Description

The Identification with School Questionnaire (ISQ-16) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess the extent to which students feel connected to, identify with, and experience a sense of belonging within their school environment.

School identification represents an important dimension of students’ educational experience and reflects how strongly they perceive themselves as members of the school community, how emotionally connected they feel to their school, and the importance they attribute to their participation and success within the educational setting.

The ISQ-16 provides a structured approach to examining students’ perceptions and emotional attitudes toward school. Assessing school identification can contribute to a better understanding of factors associated with school engagement, academic performance, participation in school life, and potential disengagement or withdrawal from the educational environment.

Objective

The primary objective of the ISQ-16 is to evaluate the degree to which students feel connected to their school and perceive themselves as active and meaningful members of the school community.

The questionnaire can provide valuable information about students’ relationship with their educational environment and may assist researchers and educational professionals in identifying individuals or groups of students who demonstrate lower levels of school identification.

The findings may also support the development and evaluation of educational interventions aimed at strengthening students’ sense of belonging, participation, engagement, and overall positive school experience.

Data Analysis and Use

Data obtained through the ISQ-16 can be examined using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, depending on the objectives and design of the study.

Descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations, frequencies, and response distributions, can be calculated to provide an overview of students’ levels of school identification. The internal consistency of the questionnaire may also be evaluated using appropriate reliability coefficients.

Where supported by the specific version of the instrument and the research protocol, exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis may be used to investigate its underlying structure.

ISQ-16 scores may additionally be examined in relation to variables such as academic achievement, school engagement, attendance, relationships with teachers and peers, and other indicators of students’ educational experiences. Comparisons between demographic or educational groups may also provide useful information about differences in school identification.

Scoring

The ISQ-16 consists of 16 items. According to the version of the questionnaire provided, each item is rated on a four-point response scale ranging from 1 to 4, where:

1 = Strongly Agree
4 = Strongly Disagree

When calculating and interpreting scores, attention should be given to the direction in which individual items are worded and to whether reverse scoring is required for particular items.

The final scoring procedure should therefore follow the instructions associated with the specific version of the ISQ-16 being administered. Higher or lower scores should not be interpreted automatically as indicating stronger school identification without first considering item direction and the applicable scoring protocol.

Applications

The ISQ-16 can be used in educational research, school psychology, and studies examining school engagement, academic adjustment, student participation, and students’ broader experiences within educational settings.

It may also be useful for evaluating programs and interventions designed to improve school climate, strengthen students’ sense of belonging, encourage active participation, and reduce patterns of disengagement from school.

At the institutional level, information obtained through the questionnaire may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of students’ experiences and support the development of educational practices that promote inclusion, participation, positive relationships, and stronger connections between students and their school community.

References

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