School belonging in adolescents: Psychometric properties of the School Belongingness Scale in Iranian students

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of the present study is to investigate the initial psychometric properties and cultural adaptation of the School Belongingness Scale (SBS) in a sample of Iranian adolescents. Participants included 324 students, ranging in age between 12 and 18 years (M = 14.68, SD = 1.39). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that responses to the Farsi version of the SBS were characterised by a two-factor measurement model, and latent variable path analysis results revealed this measurement model was predictive of adolescents’ responses to measures of social, emotional, and behavioural problems (e.g., emotional problems, conduct problems), academic achievement, and prosocial behaviour. These results provide initial evidence suggesting that the scale is psychometrically adequate to measure Iranian students’ sense of belonging at school.