ABSTRACT

In this study (n = 5037) we further investigated the construct validity of the Georgia Brief School Climate Inventory (GBS). Despite containing ordinal items (e.g., ordered-responses), the GBS has only been examined using linear approaches. To fill this void, we employed confirmatory item factor analysis (IFA) to examine the factor structure because the observed data are polytomous. Using response data from adolescents with (n = 784) and without (n = 4253) disabilities in urban and suburban high schools, we tested for measurement invariance by estimating a series of multiple-group IFA models and examined the relationship between school climate and academic achievement. The study findings promote the use of non-linear methods for analyzing ordered response data and further support the importance of prioritizing students with disabilities in school climate studies.

摘要

在这项研究（n = 5037）中，我们进一步研究了佐治亚州简中学校气候清单（GBS）的结构效度。尽管包含序数项（例如，有序响应），但是仅使用线性方法检查了GBS。为了填补这一空白，我们使用验证性项目因子分析（IFA）来检查因子结构，因为观察到的数据是多值的。利用城市和郊区高中有（n = 784）和没有（n = 4253）残疾的青少年的响应数据，我们通过估计一系列多组IFA模型测试了测量不变性，并检验了学校气氛与学业之间的关系。成就。