Are We Similar or Different? Using a Traditional Chinese Social Emotional Screening Instrument in Taiwan and Malaysia

The Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social–Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) has been translated into Traditional Chinese (ASQ:SE-2-TC) in Taiwan. This study investigated whether the ASQ:SE-2-TC is also suitable for use in Malaysian Chinese families, and if any cultural differences are presented in ASQ:SE-2-TC items. This study analyzed the psychometric properties of the ASQ:SE-2-TC in Taiwan and Malaysia and the presence of differential item functioning (DIF) for the two regions. A sample of 498 Taiwanese and 287 Malaysian Chinese children aged between 54 months and 72 months and 30 days completed the 60-month ASQ:SE-2-TC. Data were analyzed using the Rasch partial credit model. Our results indicate that (a) all of the questionnaire items exhibited good fit with the model criterion (i.e., mean square standardized residual = 0.75–1.33) in both populations, (b) the item difficulty ranged from −0.50 to 2.99 ( M = 1.98; SD = 0.71) in the Taiwanese population and −0.87 to 2.88 ( M = 1.44, SD = 0.71) in the Malaysia population, (c) the questionnaire reliability was 0.81 for the Taiwanese and Malaysian populations, and (d) 33 of the 36 items (91.7%) did not exhibit DIF. This research provided psychometric data on the application of the ASQ:SE-2-TC in Taiwanese and Malaysian Chinese populations. Our findings regarding DIF support the use of the ASQ:SE-2-TC in Malaysian Chinese families and indicate that minimal cultural adaptation and retranslation would be needed for the 60-month ASQ:SE-2-TC.