Bully Index – BI
Measures teachers' perceptions of student bullying and the level of teacher protection within a school environment.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Bully Index – BI was developed by P. A. Smith & W. K. Hoy (2004). It is designed to measure School Bullying Climate. The scale is intended for use with Teachers and school administrators.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 13 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Student Bullying, Teacher Protection.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Student Bullying | 1,2,5,6,8,9,10,12 | 8 |
| Teacher Protection | 3,4,7,11,13 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Somewhat Disagree, 4 = Somewhat Agree, 5 = Agree, 6 = Strongly Agree.
The scale includes 2 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 13 to 78. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low perceived school bullying climate: 13 – 38
- Moderate perceived school bullying climate: 39 – 52
- High perceived school bullying climate: 53 – 78
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Student Bullying (alpha = 0.96), Teacher Protection (alpha = 0.73).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.