Evaluation of the Metric Properties of the Delaware School Climate Survey - Student: A Study in a Sample of Serbian High School Students

The present study examined the metric properties of the Delaware School Climate Survey - Student (DSCS-S) using a sample of 1524 Serbian high school students. Of the total number of participants, 764 were male and 760 were female with age ranging from 16 to 20 years (M = 17.67, SD = 0.65). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated that a seven-factor model of school climate has an adequate fit with the data. Furthermore, measurement invariance of the DSCS-S across gender was supported. Results revealed significant latent mean differences between male and female students on most dimensions of the school climate. Convergent validity of the DSCS-S was established by correlations of its dimensions with students' academic achievement and attachment to school. Taken together, the findings of the present study indicate that the DSCS-S has the potential to be applied in measuring school climate in the Serbian educational context.