TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing School Victimization in the United States, Guatemala, and Israel
T2 - Cross-cultural psychometric analysis of the School Victimization Scale
AU - Green, Jennifer Greif
AU - Furlong, Michael J.
AU - Astor, Ron A.
AU - Benbenishty, Rami
AU - Espinoza, Evelyn
PY - 2011/7
Y1 - 2011/7
N2 - There is a need for cross-national estimates of school victimization prevalence, yet limited methodological research in this area. The current study evaluates the School Victimization Scale (SVS), administered in the U.S., Guatemala, and Israel (total N = 9,722). SVS measurement equivalence was tested to compare subgroups within each country. Two SVS factors emerged in all countries reflecting higher-severity (weapon-related) and lower-severity (physical/verbal) victimization. Israeli data had poor scalar equivalence; Jewish and Arab students with the same SVS score endorsed different items. Findings illustrate the complexity of cross-national measurement of school victimization and the potential for misleading results when psychometric equivalence is ignored.
AB - There is a need for cross-national estimates of school victimization prevalence, yet limited methodological research in this area. The current study evaluates the School Victimization Scale (SVS), administered in the U.S., Guatemala, and Israel (total N = 9,722). SVS measurement equivalence was tested to compare subgroups within each country. Two SVS factors emerged in all countries reflecting higher-severity (weapon-related) and lower-severity (physical/verbal) victimization. Israeli data had poor scalar equivalence; Jewish and Arab students with the same SVS score endorsed different items. Findings illustrate the complexity of cross-national measurement of school victimization and the potential for misleading results when psychometric equivalence is ignored.
KW - Adolescents
KW - Assessment
KW - Cross-cultural
KW - International
KW - School violence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79960666512&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15564886.2011.581883
DO - 10.1080/15564886.2011.581883
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AN - SCOPUS:79960666512
SN - 1556-4886
VL - 6
SP - 290
EP - 305
JO - Victims and Offenders
JF - Victims and Offenders
IS - 3
ER -