Dutch children's perspectives on the constructs of the Child Occupational Self-Assessment (COSA)

The claim for the Child Occupational Self-Assessment (COSA) is that children may share their sense of competence for, and value of, everyday occupations. To establish whether self-report items meet their purpose, assurances regarding construct validity depend not only on quantitative methodology but also on qualitative methods. This study aimed to reveal how Dutch children with special needs interpret the translated American COSA items, and whether their answers fit the intended meaning. Six 8- to 12-year-old Dutch children with special needs participated in the research. Data were collected via the Three-Step Test-Interview (cognitive interviewing) and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results showed variations in children's interpretation, discrepancies between scores and stories, and translation inaccuracies. These data can be used to improve the Dutch COSA. Cognitive interviewing enhances both the construct validity of this self-assessment and the collaborative process of reasoning, deci...