The teen court peer influence scale (TCPIS): Determining an effective way to measure and model positive peer influence

This article describes the development and validation of a scale designed to measure positive peer influence. Participants from six teen court sites completed an anonymous survey (N=202), which included the newly developed Teen Court Peer Influence Scale (TCPIS). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test three measurement models to determine the best fit to the data. The final measurement model included three reciprocal factors: positive cognitions, positive identity development, and modeling positive behaviors. The model illustrated strong psychometric properties and provides a framework that may be used to augment practice.