Reliability and Validity of the HOME Preschool Inventory in Jamaica

Two hundred and ninety‐four preschool‐aged children and their primary caregiver participated in a study to determine the measurement equivalence of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment in Jamaica. Factor analysis with alpha reliability provided a measure of internal consistency. McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities were done as a measure of concurrent validity. Concurrent validity is demonstrated for four HOME subscales and the total. The factor structure in the Jamaican sample is similar to the existing HOME, but not an equivalent match. Broadly‐based comparisons could be made cross‐culturally using this scale in Jamaica however more culture‐specific measurements would be indicated for within culture studies. Items related to direct cognitive stimulation by the caregiver are shown to be more relevant cross‐culturally than are the socio‐emotional items and physical aspects of the environment which tend to be more culture specific.