The Aggression Scale: A Self-Report Measure of Aggressive Behavior for Young Adolescents

Abstract

This article describes the development and psychometric properties of the Aggression Scale. The scale consists of 11 items designed to measure self-reported aggressive behaviors among middle school students (sixth, seventh, and eighth graders). The scale was evaluated in two independent samples of young adolescents (n = 253 and n = 8,695). Reliability scores were high in both samples, and did not vary significantly by gender, ethnicity, or grade level in school. Aggression scores also were stable in a 2-year follow-up study. Mean scores on the Aggression Scale were associated positively with teachers’ independent rating of student aggression, other measures of aggression, and known predictors of aggression. The scale is brief, is easy to administer, and focuses on overt behaviors. Thus, the Aggression Scale could be a useful tool for program evaluation and for further research on violence prevention in schools.