Evaluating the Classroom Environment: Multilevel Validation and Measurement Invariance of Classroom Behavioral Climate

Demos Michael, Nikolaos Tsigilis, Victoria Michaelidou, Athanasios Gregoriadis, Vicky Charalambous, Charalambos Vrasidas

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The present study contributes to the development of effective measures to evaluate classroom climate, especially in elementary education where these remain limited. In addition, it addresses a typical “flaw” of several studies by approaching classroom climate as a group-level construct rather than an individual characteristic. Following a multilevel approach, we attempted to establish validity evidence for an adapted version of the Classroom Behavioral Climate (CBC) questionnaire and examine its equivalence across two contexts. The participants included 2963 students from 176 fourth and fifth grade classes. Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analyses resulted in a shorter version of the CBC with three correlated factors in both countries. Two-level models performed better than the single-level models. Configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance was also achieved. The study highlights the need for researchers and practitioners to use appropriate methods and instruments to evaluate the classroom environment based on their research aims and intended use.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)512-526
    Number of pages15
    JournalJournal of Psychoeducational Assessment
    Volume42
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024

    Keywords

    • classroom behavioral climate
    • classroom environment
    • measurement invariance
    • multigroup multilevel confirmatory factor analysis
    • multilevel validation

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