attention from
members of the opposite sex.
Parent
relationshipsMy parents like me. I get along well with my
parents.My parents understand me.
Emotional
stabilityI get upset easily. I worry a lot.
Honesty/
trustworthinessHonesty is very important
to me.I am a very honest person.
Spiritual
values/religionI am a spiritual/religious
person.
Reading/verbal I am good at reading. I am hopeless in English
classes.I have good reading
comprehension.
Mathematics I learn things quickly
in mathematics.I am good at mathematics. I am quite good at
mathematics.
General school
or academicsI enjoy doing work in
all school subjects.I am too stupid at school to
get into a good university.I am good at most academic
subjects.
Problem solving I am an imaginative person.
Note: Reproduced with permission.150 6. MEASURES OF SELF-ESTEEM
II. EMOTIONAL DISPOSITIONS