Development of a questionnaire for assessing the school environment.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Environmental Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Understanding students' perceptions of their school environment is crucial for developing effective health programs.
• Previous research often treated school environment perception as a singular construct.
• A validated instrument is needed to capture the multifaceted nature of students' school experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a questionnaire assessing students' perceptions of their school environment.
• To identify the key dimensions students use to evaluate their school.
• To examine the reliability and validity of the developed instrument.

Main Methods:

• Factor analysis was employed to identify underlying dimensions of the school environment.
• Internal consistency reliability was assessed using the alpha coefficient.
• The study involved a sample of 705 students aged 10-19 from two high schools.

Main Results:

• Factor analysis revealed seven distinct dimensions of the school environment as perceived by students.
• These dimensions include external characteristics, classroom aesthetics/functionality, bathrooms, canteen/staffroom, overall school aesthetics/functionality, and sanitation.
• The developed questionnaire demonstrated high internal reliability for its identified factors.

Conclusions:

• Student perceptions of the school environment are multidimensional, encompassing specific aspects rather than a global view.
• The validated questionnaire provides a robust tool for assessing these diverse perceptions.
• Findings have significant implications for designing targeted school health initiatives and improving the overall school climate.