GLSEN National School Climate Survey – NSCS
Measures the frequency of biased remarks, harassment, and victimization experienced by students in school environments.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The GLSEN National School Climate Survey – NSCS was developed by Joseph G. Kosciw & Elizabeth M. Diaz (2006). It is designed to measure School Climate. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents and middle/high school students.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 36 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Hearing Homophobic Remarks, Hearing Racist Remarks, Hearing Sexist Remarks, Hearing Gender Expression Remarks, Victimization and Harassment.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing Homophobic Remarks | 1,2,3,4 | 4 |
| Hearing Racist Remarks | 5,6,7 | 3 |
| Hearing Sexist Remarks | 8,9,10 | 3 |
| Hearing Gender Expression Remarks | 11,12,13,14 | 4 |
| Victimization and Harassment | 15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36 | 22 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Never, 1 = Rarely, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Often, 4 = Frequently.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 4. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low frequency of negative experiences: 0 – 1
- Moderate frequency of negative experiences: 1 – 2
- High frequency of negative experiences: 2 – 4
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency across subscales.
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.