My Class Inventory [MCI-25]

My Class Inventory for Primary School [MCI-25]

Description and Purpose

The My Class Inventory (MCI-25) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess how primary school students perceive and experience the psychological climate of their classroom.

The questionnaire is a revised version of the original classroom climate assessment instrument, adapted for use with primary school students. Its wording was modified to improve the reliability and validity of both the overall assessment and the five dimensions included in the instrument.

The primary purpose of the MCI-25 is to provide a structured assessment of students’ personal and interpersonal experiences within the classroom and to identify important characteristics of the learning environment, including satisfaction, friction, competitiveness, difficulty, and cohesiveness.

Structure of the Questionnaire

The MCI-25 consists of 25 statements answered using a simple Yes/No response format. It is a self-administered questionnaire and requires approximately 15–20 minutes to complete within a classroom setting.

The statements focus on students’ experiences and perceptions of their classroom environment and are formulated in a straightforward manner appropriate for primary school children.

The questionnaire assesses five major dimensions of classroom psychological climate:

Satisfaction: Reflects the extent to which students enjoy their classroom experience and feel positive about participating in classroom activities.

Friction: Assesses tension, disagreement, conflict, and problematic interpersonal interactions among students.

Competitiveness: Examines the extent to which students perceive competition among classmates, particularly in relation to achievement and performance.

Difficulty: Evaluates students’ perceptions of the difficulty and demands associated with classroom work.

Cohesiveness: Reflects the degree of friendship, interpersonal connection, cooperation, and supportive relationships among students.

Together, these dimensions provide a multidimensional profile of students’ perceptions of their classroom environment.

Standardization Sample

The Greek standardization of the questionnaire was conducted with a total sample of 2,083 students, including 982 boys and 1,035 girls, attending the final four grades of primary schools in Athens, the broader Attica region, and other regions of Greece.

According to Matsagouras and Voulgaris (2006), the mean scores for the total sample were:

Subscale	Mean Score
Satisfaction	13.58
Friction	9.58
Competitiveness	10.99
Difficulty	8.55
Cohesiveness	12.32

These values provide a useful descriptive reference for interpreting classroom-level profiles within comparable educational populations.

Scoring

Scoring is performed separately for each of the five subscales, with five items contributing to each dimension.

Satisfaction: Items 1, 6, 11, 16, 21
Friction: Items 2, 7, 12, 17, 22
Competitiveness: Items 3, 8, 13, 18, 23
Difficulty: Items 4, 9, 14, 19, 24
Cohesiveness: Items 5, 10, 15, 20, 25

Responses are scored according to agreement or disagreement with each statement. Items 4, 6, 10, 16, 19, and 24 are reverse-scored.

Scoring can be conducted at both the individual and group/classroom levels. At classroom level, the mean score for each subscale can be calculated to reduce the influence of individual variability and provide a clearer representation of the overall classroom climate.

According to the provided material, scores for each subscale can range from 5 to 15.

Data Analysis and Use

The MCI-25 is particularly suitable for analysis at the subscale level, as each dimension represents a distinct characteristic of classroom psychological climate.

Descriptive statistics such as the mean, standard deviation, median, and score distribution can be calculated for each subscale.

At the individual level, the questionnaire can provide information about each student’s perception of the classroom environment. At the group level, mean scores can be calculated to construct a classroom psychological climate profile.

Researchers may also compare scores across classrooms, grades, or student groups and examine relationships between classroom climate and other educational, psychological, or social variables.

Validity

The MCI-25 demonstrates satisfactory face validity regarding the characteristics of classroom psychological climate represented by its individual subscales.

According to the provided information, its internal factorial validity has also been investigated through confirmatory factor analysis.

The five dimensions of classroom psychological climate collectively explain approximately 55% of the total variance in questionnaire responses, while item factor loadings exceed 0.30 on their corresponding factors.

These findings provide support for the proposed multidimensional structure of the instrument.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the MCI-25 subscales has been evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha.

At the level of individual student scores, the reported reliability coefficients range from:

Cronbach’s α = 0.60–0.80

When classroom or group mean scores are considered, the corresponding coefficients are reported to range from:

Cronbach’s α = 0.65–0.80

These findings indicate varying but generally acceptable levels of internal consistency across the five dimensions and different levels of analysis.

Applications

The MCI-25 can be used in educational research, school psychology, classroom assessment, and studies of learning environments.

It can assist researchers and educators in identifying both positive characteristics and potential difficulties within the classroom climate. Its multidimensional structure allows specific aspects of the learning environment to be examined rather than relying exclusively on a single overall indicator.

The instrument can also be used to evaluate educational interventions aimed at improving peer relationships, increasing classroom cohesiveness, reducing interpersonal friction, and promoting a more positive and supportive learning environment.

Conclusion

The My Class Inventory [MCI-25] is a concise and structured instrument for assessing the psychological climate of primary school classrooms from the students’ perspective.

Through its 25 statements and five dimensions—Satisfaction, Friction, Competitiveness, Difficulty, and Cohesiveness—the MCI-25 provides a multidimensional representation of students’ everyday classroom experiences. Its ability to generate both individual- and classroom-level information makes it particularly useful for educational research and the systematic assessment of classroom learning environments.

References

Voulgaris, S. N., & Matsagouras, E. G. (2004, November 26–28). The psychological climate of the classroom in the Greek primary school. Proceedings of the 4th Panhellenic Conference of the Department of Primary Education, University of Western Macedonia, “Learning and Teaching in the Knowledge Society.” Athens, Greece.

Fisher, D. L., Anderson, G. J., & Walberg, H. J. (1982). Assessment of learning environments: Manual for Learning Environment Inventory (LEI) and My Class Inventory (MCI). Western Australian Institute of Technology.

Matsagouras, E. G. (2003). The School Classroom. Grigoris.

Matsagouras, E. G., & Voulgaris, S. N. (2006). The psychological climate of the classroom in the Greek primary school. In Recognition: Honorary volume dedicated to Professor Theodoros Exarchakos. Department of Primary Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.