Assessing Sense of School Belonging Across Cultural Contexts Using the PSSM: Measurement and Functional Invariance
Open accessAbstract
Despite its popularity, the factorial structure of the Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) Questionnaire remains controversial. The current study set out to clarify its structure across different cultural contexts. The study was carried out among 1,928 adolescents aged 11 to 20 years in the Netherlands, Kenya, Indonesia, and Spain. Item-based measurement models with a single factor did not show a good fit. A bifactor method (defining a method factor for negatively worded items) did not show a good fit either. However, when items were combined per target to be rated (school, student, teacher, other people, and self), measurement invariance of a one-factorial model was found. Internal consistencies observed across the cultural groups studied were high. In addition, an evaluation of functional equivalence indicated that the relationship between PSSM and life satisfaction was invariant across countries. Implications for assessment and future directions are discussed.
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References 24 · Cited by 28
- Authors
- Abubakar, A., van de Vijver, F. J. R., Alonso-Arbiol, I., Suryani, A. O., Pandia, W. S., Handani, P., Arasa, J., Mazrui, L., & Murugumi, M.
- Affiliations
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Tilburg University, The Netherlands
- University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, San Sebastián, Spain
- Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia (ID)
- United States International University Africa (KE)
- Kenyatta University (KE)
- Corresponding author
- Abubakar, Amina
- Venue
- Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2015-10-01
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 380-388
- ISSN
- 0734-2829 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-5144
- OpenAlex
- W2195076219
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 1.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- dspace.library.uu.nl
- Locations
- Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment (publishedVersion)
- eCommons - AKU (Aga Khan University) (submittedVersion)
- Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Keywords
- sense of school belonging, psychological sense of school membership, measurement invariance, cross-cultural measurement, bifactor model, factor structure, adolescents, life satisfaction, functional equivalence, school membership
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