Description

The Questionnaire on School Climate and Bullying (QSCB-27) is an assessment instrument designed to explore students’ perceptions and experiences regarding school climate, interpersonal relationships within the school community, and bullying.

The questionnaire addresses important dimensions of students’ everyday school experiences, including perceptions of safety and belonging, relationships with teachers and peers, social inclusion, and experiences associated with bullying. Bullying-related experiences may be examined from different perspectives, including involvement as a victim, observer, or perpetrator.

Through these dimensions, the instrument aims to provide a broader representation of the psychosocial environment of the school and the factors that may influence students’ adjustment and emotional well-being.

Objective

The primary objective of the questionnaire is to identify and assess important factors affecting students’ school life and emotional well-being.

Students’ responses can help researchers and educators identify potentially problematic aspects of the school environment, such as bullying behaviors, lack of trust in teachers, social isolation, or difficulties in interpersonal relationships.

The questionnaire may also contribute to the planning of preventive and educational interventions aimed at reducing bullying, strengthening students’ resilience, and promoting a positive, safe, inclusive, and supportive school climate.

Scoring

According to the available document, responses are generally recorded using a Likert-type scale, for example ranging from 1 to 5, where the response anchors may range from “not at all” or “never” to “very much” or “always,” depending on the wording of each item.

Different dimensions or subscales may be scored separately, allowing the calculation of scores for areas such as school safety, relationships with teachers, victimization, and attitudes toward bullying.

Higher scores should be interpreted according to the direction and content of the corresponding items, as they may indicate either more positive school experiences or a higher frequency of particular behaviors or bullying experiences.

Results may be examined at the individual or group level, including comparisons between classes or schools and the monitoring of changes over time.

Validity and Reliability

The source document reports that the questionnaire has been used within European research contexts and refers to evidence of satisfactory psychometric properties. It states that the internal consistency of its subscales is generally high, with Cronbach’s alpha values often exceeding 0.80.

The document also reports evidence of validity through associations with other psychometric measures and observed behaviors within school settings. Attention to cultural adaptation is considered particularly important to ensure that the wording and meaning of the items remain understandable and relevant to students across different educational and cultural environments.

Applications

The questionnaire can be used in educational and psychosocial research to investigate school climate and bullying experiences and to identify areas in which students may experience difficulties or reduced feelings of safety and belonging.

At the school or classroom level, findings may support the identification of problematic patterns and contribute to the development of targeted prevention and intervention strategies. Repeated administration may also facilitate the evaluation of changes in school climate and bullying-related experiences over time.

More broadly, systematic assessment can support initiatives aimed at strengthening school safety, respectful interpersonal relationships, inclusion, student well-being, and the prevention of bullying.

References

Tzani-Pepelasi C, Ioannou M, Costabile A. The European School Climate and Bullying Questionnaire (ESCE): Development and validation of a cross-national tool. European Journal of Developmental Psychology. 2018;15(2):192-207.

UNESCO. Behind the Numbers: Ending School Violence and Bullying. Paris: UNESCO Publishing; 2019.

Olweus D. Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do. Oxford: Blackwell; 1993.

Smith PK, Sharp S. School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives. London: Routledge; 1994.

Rigby K. Consequences of bullying in schools. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 2003;48(9):583-590.