PEDS Developmental Screening Tool Construct Validity for Northern Sotho and Zulu Versions: A Validation Study

Validation of the translated PEDS test is necessary to improve early detection of developmental delays. This study aimed to determine the construct validity of the translated Northern Sotho and Zulu PEDS tests. This validation study determined whether the translated PEDS tests are valid when compared to the reference English PEDS test. Stratified convenience sampling was used to recruit a collective of 546 research participants from a government healthcare facility in South Africa. A higher referral rate (43%) was found for Zulu participants when compared to Northern Sotho participants (17%). There were significant correlations of the Zulu and Northern Sotho PEDS tests when compared to the reference English PEDS test. Pearson correlations for the Zulu PEDS test ranged from 0.815 (very strong association) to 1.000 (perfect association) and for Northern Sotho from 0.496 to 0.854 (both, very strong association). Equivalence percentages for the Zulu PEDS ranged from 90.9% to 100.0% and for the Northern Sotho PEDS from 92.3% to 100.0%. The translated PEDS test has been found to have construct validity.