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Abstract
School climate has been linked with myriad positive student outcomes and the measurement of school climate is widely advocated at the national and state level. However, districts have little guidance about how to define and measure school climate. This study examines the psychometric properties of a district-developed school climate measure that was created in response to state policy pressure and an interest in student perceptions of school climate. Initial evaluation of the Meriden School Climate Survey–Student Version (MSCS-SV), a 38-item scale, indicates evidence of validity and reliability based on principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, test–retest reliability, and comprehensive assessment of internal consistency. Overall, results suggest that the MSCS-SV may be an adequate measure of student perceptions of a broad school climate construct, but more research is warranted.
Keywords rating scales, test construction, school climate
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