Purpose

The purpose of the questionnaire is to evaluate how elementary school students perceive and experience the psychological climate that prevails in their classroom. The questionnaire is a revised version of the original Class Climate Measurement Questionnaire (My Class Inventory – MCI) adapted for use in elementary school. It includes modified wording of statements to enhance the reliability and validity of both the overall result and the five subscales it comprises. The interpretation of the overall result of the questionnaire leads to a partial discontinuation of its scoring, which is discussed further below, without, however, affecting the purpose or use of the psychometric tool.

Brief Description

The questionnaire consists of 25 statements with “yes” or “no” response options and is completed through self-administration in approximately 15–20 minutes per class. Students are asked to describe personal and interpersonal experiences in relation to the educational environment of their classroom. The statements are phrased in such a way that students can answer without hesitation, either accepting or not disagreeing with them. The MCI evaluates five aspects of the psychological climate typically found in elementary classrooms: satisfaction, friction, competitiveness, difficulty, and cohesiveness.

Sample

The standardization of the questionnaire was conducted on a total sample of 2,083 students (982 boys and 1,035 girls) from the last four grades of elementary schools in Athens, the greater Attica region, and other provinces (Matsagouras & Voulgaris, 2006). The average scores of the total sample on each subscale of the questionnaire were as follows: satisfaction 13.58, friction 9.58, competitiveness 10.99, difficulty 8.55, and cohesiveness 12.32.

Scoring Method

Scoring is based on summing the agreement (A) or disagreement (D) points for the five statements that correspond to each subscale. Satisfaction includes statements 1, 6, 11, 16, and 21; friction includes 2, 7, 12, 17, and 22; competitiveness includes 3, 8, 13, 18, and 23; difficulty includes 4, 9, 14, 19, and 24; and cohesiveness includes 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25. Agreement responses are scored as 1, except for statements 4, 6, 10, 16, 19, and 24, which are reverse scored (agreement = 0). The grouping of answers and scoring, done at both individual and group levels, facilitates data interpretation and the generation of each subscale’s profile. To normalize the effect of random variables (e.g., the existence of two classroom sections per grade), the average score per class or class section is used for each subscale. Scores for each subscale can range from 5 (minimum) to 15 (maximum).

Validity

The questionnaire shows good face and construct validity regarding the characteristics of classroom psychological climate recorded in each subscale. Additionally, relevant studies have confirmed its internal validity regarding its structural integrity, as demonstrated by confirmatory factor analysis. This analysis verified that the five psychological climate factors described in the dimensions of the questionnaire collectively explain approximately 55% of the total variance in the item responses, with each item loading above 0.30 on its respective factor.

Reliability

The Cronbach’s alpha reliability index for the questionnaire’s subscales ranges from 0.60 to 0.80, based on the average score of the students’ static evaluations for each subscale. This same index, calculated based on the average scores per classroom or classroom section (in cases where a class includes more than one section), is noticeably higher, ranging from 0.65 to 0.80.

Main Bibliographic Sources

Voulgaris, S. N., & Matsagouras, H. G. (2004, November 26–28). The Psychological Climate of the Classroom in Greek Elementary Schools. Proceedings of the 4th Panhellenic Conference of the Department of Primary Education, University of Western Macedonia (Department of Educational Sciences & Special Education and Psychology), “Learning and Teaching in the Knowledge Society,” Center for Research in Science and Education, Athens.
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). Perth: Western Australian Institute of Technology.
Matsagouras, H. G. (2003). The School Classroom. Athens: Grigoris Publications.
Matsagouras, H. G., & Voulgaris, S. N. (2006). The Psychological Climate of the Classroom in Greek Elementary Schools. In: Recognition: Honorary Volume for Professor Theodoros Exarchakos. Athens: Department of Primary Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.