Parenting Practices Scale (PPS)
Measures parenting practices across three dimensions: discipline effectiveness, monitoring and involvement, and positive parenting.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Parenting Practices Scale (PPS) was developed by Gorman-Smith, D., Tolan, P. H., Zelli, A., & Huesmann, L. R. (1996). It is designed to measure Parenting Practices. The scale is intended for use with Parents and children/adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 23 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Discipline Effectiveness, Monitoring and Involvement, Positive Parenting.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Discipline Effectiveness | 1,2,3,4,5 | 5 |
| Monitoring and Involvement | 6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 | 12 |
| Positive Parenting | 18,19,20,21,22,23 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Almost never / Hardly ever / Don't know, 2 = Less than once a month / More than 30 days ago, 3 = Sometimes / Within last 30 days, 4 = Often / At least once this week, 5 = Almost always / Every day.
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low occurrence/effectiveness: 1 – 2
- Moderate occurrence/effectiveness: 2 – 3
- High occurrence/effectiveness: 3 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Discipline Effectiveness: .77; Monitoring and Involvement: .80; Positive Parenting: .78 – .81.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.