ERIC Number: EJ1050259
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Mar
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4391
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Developing a Comprehensive School Connectedness Scale for Program Evaluation
Chung-Do, Jane J.; Goebert, Deborah A.; Chang, Janice Y.; Hamagani, Fumiaki
Journal of School Health, v85 n3 p179-188 Mar 2015
Background: Evidence show that school connectedness is important to youth wellness. However, considerable inconsistency in the concepts and measures of school connectedness exists across studies. In addition, many measures do not capture the multifaceted dimensions of the school connectedness construct. This study examined the psychometric properties of a school connectedness scale that aimed to measure comprehensively the key constructs of school connectedness. Methods: The scale was developed with teachers and tested with an ethnically diverse sample of 717 high school students enrolled in a school connectedness course using confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the association of the 15 items with the 5 factors identified in the literature-school involvement, academic motivation, school attachment, teacher support, and peer relations (?[superscript 2] = 439.99, df = 83, p < 0.0001, Comparative Fit Index = 0.991, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.988, root mean square error of approximation = 0.077). Cronbach coefficient alphas for the factors ranged from 0.73 to 0.93. Conclusions: Although further tests need to be conducted to assess its validity and reliability, this newly developed scale may provide researchers a tool to measure comprehensively school connectedness for program evaluation.
Descriptors: Program Evaluation, Rating Scales, Psychometrics, High School Students, Ethnic Diversity, Factor Analysis, Attachment Behavior, Teacher Student Relationship, Peer Relationship, Item Analysis, Test Reliability, Test Validity, Goodness of Fit, Student Participation, Learner Engagement, Student School Relationship, School Support, Test Construction, Educational Environment, Wellness
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DHHS/PHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: R49/CCR918619–01
Author Affiliations: N/A