School Connectedness Scale – Chinese Version

Description

Hirschi (1950) first described school connectedness. Hirschi believed that school connectedness has a significant impact on adolescents. Only when students truly feel connected to their school can they internalize the school’s values into their own pursuits, thereby consciously reducing maladaptive behaviors. The relationship between students and schools is mutually reinforcing, emphasizing the dynamic interaction of this relationship. Libbey (2004) reviewed previous studies and found that there were some common research components, such as sense of belonging, attachment, and teacher support. In 2011, several scholars from China, including Yu Chengfu, specified the individuals in schools, suggesting that school connectedness measures the degree of support students perceive from teachers and classmates. Additionally, school connectedness includes students’ perceptions of the school environment and other factors. School connectedness refers to the extent of support students receive from classmates and teachers, as well as their sense of belonging to the school. This can be investigated through three dimensions: 同学支持 (Classmate Support), 教师支持 (Teacher Support), and 学校归属感 (School Belonging). Numerous empirical studies have found that school connectedness can significantly negatively predict adolescents’ external and internal behavioral problems, with school belonging being more significant than classmate support and teacher support. In 2011, Yu Chengfu and colleagues developed a School Connectedness Scale comprising 10 items reflecting the degree of individual school connectedness through teacher support, classmate support, and school belonging. The scale uses a five-point rating system from “完全不同意 (Strongly Disagree) = 1” to “完全符合 (Strongly Agree) = 5” with increasing degrees of agreement from 1 to 5. The average scores for each dimension indicate that higher scores reflect stronger feelings of classmate support, teacher support, and school belonging among students. In Zhu Zhenjie’s research, the Cronbach’s α coefficients for classmate support, school belonging, and teacher support dimensions were 0.70, 0.81, and 0.71, respectively, with a total questionnaire Cronbach’s α of 0.85.

Authors and Contact Email

Yu Chengfu, Zhang Wei, Zeng Yiyin, et al. (contact email information not available)

Purpose

To explore the relationship between adolescent gratitude and problem behaviors, with school connectedness serving as a mediating factor.

Test Year

2011 and 2020

Administration Method and Scoring

The study used a convenience sampling method to select participants. Students from three grades of a high school in Tai’an were surveyed, with 600 questionnaires distributed, and 525 valid responses were returned, yielding a response rate of 87.5%. The scoring system is based on a five-point scale, as outlined above.

Reliability and Validity

The Cronbach’s α coefficients for the dimensions of classmate support, school belonging, and teacher support were 0.70, 0.81, and 0.71, respectively, and the overall Cronbach’s α for the questionnaire was 0.85.

Factors and Subscales

– 同学支持 (Classmate Support)
– 教师支持 (Teacher Support)
– 学校归属感 (School Belonging)

Keywords

School Connectedness, Adolescents, Classmate Support, Teacher Support, School Belonging, Problem Behaviors

Items in Chinese

1. 遇到困难时，我可以依靠我的同学。
2. 我不喜欢学校的老师。
3. 在学校里我感到开心、安全。
4. 同学们可以真正的帮助我。
5. 老师是非常关心、支持我的。
6. 我很开心成为学校的一员。
7. 同学们能和我分享快乐与忧愁。
8. 学校老师公平对待学生。
9. 我以属于这所学校而自豪。
10. 我与其他同学很难相处。

Items in English

1. When faced with difficulties, I can rely on my classmates.
2. I do not like my school’s teachers.
3. I feel happy and safe at school.
4. Classmates can really help me.
5. Teachers care about and support me very much.
6. I am happy to be a part of the school.
7. Classmates can share happiness and sorrows with me.
8. School teachers treat students fairly.
9. I am proud to belong to this school.
10. I find it hard to get along with other classmates.

References

喻承甫,张卫,曾毅茵,等.青少年感恩与问题行为的关系:学校联结的中介作用[J].心理发展与教育,2011,27(04):425-433.DOI:10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2011.04.003.
朱振杰.亲子依恋与中学生的应对方式[D].曲阜师范大学,2020.DOI:10.27267/d.cnki.gqfsu.2020.001022.