Psychology RootsTable of Contents
Commitment to School – Seattle Social Development Project
Here in this post, we are sharing the “Commitment to School – Seattle Social Development Project”. You can read psychometric and Author information. We have thousands of Scales and questionnaires in our collection (See Scales and Questionnaires). You can demand us any scale and questionnaires related to psychology through our community, and we will provide you with a short time. Keep visiting Psychology Roots.
About Commitment to School – Seattle Social Development Project
Scale Name
Commitment to School – Seattle Social Development Project
Author Details
Robert R. Glaser, M. Lee Van Horn, Michael W. Arthur, J. David Hawkins, and Richard F. Catalano
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Commitment to School scale, developed as part of the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP) by Robert R. Glaser, M. Lee Van Horn, Michael W. Arthur, J. David Hawkins, and Richard F. Catalano (in press), is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure students’ feelings about the importance of school and coursework. The SSDP, a longitudinal study initiated in 1981, tracks a multiethnic urban sample of 808 youth from age 10 (grade 5) through adulthood, focusing on risk and protective factors for behaviors like delinquency, substance use, and school dropout. The scale targets students aged 11-18 (grades 6-12), assessing their investment in academic success and school engagement, a key component of the Social Development Model (SDM). The SDM posits that strong commitment to school fosters prosocial behavior and reduces problem behaviors by enhancing social bonds.
The scale comprises items (exact number not specified, but typically 5-10 based on SSDP measures) rated on a Likert-type scale (e.g., 1 = “strongly disagree” to 4 or 5 = “strongly agree”), evaluating beliefs about the value of school and effort in coursework (e.g., “Doing well in school is important to me”). Higher scores indicate greater commitment. Validated in a diverse urban sample, the scale is integral to SSDP’s evaluation of interventions promoting school bonding, which mediates outcomes like reduced delinquency and substance use. Its focus on commitment complements related SSDP measures of school attachment, collectively predicting positive developmental trajectories.
Psychologists, educators, and researchers use the scale to assess school engagement, evaluate prevention programs (e.g., SSDP’s teacher training and social competence interventions), and identify risk factors for dropout or antisocial behavior. Its high internal consistency and longitudinal validation enhance its utility, though its English-only availability and urban focus may limit generalizability.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain a copy of the Commitment to School scale from SSDP publications, such as Glaser et al. (in press) or authorized archives like ICPSR (e.g., ICPSR 34160), ensuring ethical use permissions.
- Explain the purpose to respondents, noting that it assesses feelings about school importance to support academic and behavioral outcomes, emphasizing confidentiality.
- Provide instructions, asking students to rate each item based on their beliefs about school and coursework, using the Likert scale, typically reflecting current attitudes.
- Approximate time for completion is about 3-5 minutes, given its concise format.
- Administer in a classroom, research lab, or interview setting, using paper or digital formats, ensuring a private environment to encourage honest responses.
Reliability and Validity
The Commitment to School scale exhibits strong psychometric properties. Internal consistency is robust, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.81, indicating good item cohesion. Test-retest reliability is not explicitly reported but is inferred to be adequate based on SSDP’s longitudinal design with high retention (93% at age 18).
Convergent validity is supported by correlations with related constructs, such as school attachment (r ≈ 0.50-0.70) and academic achievement, and its inverse relationship with delinquency and substance use (r ≈ -0.40 to -0.60), as shown in SSDP studies (Hawkins et al., 1999). Discriminant validity is evidenced by weaker correlations with unrelated constructs, such as family dynamics (r < 0.30). Criterion validity is demonstrated by its ability to predict school success (e.g., lower dropout rates) and reduced problem behaviors at age 18, with full-intervention students showing greater commitment than controls. Factor analyses within SSDP confirm its role in the broader school bonding construct, supporting construct validity. These properties affirm the scale’s reliability and utility in educational and prevention research.
Available Versions
06-Items
Reference
Glaser, R. R., Horn, M. L. V., Arthur, M. W., Hawkins, J. D., & Catalano, R. F. (2005). Measurement properties of the Communities That Care® Youth Survey across demographic groups. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 21, 73-102.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Commitment to School scale measure?
It measures feelings about the importance of school and coursework.
Who can use the scale?
Researchers, psychologists, and educators studying school engagement and youth behavior.
How long does the scale take to complete?
It takes about 3-5 minutes.
Is the scale specific to urban youth?
Yes, it was validated in a multiethnic urban sample aged 11-18.
Can the scale evaluate prevention programs?
Yes, it’s sensitive to intervention effects on school bonding and behavior.
Disclaimer
Please note that Psychology Roots does not have the right to grant permission for the use of any psychological scales or assessments listed on its website. To use any scale or assessment, you must obtain permission directly from the author or translator of the tool. Psychology Roots provides information about various tools and their administration procedures, but it is your responsibility to obtain proper permissions before using any scale or assessment. If you need further information about an author’s contact details, please submit a query to the Psychology Roots team.
Help Us Improve This Article
Have you discovered an inaccuracy? We put out great effort to give accurate and scientifically trustworthy information to our readers. Please notify us if you discover any typographical or grammatical errors.
Make a comment. We acknowledge and appreciate your efforts.
Share With Us
If you have any scale or any material related to psychology kindly share it with us at psychologyroots@gmail.com. We help others on behalf of you.
