Student Survey-based

Measures of School Quality

by Michael P. Kelly, Richard Feistman,
Jack Schneider, and James Noonan

mciea
MA Consortium for Innovative
Education Assessment
Introduction
Since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act at the end of 2001, Title I funds for
all 50 states have stipulated the use of student test scores as a central measure in their
educational accountability systems (2002). Despite this requirement, a significant body
of scholarship challenges the use of high-stakes tests to make evaluative claims about
schools. One obvious limitation is that standardized tests fail to capture basic academic
and non-academic components of school quality (Koretz, 2008). This non-inclusion
would be less troubling if test scores aligned closely with other valued outcomes.
Research suggests, however, that various indicators of school quality are not intrinsically
aligned (Rumberger & Palardy, 2005). Equally problematic is the fact that attaching
high-stakes to a single measure of school quality has produced unintended
consequences related to curriculum and instruction, including increasing teachers’
overemphasis on test-preparation (Menken, 2006; Jennings & Bearak, 2014) and under-
emphasis on the curriculum of non-tested subjects (Dee, Jacob & Schwartz, 2012).

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which is the most recent revision of NCLB,
provides states greater autonomy and flexibility regarding their own measurement of,
and accountability for, the quality of their schools (2016). While mandated statewide
standardized testing is still required in ESSA, the law also requires states to incorporate
multiple measures in determining school quality. In light of this shift in policy, this paper
examines a system of school quality measures that might accompany student
standardized test scores to produce a more holistic view of schools’ quality. Such a
multi-dimensional system will be less troubled by the side-effects of a single, high-
stakes metric, and will produce a more validly complex assessment of the schools who
use it.

The Somerville School Quality Framework and the Current

Study
The Somerville School Quality Framework (SQF), a precursor to the MCIEA framework,
was developed in 2014 to measure school quality more holistically. Working with the
Somerville (MA) Public Schools, as well as with a wide range of community stakeholders,
scholars from the College of the Holy Cross, Harvard University, and Michigan State
University identified nearly three dozen school quality factors that they arranged in a
hierarchical taxonomy.

The final draft of this framework included five major categories:

1. Teachers and the Teaching Environment
2. School Culture
3. Resources
4. Indicators of Academic Learning
5. Character and Wellbeing Outcomes

Organizationally, each of these five major categories consisted of two, three, or four
subcategories, and each subcategory consisted of two metrics. Each metric was then
operationalized for measurement, drawing on three general sources: administrative

1
data, a teacher perception survey, and a student perception survey (Gagnon &
Schneider, 2016). For the full framework, see Appendix A.

This report focuses on the 12 student survey scales used to operationalize the metrics of
the SQF. Specifically, we explore two central research questions related to the quality of
these 12 scales:
1. Does a common factor analysis of the items in each scale provide evidence that they
measure the school quality constructs that they were intended to measure?
2. Does an internal consistency analysis provide evidence that each scale is reliable for
measuring different dimensions of school quality?

Overall, we find that the answer to both questions is yes, but that there are still
improvements that can be made to the scales to improve their unidimensionality and
reliability.

Data Collection
After obtaining IRB approval, the research team distributed surveys electronically via
Survey Monkey to 4th-8th grade students and teachers in the Somerville Public Schools
during the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years. This study focuses on student
surveys from 2015-16. Initial rounds of data cleaning revealed that missing data from
the 2014-2015 surveys was not missing completely at random and will require separate
study and further analysis. The data was collected confidentially, and there was
purposefully no linking variable between teachers and their respective students.

2016 Student Survey Measures

Appendix B provides descriptions of the 12 student perception survey scales used in

2016, as well as the text and answer options of the items that comprised each scale
(taken from Gagnon & Schneider, 2016). Each item was measured using a 5-point Likert
scale such that, except in the case of reverse-worked items, an answer of 1 represented
the lowest level of the school quality attribute and an answer of 5 represented the
highest level. Some items were either taken directly from the Panorama Education
Student Survey (2015) or added to existing scales on that survey, while other items
were created and adapted from a student survey developed by the Consortium on
Chicago School Research (Bryk, Bender Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton,
2009), a grit scale (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007) and an outgroup
acceptance scale (Developmental Studies Center, 2005).

Data Analysis

Sample Demographics

In 2016, a total of 1206 surveys was collected from students in the Somerville Public
Schools. The survey was initially designed for enrolled 4th – 8th graders at schools
participating in the study (Schneider, White, Jacobsen & Gehlbach, 2018). Thus,
responses were excluded from the current study if students indicated that they were

2
from a non-participating school, if they were not in grades 4 – 8, if they did not answer
any survey questions, or if they only answered the demographic survey questions. These
exclusions reduced the total number of cases to 1158. The demographic characteristics
of the sample are shown in Table 1. All demographic and later analyses were conducted
using SPSS 24 software.

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of students with non-excluded responses to the 2016

school quality survey.
Demographic characteristics N Percentage
Gender
Male 537 49.9%
Female 516 47.9%
Other 24 2.2%
Race
Hispanic 322 33.2%
White 281 29.0%
Other 112 11.5%
Multiracial 98 10.1%
Black 88 9.1%
Asian 56 5.8%
Native American 13 1.3%
Grade Level
4th grade 288 24.9%
5th grade 201 17.4%
6th grade 234 20.2%
7th grade 198 17.1%
8th grade 237 20.5%

Missing Data

Only about half of the students answered all the survey scale questions (609, 52.6%).
Due to a large amount of missing data, we conducted Little’s MCAR tests (Little, 1988)
on each scale to assess whether nonresponses to these questions had occurred
completely at random. In other words, we tested whether there were predictable, non-
random patterns in the missing data that would bias imputed estimates of the missing
values, since one of the statistical assumptions of the imputation techniques is that
there are no non-random missing data patterns.

The results of these tests are found in Table 2 and indicated that most nonresponses
had occurred completely at random. The five scales with data not missing completely at
random were excluded from the following analyses. These scales will be evaluated in
future work to determine why data were missing. The seven scales analyzed in this
paper fit into the School Quality Framework as illustrated in Figure 1.

For the seven scales analyzed in this paper, we used an Estimation Maximization (EM)
imputation strategy that replaced 3529 (6.6%) missing data points with estimates that
maintain the distribution and correlation parameters of each scale (Allison, 2002).

3
Though this method can be problematic in terms of underestimating bias, it is an
accepted method in exploratory work such as this. Post-EM analysis resulted in a
complete dataset that included 1158 cases. Importantly, this sample size far exceeds
the recommended sample size of 300-400 participants (DeVellis, 2012) to conduct a
common factor analysis.

Table 2. 2016 student survey scales where missing data was and was not missing
completely at random according to Little’s MCAR Test
Missing Completely at Random Not Missing Completely at Random
Scale p-value Scale p-value
1Aiii 0.073 1Aii 0.002
2Ai 0.128 2Bi 0.015
2Cii 0.954 2Bii < 0.001
4Bii 0.896 4Bi 0.034
5Ai 0.056 5Di < 0.001
5Aii 0.063
5Bi 0.108

Descriptive Statistics

For a full set of descriptive statistics of the items reported by the 1158 cases, including
number of responses, number of missing responses, mean, median, mode, standard
deviation, minimum, maximum, and the percentages of responses for each answer
option, see Appendix C.

The means of most items were negatively skewed (higher than 3), as were the medians
and modes. Some items even had medians and modes of 5, the highest value of the
scale. According to the Shapiro-Wilk tests for normality, all items were not normally
distributed. These data combine to suggest there is a ceiling effect for some of the
items, or that the items are discriminating better against those who score lower on the
constructs than those who score higher. No items showed restricted range, and the
standard deviations of most items were approximately 1.

One notable finding from the descriptive statistics is that none of the items showed a
restricted range, suggesting that the items in every scale are measuring at least a
portion of the continuum of each school quality construct. Additionally, each item had a
high enough amount of variance and a high enough number of responses to
appropriately conduct a common factor analysis (DeVellis, 2012). However, the finding
that the items were not normal might be problematic. On the one hand, this could
simply mean that for these constructs, Somerville schools are performing above
average. On the other, it could provide evidence that the scales need further calibration
so that the highest response option is more difficult for students to endorse.

4
Figure 1: Taxonomy of school quality categories, subcategories, and non-excluded student
survey measures Somerville School Quality Framework.

1. Teachers and the 1A. Knowledge and 1Aiii. Teacher

Teaching Environment Skills of Teachers Temperament

2Ai. Student Physical

2A. Safety
Safety

2. School Culture

2C. Academic
2Cii. Academic Press
Orientation

4B. Student
4. Indicators of 4Bii. Valuing of
Commitment to
Academic Learning Learning
Learning

5Ai. Understanding
Others

5A. Civic Engagement

5Aii. Appreciation for

5. Character and Diversity
Wellbeing Outcomes

5Bi. Perseverance and

5B. Work Ethic
Determination

Factor Analysis

A non-rotated factor analysis was conducted on each scale to examine whether each
scale measured a single construct.
This proved to be the case for all Table 3. Shared variance explained by each scale
seven scales. The percentage of individually in 2016 non-excluded student survey
shared variance explained by each scales
extracted factor is shown in Table
3. The commonalities and factor Shared
loadings for each item can be found Scale Variance
in Appendix E. Explained
1Aiii (Teacher temperament) 47.89%
Because these measures of school 2Ai (Student physical safety) 37.95%
quality were correlated, as 2Cii (Academic press) 35.95%
confirmed by the average score 4Bii (Valuing of learning) 50.26%
correlations for each scale (Table 5Ai (Understanding others) 47.08%
4), a second factor analysis using 5Aii (Appreciation for diversity) 44.05%
oblimin rotation methods was 5Bi (Perseverance and determination) 45.51%
conducted using all items to test if
scales would cluster as

5
hypothesized. The results of the factor analysis (Appendix D) confirmed that the items in
each of the 7 subscales loaded higher than 0.30, a generally accepted value (Crocker &
Algina, 2008), and loaded uniquely on seven respective factors except for item 2Cii2.
This suggests that scale 2Cii (Academic press) should be reexamined, especially item
2Cii2 (“When you feel like giving up on a difficult task, how likely is it that your [subject]
teacher will help you keep trying?”), to assess why it is loading with the teacher
temperament items in addition to the academic press items.

Table 4. Correlations between average scores on non-excluded student survey scales.

Scale Average 1Aiii 2Ai 2Cii 4Bii 5Ai 5Aii 5Bi

1Aiii 1.000
2Ai .124 1.000
2Cii .533 .192 1.000
4Bii .503 .111 .378 1.000
5Ai .361 .066 .270 .563 1.000
5Aii .174 .259 .207 .292 .361 1.000
5Bi .401 .125 .347 .663 .568 .370 1.000

Correlations and Reliabilities

Finally, inter-item correlations, item-total correlations, and reliability values (Appendix

F), were calculated for each scale. Table 5 shows the Cronbach’s alpha values for each
scale are all above or equal to 0.699. However, according to the maximum alpha-if-
deleted values, there are still some items that could be removed to increase the alpha
values of the scale even further, specifically in scales 2Cii (Academic press) and 5Aii
(Appreciation for diversity).

Table 5. Cronbach’s alpha and maximum alpha-if values of 2016 non-excluded student
survey scales
Cronbach's Alpha Max. Alpha If
0.888 0.882 0.868
0.843 0.858 0.853 0.838 0.839 0.858
0.829
0.753 0.760
0.699
0.663

1Aiii (N6) 2Ai (N4) 2Cii (N6) 4Bii (N8) 5Ai (N7) 5Aii (N7) 5Bi (N8)

6
Conclusions and Next Steps
The 2016 student survey data provides evidence that many of the survey scales are, as
expected, unidimensional. Notably, each 2016 student survey scale analyzed in this
paper was found to load onto just one factor after an un-rotated factor analysis,
suggesting that each scale is unidimensional. To further support this finding, when all
the survey items were analyzed together in an obliquely rotated factor analysis, the
analysis resulted in seven factors for the seven scales analyzed, with only one of the 46
items loading onto two factors. A final finding of the current analysis is that every scale
had a Cronbach’s alpha value greater than 0.699. Only two scales contained items with
alpha-if-deleted values lower than the Cronbach’s alpha value of the whole scale. In
other words, only 2 of the 7 scales contained items which, if they were deleted, would
raise the overall Cronbach’s alpha for the scale.

Based on this analysis, there are two suggestions for continued improvement. First, a
plan must be considered for how – if at all – the data derived from scales with data not
missing at random, can be used. Any such plan must also consider why the missing data
was not missing at random. This type of analysis could result in identifying survey items
that certain types of students consistently do not respond to so that those items can be
modified or eliminated from future iterations of the survey. Second, drawing on the
analyses in this paper with an eye toward subsequent versions of the survey, we must
consider whether specific items can be modified or eliminated to ease the measurement
burden on the participating students without compromising the high reliabilities that
were found for the 2016 scales. This type of analysis would involve looking across the
different descriptive and correlational statistics calculated for each scale and determining
which items might be lowering the reliability of the scale. However, this type of analysis
would also involve a content analysis of each item in each scale and deciding if any were
redundant or unnecessary, cross-referencing the results with the statistical analysis.

Overall and encouragingly, this study of the reliability of the student perception scales
finds that each scale appears to be measuring its intended construct (and only its
intended construct) and doing so with internal consistency. In other words, this study
provides evidence that each of the scales measures a unique student perception, and
that the items of each scale work effectively together to explain variability in those
perceptions.

7
References
Allison, P. D. (2002). Missing data. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Baddeley, A. (1992). Working memory. Science, 255(5044), 556-559.

Bryk, A.S., Bender Sebring, P., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., & Easton, J.Q. (2009).
Survey measures, factors, composite variables, and items used in Organizing Schools for
Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Crocker, L. & Algina, J. (2008). Introduction to classical & modern test theory. United
States: Cengage Learning.

Dee, T. Jacob, B.A., & Schwartz, N. (2013). The effects of NCLB on school resources and
practices. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 35(2), 252-279.

DeVellis, R.F. (2012) Scale development: Theory and applications (3rd ed.). Los
Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.

Development Studies Center (2015). Scales from student questionnaire: Child

Development Project for elementary school students (Grades 3-6). Oakland, CA:
Development Studies Center.

Duckworth, A.L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M.D., & Kelly, D.R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance
and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 1087-
1101.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-95, § 114 (2016).

Gagnon, D. & Schneider, J. (2016). Measuring school quality beyond test scores: Year 2
final report.

Jennings, J. L., & Bearak, J. M. (2014). “Teaching to the test” in the NCLB era: How test
predictability affects our understanding of student performance. Educational Researcher,
43(8), 381-389.

Koretz, D. M. (2008). Measuring up: What educational testing really tells us. Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press.

Little, R. J. (1988). A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with
missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83(404), 1198-1202.

Menken, K. (2006). Teaching to the test: How No Child Left Behind impacts language
policy, curriculum, and instruction for English language learners. Bilingual Research
Journal, 30(2), 521-546.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110, § 115 (2002).

8
Panorama Education. (2015). User guide: Panorama student survey. Boston, MA:
Panorama Education.

Rumberger, R. W., & Palardy, G. J. (2005). Test scores, dropout rates, and transfer
rates as alternative indicators of high school performance. American Educational
Research Journal, 42(1), 3–42.

Schneider, J., White, R. S., Jacobsen, R. & Gehlbach, H. (2018). The (mis)measure of
schools: How data affect stakeholder knowledge and Perceptions of Quality. Teachers
College Record 120(6).

9
Appendix A:
Somerville Framework for School Quality

Essential Inputs

1. Teachers and the Teaching Environment

This category measures the relevant abilities of a school’s teachers and the degree to
which they are receiving the support they need to grow as professionals. It considers
factors like teacher professional qualifications, effective classroom practices, and school-
wide support for teaching development and growth.
1A. Knowledge and Skills of Teachers - This subcategory seeks to determine
the degree to which a school’s teachers are prepared for their classroom
assignments. It includes measures of teacher qualifications, effective classroom
practices, and professional temperament.
Measure 1A-i: Professional Qualifications - This measure draws on
confidential teacher reports on their own comfort teaching grade-level,
topics, and student body.
Measure 1A-ii: Effective Practices - This measure draws on confidential
student reports about factors like teacher clarity, support of students, and
classroom management.
Measure 1A-ii: Teacher Temperament - This measure draws on
confidential student reports about the degree to which they perceive their
teachers to be interested in and committed to them.
1B. Teaching Environment - This subcategory seeks to determine how well a
school supports teachers and enables them to do their work. It includes measures
of teacher satisfaction, effective leadership, and school-wide support for teacher
development.
Measure 1B-i: Teacher Turnover - This measure draws includes the
percent of turnover in the teaching staff not due to retirement.
Measure 1B-ii: Support for Teaching Development and Growth - This
measure draws on confidential teacher reports on the quality of
professional development.
Measure 1B-iii: Effective Leadership - This measure draws on
confidential teacher reports about the degree to which they trust their
principals to make good school-wide decisions, as well as on the degree to
which their principals are strong instructional leaders.

2. School Culture
This category measures the degree to which the school environment is safe, caring, and
academically-oriented. It considers factors like bullying, student/teacher relationships,
and regular attendance.
2A. Safety - This subcategory seeks to determine how safe the school
environment is. It includes measures of physical safety, bullying, and trust.
Measure 2A-i: Student Physical Safety
This measure draws on data
from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey on student safety, as well as on
confidential student reports about the degree to which they feel physically
safe at school.

10
 Measure 2A-ii: Bullying/Trust - This measure draws on confidential
student reports about the nature and frequency of school bullying, as well
as on the degree to which students respect and get along with each other.
2B. Relationships - This subcategory seeks to determine how welcoming and
caring the school environment is. It includes measures of student sense of
belonging and of student/teacher relationships.
Measure 2B-i: Sense of Belonging - This measure draws on the degree
to which students feel a part of the community of their classroom and their
school.
Measure 2B-ii: Student/Teacher Relationships - This measure draws
on confidential student reports about the degree to which they feel
respected and cared for by their teachers.
2C. Academic Orientation - This subcategory seeks to determine the degree to
which a school encourages students to focus on meeting academic challenges. It
includes measures of student attendance and graduation, as well as of academic
emphasis.
Measure 2C-i: Attendance and graduation - This measure includes the
percentage of students chronically absent (more than 10% of days) from
school and the percentage of students graduating on time.
Measure 2C-ii: Academic press - This measure draws on confidential
student reports about the degree to which teachers push them to do their
best, work hard, and understand the material.

3. Resources
This category measures the adequacy of a school’s facility, personnel, and curriculum, as
well as the degree to which it is supported by the community. It considers factors like
physical spaces and materials, class size, and family/school relationships.
3A. Facilities and Personnel - This subcategory seeks to determine the
sufficiency of a school’s staffing and facilities. It measures the quality of physical
spaces and curricular materials, as well as the availability of content specialists
and support personnel.
Measure 3A-i: Physical Spaces and Materials - This measure draws on
confidential teacher reports about their access to high-quality materials and
facilities.
Measure 3A-ii: Content Specialists and Support Staff - This measure
includes student-to-art-teacher and student-to-counselor ratios, and draws
on confidential teacher reports about the degree to which content
specialists and support staff are available and effective.
3B. Curricular Resources - This subcategory seeks to determine the degree to
which a school’s classrooms include the essential resources teachers need. It
includes measures of curriculum strength, curriculum variety, and class size.

11
 Measure 3B-i: Curricular Strength and Variety - This measure includes
the percentage of students completing the state core curriculum, the
number of different classes offered per student, and the percentage of
students participating in Advanced Placement courses in high school. It also
draws on confidential teacher reports on the strength and variety of the
school curriculum.
Measure 3B-ii: Class Size - This measure includes the average class size
at each school, and draws on confidential teacher reports about the degree
to which their classes are sufficiently small to support learning.
3C. Community Support - This subcategory seeks to determine the degree to
which schools are supported by the surrounding community. It includes measures
of family/school relationships, community involvement, and external partnerships.
Measure 3C-i: Family/School Relationships - This measure draws on
confidential teacher reports about parental engagement, as well as
confidential student reports about the degree to which their parents support
them as learners.
Measure 3C-ii: Community Involvement + External Partnerships -
This measure draws on confidential teacher reports about the degree to
which the school is an integrated part of the community.

Key Outcomes

4. Indicators of Academic Learning

This category measures how much students are learning core academic content,
developing their own academic identities, and progressing along positive trajectories. It
considers factors like test score growth, engagement in school, problem solving, and
college-going rates.
4A. Performance - This subcategory seeks to determine the degree to which
students are learning core curricular content. It includes measures of growth on
standardized tests and teacher perceptions of student academic growth; in the
future, it will also include portfolio assessment scores.
Measure 4A-i: Test Score Growth - This measure includes school-wide
scores for student growth on standardized tests, calculated by considering
prior testing history and other factors.
Measure 4A-ii: Portfolio or Alternative Assessments - This measure
draws on confidential teacher reports about the efforts and abilities of their
students. In the future, this measure will also include expert evaluation of
the work done by students in classrooms.
4B. Student Commitment to Learning - This subcategory seeks to determine
the degree to which students are invested in the process of learning. It includes
measures of student engagement and of how much students value learning.
Measure 4B-i: Engagement in School - This measure draws on
confidential student reports about their level of focus, participation, and
interest in class.
Measure 4B-ii: Valuing of Learning - This measure draws on confidential
student reports about how important school is to them and how much they
view themselves as learners.

12
 4C. Critical Thinking - This subcategory seeks to determine whether students
are learning to think critically about school subjects and the world around them. It
includes measures of how much problem solving is emphasized in class and, in
the future, will include a measure of student problem solving ability.
Measure 4C-i: Problem Solving Emphasis - This measure draws on
confidential teacher reports about how often their students can generate
their own interpretations of material and apply knowledge to new
situations.
Measure 4C-ii: Problem Solving Skills - In the future, this measure will
include an assessment of student ability to address problems without
obvious solutions.
4D. College and Career Readiness - This subcategory, applicable to high
schools only, seeks to determine the degree to which students are prepared for
college and beyond. It measures the percentage of students directly enrolling in
two- or four-year colleges upon high school graduation and, in the future, will
measure the college and career performance of high school graduates.
Measure 4D-i: College-Going - This measure includes the percentage of
students enrolling in college immediately after high school graduation and,
in the future, will include the college grades and employment status of
graduates.
Measure 4D-ii: College Performance - In the future, this measure will
include data on the percentage of students graduating from college in four
or six years, as well as the percentage of students requiring college
remediation.

5. Character and Wellbeing Outcomes

This category measures the development of traits relevant for full and rewarding lives—
in society, the workplace, and their private lives. It considers factors like perseverance
and determination, participation in arts and literature, and social and emotional health.
5A. Civic Engagement - This subcategory seeks to determine the degree to
which students are prepared to thoughtfully meaningfully interact with others in a
diverse society. It measures how well students understand the perspectives of
others, as well as the degree to which they get along with those unlike
themselves.
Measure 5A-i: Understanding Others - This measure draws on
confidential student reports about their ability to understand the views,
emotions, and experiences of others.
Measure 5A-ii: Appreciation for Diversity - This measure draws on
confidential student reports about their level of comfort working with
students from a wide variety of backgrounds.
5B. Work Ethic
This subcategory seeks to determine the degree to which students are willing to
work hard on challenging tasks, even in light of setbacks. It includes measures of
perseverance, determination, and orientation toward personal growth.
Measure 5B-i: Perseverance and Determination - This measure draws
on confidential student reports about their ability to pursue goals, work
hard despite challenges, and finish what they start.

13
 Measure 5B-ii: Growth Mindset - This measure draws on confidential
student reports about the degree to which they see themselves as capable
of expanding their skills through hard work.
5C. Artistic and Creative Traits - This subcategory seeks to determine the
degree to which students are being nurtured as artistic and creative people. It
includes measures of student participation in arts and, in the future, will include a
measure of student creativity.
Measure 5C-i: Participation in Arts and Literature - This measure
draws on confidential teacher reports about the frequency of student
exposure to the arts.
Measure 5C-ii: Creativity - In the future, this measure will include an
assessment of the ability of students to think outside-the-box when
presented with different kinds of challenges.
5D. Health - This subcategory seeks to determine the health of students and the
degree to which the school supports various health outcomes. It includes
measures of student social, emotional, and physical health.
Measure 5D-i: Social and Emotional Health - This measure draws on
confidential student reports about how happy, calm, and focused they feel
in school.
Measure 5D-ii: Physical Health - This measure draws on data from the
Youth Risk Behavior survey on student physical health, as well as on
confidential teacher reports about student access to physical education and
activity.

14
Appendix B:
2016 Student Survey Scales with Items and Answer Options
Scale 1Aii: Effective Practices
1 2 3 4 5
Overall, how much have you A
Almost
learned from your [subject] A little bit Some Quite a bit tremendous
nothing
teacher? amount
For this class, how clearly
does your [subject] teacher Not at all A little bit Extremely
Somewhat Quite clearly
present the information that clearly clearly clearly
you need to learn?
When you need extra help,
how good is your [subject] Not at all Somewhat Extremely
Slightly good Quite good
teacher at giving you that good good good
help?
How well has your [subject]
Somewhat Extremely
teacher taught you about the Not at all well A little well Quite well
well well
topics of his or her class?
How good is your [subject]
teacher at teaching in the Not at all Somewhat Extremely
Slightly good Quite good
way that you personally learn good good good
best?
How well can your [subject]
Somewhat Extremely
teacher tell whether or not Not at all well A little well Quite well
well well
you understand a topic?
How comfortable are you
asking your [subject] teacher Not at all A little Somewhat Quite Extremely
questions about what you are comfortable comfortable comfortable comfortable comfortable
learning in his or her class?
How interesting does your
[subject] teacher make the Not at all A little Somewhat Quite Extremely
things you are learning in interesting interesting interesting interesting interesting
class?
How good is your [subject] Not at all Somewhat Extremely
Slightly good Quite good
teacher at helping you learn? good good good

15
Scale 1Aiii: Teacher Temperament
1 2 3 4 5
When your [subject] teacher
asks how you are doing, how
Once in a
often do you feel that he/she Never Sometimes Frequently Always
while
is really interested in your
answer?
How interested is your
Not at all A little bit Somewhat Quite Extremely
[subject] teacher in what you
interested interested interested interested interested
do outside of class?
How interested is your
[subject] teacher in your Not at all A little bit Somewhat Quite Extremely
career after you finish interested interested interested interested interested
school?
If you walked into class
Not at all A little bit Somewhat Quite Extremely
upset, how concerned would
concerned concerned concerned concerned concerned
your [subject] teacher be?
If you came back to visit
class three years from now,
Not at all A little bit Somewhat Extremely
how excited would your excited excited excited
Quite excited
excited
[subject] teacher be to see
you?
If you had something on
your mind, how carefully Not at all A little Somewhat Quite Extremely
would your [subject] teacher carefully carefully carefully carefully carefully
listen to you?

Scale 2Ai: Student Physical Safety

1 2 3 4 5
How often do you worry about Almost Once in a Almost
Frequently Sometimes
violence at your school? Always while never

How often do students get into Very Almost

Regularly Occasionally Rarely
physical fights at your school? frequently never

Overall, how unsafe do you feel Extremely Somewhat A little bit Not at all
Quite safe
at school? unsafe unsafe unsafe unsafe
How often do you feel like you
Almost Once in a Almost
might be harmed by someone at Frequently Sometimes
always while never
school?

16
Scale 2Bi: Sense of Belonging
1 2 3 4 5
Overall, how much do you feel Do not Belong a Belong Belong Almost totally
like you belong at your school? belong little bit somewhat quite a bit belong
At your school, how accepted
Not at all A little Somewhat Quite Extremely
do you feel by the other
accepted accepted accepted accepted accepted
students?
Don’t Understand Understand
How well do people at your Understand Understand me
understand me me quite a
school understand you? me
me a little bit
somewhat bit
extremely well

How much support do the No support A little bit of Some Quite a bit A great deal of
adults at your school give you? at all support support of support support
How much respect do students No respect A little bit of Some Quite a bit A great deal of
in your school show you? at all respect respect of respect respect
How connected do you feel to Not at all Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely well
the adults at your school? connected connected connected connected connected
How close are your
Not at all Somewhat Extremely
relationships with others at this A little close Quite close
close close close
school?

Scale 2Bii: Student/Teacher Relationships

1 2 3 4 5
How much do you enjoy learning A tremendous
Not at all Slightly Somewhat Quite a bit
from your [subject] teacher? amount
How friendly is your [subject] Not at all A little bit Somewhat Quite Extremely
teacher toward you? friendly friendly friendly friendly friendly
How respectful is your [subject] Not at all Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
teacher towards you? respectful respectful respectful respectful respectful
How excited would you be to
Not at all A little Somewhat Quite Extremely
have your [subject] teacher
excited excited excited excited excited
again?
How often does your [subject]
Very Once in a
teacher say something that Frequently Sometimes Almost never
frequently while
bothers you?
How caring is your [subject] Not at all Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
teacher towards you? caring caring caring caring caring
How much do you like your A tremendous
Not at all Slightly Somewhat Quite a bit
[subject] teacher's personality? amount
How often does your [subject]
Very Once in a
teacher put you in a bad mood Frequently Sometimes Almost never
frequently while
during class?
Overall, how much do you learn A very great
Almost nothing A little bit Some Quite a bit
from your [subject]? amount

17
Scale 2Cii: Academic Press
1 2 3 4 5
Encourages
How much does your [subject] Does not Encourages Encourage
Encourages me a
teacher encourage you to do your encourage me a little s me quite
me some tremendous
best? me at all bit a bit
amount
When you feel like giving up on a
difficult task, how likely is it that Not at all Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
your [subject] teacher will help you likely likely likely likely likely
keep trying?
How often does your [subject]
Almost Once in a Almost
teacher ask you to explain your Sometimes Often
never while always
answers?
In this class, how hard does your Not hard at Slightly Somewhat Extremely
Quite hard
[subject] teacher make you think? all hard hard hard
How often does your [subject]
Almost Once in a Almost
teacher ask you to figure out the Sometimes Often
never while always
answer to your own question?
How often does your [subject]
Almost Once in a Almost
teacher take time to make sure you Sometimes Often
never while always
understand the material?

Scale 4Bi: Engagement in School

1 2 3 4 5
How closely do you listen to what is Not closely Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
said in class? at all closely closely closely closely
In this class, how much do you A tremendous
Not at all A little bit Some Quite a bit
participate? amount
How often do you come to class Almost Once in a
Sometimes Often Very often
ready to learn? never while
When you are not in class, how
Almost Once in a
often do you talk about ideas from Sometimes Often Very often
never while
class?
How often do you get so focused on
Almost Once in a
class activities that you lose track of never while
Sometimes Often Very often
time?
How excited are you about going to Not at all A little bit Somewhat Quite Extremely
this class? excited excited excited excited excited
Overall, how interested are you in Not at all A little bit Somewhat Quite Extremely
this class? interested interested interested interested interested
How often do you take time outside
Almost Once in a
of class to learn more about what Sometimes Often Very often
never while
you are studying in class?

18
Scale 4Bii: Valuing of Learning
1 2 3 4 5
Overall, how important is school Not at all Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
to you? important important important important important
How often do you use ideas from Once in a Very
Almost never Sometimes Often
school in your daily life? while Frequently
How useful do you think school Not at all A little bit Somewhat Extremely
Quite useful
will be to you in the future? useful useful useful useful
How important is it to you to do Not at all Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
well in school? important important important important important
How interesting do you find the Not at all Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
things you learn in school? interesting interesting interesting interesting interesting
How curious are you to learn
Not at all Slightly Somewhat Extremely
more about things you talked Quite curious
curious curious curious curious
about in school?
Enjoy a
How much do you enjoy learning Do not enjoy Enjoy a little Enjoy Enjoy quite a
tremendous
in school? at all bit somewhat bit
amount
Don’t see See myself See myself See myself as See myself
How much do you see yourself as
myself as a as a learner somewhat a learner to completely
a learner? learner at all a little bit as a learner some extent as a learner

Scale 5Ai: Understanding Others

1 2 3 4 5
How often do you attempt to understand
Almost Once in a Very
your friends better by trying to figure out Sometimes Often
never while frequently
what they are thinking?
How often do you try to think of more than
Almost Once in a Very
one explanation for why someone else Sometimes Often
never while frequently
acted as they did?
Overall, how often do you try to understand Almost Once in a Very
Sometimes Often
the point of view of other people? never while frequently
When you are angry at someone, how often Almost Once in a Very
Sometimes Often
do you try to "put yourself in their shoes"? never while frequently
How often do you try to figure out what Almost Once in a Very
Sometimes Often
motivates others to behave as they do? never while frequently
How often do you try to figure out what
Almost Once in a Very
emotions people are feeling when you meet Sometimes Often
never while frequently
them for the first time?
In general, how often do you try to Almost Once in a Very
Sometimes Often
understand how other people see things? never while frequently

19
Scale 5Aii: Appreciation for Diversity
1 2 3 4 5
How comfortable would you be to work
Not at all Slightly Quite Very
on a school project with a student who Neutral
comfortable comfortable comfortable comfortable
speaks a different language?
How comfortable would you be eating
Not at all Slightly Quite Very
lunch with a student who might be comfortable comfortable
Neutral
comfortable comfortable
homeless?
How comfortable would you be to be
Not at all Slightly Quite Very
assigned a seat next to a student who is Neutral
comfortable comfortable comfortable comfortable
overweight?
How comfortable would you be to go see
Not at all Slightly Quite Very
a movie with a student of another Neutral
comfortable comfortable comfortable comfortable
race/ethnicity?
How comfortable would you be sitting
Not at all Slightly Quite Very
with a student who practices Neutral
comfortable comfortable comfortable comfortable
a different religion than you?
How comfortable would you be visiting
Not at all Slightly Quite Very
the home of a student who lives in a poor Neutral
comfortable comfortable comfortable comfortable
neighborhood?
How comfortable would you be visiting
Not at all Slightly Quite Very
the home of a student who lives in a Neutral
comfortable comfortable comfortable comfortable
wealthy neighborhood?

Scale 5Bi: Perseverance and Determination

1 2 3 4 5
If you face a problem while working
Slightly Somewhat Extremely
towards an important goal, how well can Not well at all
well well
Quite well
well
you keep working?
How often do you stay focused on the Once in a Almost
Almost never Sometimes Frequently
same goal for several months at a time? while always
Some people pursue some of their goals
for a long time, and others change their
Not likely at Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
goals frequently. Over the next several
all likely likely likely likely
years, how likely are you to continue to
pursue one of your current goals?
How important is it to you to finish things Not important Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
you start? at all important important important important
How confident are you that you can
Not confident Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
remain focused on what you are doing, at all confident confident confident confident
even when there are distractions?
When faced with a very challenging task, Not hard at Slightly Somewhat Extremely
Quite hard
how hard do you work to complete it? all hard hard hard
If you fail to reach an important goal, how Not likely at Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
likely are you to try again? all likely likely likely likely
How likely is it that you can motivate
Not likely at Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
yourself to do unpleasant tasks if they will
all likely likely likely likely
help you accomplish your goals?

20
Appendix C: 2016 Student Survey Descriptive Statistics

Scale 1Aiii: Teacher Temperament

# Item Text N Mean Median Mode S.D. Min. Max.
1 When your homeroom teacher asks 1158 3.84 4.00 5.00 1.13 1.00 5.00
how you are doing, how often do you
feel that he/she is really interested in
your answer?
2 How interested is your 1158 3.18 3.00 4.00 1.21 1.00 5.00
homeroom teacher in what you do
outside of class?
3 How interested is your 1158 3.50 4.00 4.00 1.23 1.00 5.00
homeroom teacher in your career
after you finish school?
4 If you walked into class upset, how 1158 3.74 4.00 4.00 1.15 1.00 5.00
concerned would your homeroom
teacher be?
5 If you came back to visit class three 1158 3.94 4.00 5.00 1.13 1.00 5.00
years from now, how excited would
your homeroom teacher be to see
you?
6 If you had something on your mind, 1158 3.96 4.00 4.00 1.02 1.00 5.00
how carefully would your
homeroom teacher listen to you?

Scale 2Ai: Student Physical Safety

# Item Text N Mean Median Mode S.D. Min. Max.
1 How often do you worry about 1158 3.85 4.00 5.00 1.29 1.00 5.00
violence at your school?
2 How often do students get into 1158 3.90 4.00 4.00 1.10 1.00 5.00
physical fights at your school?
3 Overall, how unsafe do you feel at 1158 4.34 5.00 5.00 1.01 1.00 5.00
school?
4 How often do you feel like you might 1158 4.39 5.00 5.00 0.98 1.00 5.00
be harmed by someone at school?

21
Scale 2Cii: Academic Press
# Item Text N Mean Median Mode S.D. Min. Max.
1 How much does your 1158 4.32 4.32 5.00 0.86 1.00 5.00
homeroom teacher encourage you to
do your best?
2 When you feel like giving up on a 1158 4.14 4.14 5.00 0.94 1.00 5.00
difficult task, how likely is it that your
homeroom teacher will help you keep
trying?
4 How often does your homeroom 1158 4.13 4.13 5.00 0.91 1.00 5.00
teacher ask you to explain your
answers?
5 In this class, how hard does your 1158 3.66 4.00 4.00 0.93 1.00 5.00
homeroom teacher make you think?
6 How often does your homeroom 1158 3.47 3.47 4.00 1.03 1.00 5.00
teacher ask you to figure out the
answer to your own question?
7 How often does your homeroom 1158 4.07 4.07 5.00 0.90 1.00 5.00
teacher take time to make sure you
understand the material?

Scale 4Bii: Value of Learning

# Item Text N Mean Median Mode S.D. Min. Max.
1 Overall, how important is school to 1158 4.28 5.00 5.00 0.95 1.00 5.00
you?
2 How often do you use ideas from 1158 3.55 4.00 4.00 1.10 1.00 5.00
school in your daily life?
3 How useful do you think school will be 1158 4.41 5.00 5.00 0.94 1.00 5.00
to you in the future?
4 How important is it to you to do well in 1158 4.53 5.00 5.00 0.79 1.00 5.00
school?
5 How interesting do you find the things 1158 3.80 4.00 4.00 0.98 1.00 5.00
you learn in school?
6 How curious are you to learn more 1158 3.68 4.00 4.00 1.06 1.00 5.00
about things you talked about in
school?
7 How much do you enjoy learning in 1158 3.75 4.00 4.00 1.09 1.00 5.00
school?
8 How much do you see yourself as a 1158 3.99 4.00 5.00 0.99 1.00 5.00
learner?

22
Scale 5Ai: Understanding Others
# Item Text N Mean Median Mode S.D. Min. Max.
1 How often do you attempt to understand your 1158 3.67 4.00 4.00 1.10 1.00 5.00
friends better by trying to figure out what they
are thinking?
2 How often do you try to think of more than one 1158 3.52 4.00 4.00 1.10 1.00 5.00
explanation for why someone else acted as
they did?
3 Overall, how often do you try to understand 1158 3.65 4.00 4.00 1.04 1.00 5.00
the point of view of other people?
4 When you are angry at someone, how often do 1158 2.88 3.00 3.00 1.27 1.00 5.00
you try to "put yourself in their shoes"?
5 How often do you try to figure out what 1158 3.20 3.00 3.00 1.18 1.00 5.00
motivates others to behave as they do?
6 How often do you try to figure out what 1158 3.43 3.43 4.00 1.18 1.00 5.00
emotions people are feeling when you meet
them for the first time?
7 In general, how often do you try to understand 1158 3.45 3.45 3.00 1.11 1.00 5.00
how other people see things?

Scale 5Aii: Appreciation for Diversity

# Item Text N Mean Median Mode S.D. Min. Max.
1 How comfortable would you be to work on a 1158 3.52 3.52 3.00 1.15 1.00 5.00
school project with a student who speaks a
different language?
2 How comfortable would you be eating lunch 1158 3.77 4.00 5.00 1.11 1.00 5.00
with a student who might be homeless?
3 How comfortable would you be to be assigned 1158 3.87 4.00 5.00 1.12 1.00 5.00
a seat next to a student who is overweight?
4 How comfortable would you be to go see a 1158 4.29 5.00 5.00 0.93 1.00 5.00
movie with a student of another
race/ethnicity?
5 How comfortable would you be sitting with a 1158 4.14 4.06 5.00 1.00 1.00 5.00
student who practices a different religion than
you?
6 How comfortable would you be visiting the 1158 3.87 4.00 5.00 1.10 1.00 5.00
home of a student who lives in a poor
neighborhood?
7 How comfortable would you be visiting the 1158 4.03 4.00 5.00 1.01 1.00 5.00
home of a student who lives in a wealthy
neighborhood?

23
Scale 5Bi: Perseverance and Determination
# Item Text N Mean Median Mode S.D. Min. Max.
1 If you face a problem while working towards 1158 3.95 4.00 4.00 0.90 1.00 5.00
an important goal, how well can you keep
working?
2 How often do you stay focused on the same 1158 3.57 3.78 3.00 1.03 1.00 5.00
goal for several months at a time?
3 Some people pursue some of their goals for a 1158 3.74 4.00 4.00 1.05 1.00 5.00
long time, and others change their goals
frequently. Over the next several years, how
likely are you to continue to pursue one of
your current goals?
4 How important is it to you to finish things you 1158 4.10 4.00 5.00 0.90 1.00 5.00
start?
5 How confident are you that you can remain 1158 3.66 4.00 4.00 1.00 1.00 5.00
focused on what you are doing, even when
there are distractions?
6 When faced with a very challenging task, how 1158 4.01 4.00 4.00 0.92 1.00 5.00
hard do you work to complete it?
7 If you fail to reach an important goal, how 1158 3.86 4.00 5.00 1.03 1.00 5.00
likely are you to try again?
8 How likely is it that you can motivate yourself 1158 3.69 4.00 4.00 1.04 1.00 5.00
to do unpleasant tasks if they will help you
accomplish your goals?

24
Appendix D: Factor Analysis Results for All Student Survey
Items from Non-Excluded Scales, Using Oblimin Rotation.
Factor Loadings
Items
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5Bi2 .733
5Bi7 .699
5Bi8 .621
5Bi3 .609
5Bi1 .592
5Bi4 .592
5Bi5 .582
5Bi6 .485
5Aii6 .754
5Aii3 .717
5Aii5 .711
5Aii4 .703
5Aii2 .690
5Aii1 .468
5Aii7 .414
1Aiii4 .738
1Aiii5 .705
1Aiii6 .661
1Aiii2 .657
1Aiii1 .613
1Aiii3 .547
5Ai7 .701
5Ai5 .647
5Ai3 .639
5Ai2 .637
5Ai6 .616
5Ai1 .569
5Ai4 .543
2Ai4 .674
2Ai1 .626
2Ai3 .606
2Ai2 .528
4Bii1 -.689
4Bii4 -.650
4Bii3 -.646
4Bii7 -.572
4Bii5 -.503
4Bii8 -.483
4Bii2 -.450
4Bii6 -.445
2Cii4 .575
2Cii5 .529
2Cii7 .505
2Cii2 .343 .486
2Cii1 .465
2Cii6 .423

25
Appendix E: 2016 Unrotated Factor Analysis Tables

Scale 1Aiii: Teacher Temperament

Initial Factor Extraction
Item Item Text
Communalities Loading Communalities
5 If you came back to visit class three years
from now, how excited would your homeroom 0.460 0.742 0.550
teacher be to see you?
6 If you had something on your mind, how
carefully would your homeroom teacher 0.467 0.737 0.543
listen to you?
4 If you walked into class upset, how concerned
0.451 0.732 0.536
would your homeroom teacher be?
1 When your homeroom teacher asks how you
are doing, how often do you feel that he/she 0.372 0.663 0.440
is really interested in your answer?
2 How interested is your homeroom teacher in
0.379 0.652 0.425
what you do outside of class?
3 How interested is your homeroom teacher in
0.343 0.616 0.380
your career after you finish school?
Note. Determinant = 0.119; KMO = 0.872; 𝜒𝜒² = 2461, p < 0.001

Scale 2Ai: Student Physical Safety

Initial Factor Extraction
Item Item Text
Communalities Loading Communalities
4 How often do you feel like you might be
0.302 0.699 0.489
harmed by someone at school?
1 How often do you worry about violence at your
0.248 0.615 0.379
school?
3 Overall, how unsafe do you feel at school? 0.249 0.606 0.367
2 How often do students get into physical fights
0.196 0.532 0.283
at your school?
Note. Determinant = 0.507; KMO = 0.743; 𝜒𝜒² = 783, p < 0.001

26
Scale 2Cii: Academic Press
Initial Factor Extraction
Item Item Text
Communalities Loading Communalities
2 When you feel like giving up on a difficult
task, how likely is it that your homeroom 0.438 0.737 0.542
teacher will help you keep trying?
7 How often does your homeroom teacher take
time to make sure you understand the 0.359 0.685 0.469
material?
1 How much does your homeroom teacher
0.392 0.680 0.463
encourage you to do your best?
5 In this class, how hard does your homeroom
0.230 0.525 0.275
teacher make you think?
4 How often does your homeroom teacher ask
0.215 0.511 0.261
you to explain your answers?
6 How often does your homeroom teacher ask
you to figure out the answer to your own 0.143 0.383 0.147
question?
Note. Determinant = 0.259; KMO = 0.806; 𝜒𝜒² = 1559 p < 0.001

Scale 4Bii: Value of Learning

Initial Factor Extraction
Item Item Text
Communalities Loading Communalities
7 How much do you enjoy learning in school? 0.587 0.798 0.636
5 How interesting do you find the things you
0.559 0.756 0.572
learn in school?
6 How curious are you to learn more about
0.538 0.739 0.546
things you talked about in school?
8 How much do you see yourself as a learner? 0.459 0.711 0.505
1 Overall, how important is school to you? 0.477 0.699 0.488
2 How often do you use ideas from school in
0.452 0.695 0.483
your daily life?
4 How important is it to you to do well in
0.426 0.636 0.404
school?
3 How useful do you think school will be to
0.373 0.621 0.386
you in the future?
Note. Determinant = 0.024; KMO = 0.909; 𝜒𝜒² = 4319 p < 0.001

27
Scale 5Ai: Understanding Others
Initial Factor Extraction
Item Item Text
Communalities Loading Communalities
7 In general, how often do you try to understand
0.489 0.757 0.573
how other people see things?
5 How often do you try to figure out what
0.442 0.719 0.516
motivates others to behave as they do?
3 Overall, how often do you try to understand
0.441 0.714 0.510
the point of view of other people?
6 How often do you try to figure out what
emotions people are feeling when you meet 0.421 0.696 0.485
them for the first time?
2 How often do you try to think of more than one
explanation for why someone else acted as 0.402 0.683 0.466
they did?
1 How often do you attempt to understand your
friends better by trying to figure out what they 0.377 0.641 0.410
are thinking?
4 When you are angry at someone, how often do
0.307 0.580 0.336
you try to "put yourself in their shoes"?
Note. Determinant = 0.076; KMO = 0.903; 𝜒𝜒𝜒𝜒² = 2971 p < 0.001

Scale 5Aii: Appreciation for Diversity

Initial Factor Extraction
Item Item Text
Communalities Loading Communalities
6 How comfortable would you be visiting the
home of a student who lives in a poor 0.492 0.758 0.575
neighborhood?
3 How comfortable would you be to be
assigned a seat next to a student who is 0.464 0.725 0.525
overweight?
5 How comfortable would you be sitting with a
student who practices a different religion than 0.481 0.721 0.520
you?
4 How comfortable would you be to go see a
movie with a student of another 0.480 0.712 0.507
race/ethnicity?
2 How comfortable would you be eating lunch
0.447 0.686 0.471
with a student who might be homeless?
1 How comfortable would you be to work on a
school project with a student who speaks a 0.248 0.514 0.264
different language?
7 How comfortable would you be visiting the
home of a student who lives in a wealthy 0.219 0.470 0.221
neighborhood?
Note. Determinant = 0.085; KMO = 0.865; 𝜒𝜒² = 2848 p < 0.001

28
Scale 5Bi: Perseverance and Determination
Initial Factor Extraction
Item Item Text
Communalities Loading Communalities
2 How often do you stay focused on the same
0.505 0.741 0.549
goal for several months at a time?
7 If you fail to reach an important goal, how
0.431 0.707 0.500
likely are you to try again?
4 How important is it to you to finish things you
0.435 0.695 0.483
start?
1 If you face a problem while working towards
an important goal, how well can you keep 0.395 0.674 0.454
working?
8 How likely is it that you can motivate yourself
to do unpleasant tasks if they will help you 0.386 0.657 0.432
accomplish your goals?
3 Some people pursue some of their goals for a
long time, and others change their goals
frequently. Over the next several years, how 0.402 0.655 0.429
likely are you to continue to pursue one of your
current goals?
5 How confident are you that you can remain
focused on what you are doing, even when 0.356 0.641 0.411
there are distractions?
6 When faced with a very challenging task, how
0.365 0.618 0.382
hard do you work to complete it?
Note. Determinant = 0.052; KMO = 0.913; 𝜒𝜒² = 3416 p < 0.001

29
Appendix F: 2016 Inter-Item Correlations, Item-Total
Correlations, and Alpha-If Deleted Values

Scale 1Aiii: Teacher Temperament

Corrected Item-Total Cronbach's Alpha if
1 2 3 4 5 6
Correlation Item Deleted
1 1.000 0.599 0.821
2 0.440 1.000 0.602 0.821
3 0.393 0.508 1.000 0.568 0.829
4 0.461 0.479 0.423 1.000 0.655 0.811
5 0.491 0.442 0.450 0.559 1.000 0.663 0.809
6 0.521 0.425 0.410 0.568 0.575 1.000 0.658 0.812

Scale 2Ai: Student Physical Safety

Corrected Item-Total Cronbach's Alpha if
1 2 3 4
Correlation Item Deleted
1 1.000 0.496 0.635
2 0.354 1.000 0.438 0.663
3 0.371 0.298 1.000 0.480 0.639
4 0.412 0.371 0.444 1.000 0.543 0.605

Scale 2Cii: Academic Press

Corrected Item-Total Cronbach's Alpha if
1 2 4 5 6 7
Correlation Item Deleted
1 1.000 0.547 0.705
2 0.582 1.000 0.588 0.691
4 0.319 0.323 1.000 0.459 0.727
5 0.317 0.333 0.344 1.000 0.475 0.723
6 0.182 0.237 0.277 0.306 1.000 0.351 0.760
7 0.474 0.530 0.331 0.341 0.247 1.000 0.565 0.699

Scale 4Bii: Value of Learning

Corrected Item- Cronbach's
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total Alpha if
Correlation Item Deleted
1 1.000 0.656 0.875
2 0.513 1.000 0.653 0.876
3 0.500 0.418 1.000 0.582 0.882
4 0.563 0.380 0.506 1.000 0.597 0.881
5 0.441 0.550 0.443 0.421 1.000 0.709 0.870
6 0.459 0.572 0.400 0.386 0.648 1.000 0.693 0.871
7 0.509 0.538 0.453 0.463 0.666 0.635 1.000 0.743 0.866
8 0.512 0.467 0.429 0.497 0.512 0.505 0.594 1.000 0.664 0.874

30
Scale 5Ai: Understanding Others
Corrected Item-Total Cronbach's Alpha if
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Correlation Item Deleted
1 1.000 0.583 0.844
2 0.474 1.000 0.626 0.838
3 0.524 0.498 1.000 0.652 0.835
4 0.309 0.403 0.385 1.000 0.535 0.853
5 0.427 0.506 0.488 0.460 1.000 0.659 0.833
6 0.464 0.433 0.495 0.400 0.494 1.000 0.636 0.836
7 0.451 0.494 0.522 0.474 0.555 0.560 1.000 0.693 0.828

Scale 5Aii: Appreciation for Diversity

Corrected Item-Total Cronbach's Alpha if
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Correlation Item Deleted
1 1.000 0.476 0.835
2 0.443 1.000 0.629 0.809
3 0.376 0.545 1.000 0.647 0.806
4 0.306 0.422 0.535 1.000 0.637 0.810
5 0.346 0.415 0.506 0.627 1.000 0.645 0.808
6 0.380 0.580 0.552 0.490 0.521 1.000 0.686 0.800
7 0.250 0.277 0.259 0.373 0.380 0.393 1.000 0.427 0.839

Scale 5Bi: Perseverance and Determination

Corrected Cronbach's
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Item-Total Alpha if
Correlation Item Deleted
1 1.000 0.622 0.853
2 0.494 1.000 0.686 0.845
3 0.418 0.573 1.000 0.606 0.854
4 0.488 0.448 0.452 1.000 0.642 0.851
5 0.414 0.479 0.428 0.460 1.000 0.593 0.855
6 0.452 0.386 0.348 0.519 0.407 1.000 0.569 0.858
7 0.462 0.527 0.435 0.489 0.453 0.464 1.000 0.652 0.849
8 0.452 0.536 0.435 0.422 0.402 0.373 0.482 1.000 0.608 0.854

31