School Attachment Inventory in Indian Context for Senior Secondary School Students: Fostering Student Mental Health and Well Being

Abstract

The presence of secure school attachment plays a pivotal role for nurturing student well-being, thereby promoting academic engagement and positive mental health outcomes, especially among adolescents. The present study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the School Attachment Inventory (SCAI) adopted from People in My Life Scale (PIML) by Ridenour, Greenberg, and Cook (2006) through the utilization of Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis methodologies. The standardization process involved 250 students (comprising both male and female participants), selected using multistage stratified random sampling technique. These participants were enrolled in class XI across coeducational schools (both aided and unaided) in Delhi, operating in the morning session, identified using computer generated random numbers from the list of schools obtained from the Directorate of Education. Factor analysis helped to identify and confirm a three-factor structure comprising eleven-items. Satisfactory scores in terms of Average Variance Extracted and Cronbach's alpha indicates the robust internal consistency of the inventory thereby serving as a valuable tool for measuring school attachment within the Indian educational setting, facilitating interventions aimed at fortifying students' connection and bolstering their overall mental health.

Keywords

• adolescents
• attachment
• environment
• personnel
• psychometrics
• school
• well-being