Design and Validation of a Measurement Tool for Happy Schools in Primary Education
Keywords:
Instrument design, validation, happy school, primary education, psychometricsAbstract
This study aimed to design and validate a culturally adapted instrument for measuring the components of happy schools in primary education. A sequential exploratory mixed-method design was employed; in the qualitative phase, 15 experts were interviewed using semi-structured interviews and conventional content analysis to extract dimensions, leading to an initial 83-item instrument; in the quantitative phase, 254 primary school teachers and principals were randomly selected, and face, content (CVR, CVI), construct validity (exploratory factor analysis), and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) were assessed. Exploratory factor analysis supported a final 43-item instrument with four factors—curriculum and extracurricular activities, teacher, physical environment, and management and school climate—explaining 68% of the total variance; content validity indices were acceptable (CVI>0.79), and reliability was high (α>0.70 for all subscales and 0.97 overall). The developed instrument demonstrates strong psychometric properties and can be used as a reliable tool for assessing happiness in primary schools and identifying strengths and weaknesses in educational environments.
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