Analysis

The ESCE-51 (European School Climate and Bullying Questionnaire) is a structured tool designed to capture students’ perceptions regarding school climate, interpersonal relationships within the school community, and experiences of bullying—whether as victims, observers, or perpetrators. It consists of 51 items distributed across three main thematic areas: school climate, experiences related to bullying, and attitudes/perceptions about bullying. The questions are phrased in a student-friendly manner and cover a broad range of experiences and beliefs, allowing for a comprehensive depiction of the psychosocial functioning within the school environment.

Purpose

The purpose of the ESCE-51 is to identify and assess critical factors that influence school life and students’ emotional well-being. Through students’ responses, researchers and educators can pinpoint problematic areas within the school environment, such as the presence of bullying behaviors, lack of trust in teachers, or feelings of social exclusion. The questionnaire can be used both diagnostically and preventively, to inform the design of educational interventions, strengthen emotional resilience, and foster a positive, supportive school climate.

Scoring

Items are typically scored using a Likert scale, for example from 1 to 5, where 1 corresponds to “not at all” or “never” and 5 to “very much” or “always,” depending on how each question is phrased. Each subscale of the questionnaire can be scored separately, allowing for the calculation of mean scores per domain (e.g., school safety, relationships with teachers, victimization, attitudes toward bullying). Higher scores indicate either more positive experiences or a higher frequency of certain behaviors, depending on the nature of the items. The analysis can be conducted on an individual or group level (e.g., by school or class), for comparative or longitudinal purposes.

Validity & Reliability

The ESCE-51 questionnaire has been developed within the framework of European research programs and has been standardized across various national populations. Studies show a high internal consistency of its subscales (with Cronbach’s alpha values often exceeding 0.80), indicating strong reliability. Moreover, the validity of the instrument has been supported through correlations with other psychometric tools and observed behaviors within the school setting. The cultural adaptation of the questionnaire has been carefully executed to ensure the clarity and relevance of items to students’ experiences in each educational context.

References

Tzani-Pepelasi, C., Ioannou, M., & Costabile, A. (2018). The European School Climate and Bullying Questionnaire (ESCE): Development and validation of a cross-national tool. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 15(2), 192–207.
UNESCO (2019). Behind the numbers: Ending school violence and bullying. UNESCO Publishing.
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do. Blackwell.
Smith, P. K., & Sharp, S. (1994). School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives. Routledge.
Rigby, K. (2003). Consequences of bullying in schools. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(9), 583–590.