Greek adaptation and psychometric validation of the Scale of Sense of Community in the School
Published:
Apr 19, 2026
Keywords:
Sense of Community in the School Scale Adaptation Confirmatory Factor Analysis Psychometric Validation
Abstract
School life constitutes a fundamental context of human development within which students build a sense of school community as conceptualized in the theoretical model of McMillan and Chavis (1986). A large body of research evidence supports a positive association between sense of community in the school and students’ well-being. However, a review of the Greek literature reveals a substantial research gap. The aim of the present study was the adaptation and psychometric validation of the ‘Scale of Sense of Community in the School’ by Prati et al. (2017) in Greek. The sample consisted of 503 students attending 20 public lower–secondary schools in Thessaloniki selected through stratified random sampling. Initially, the scale underwent linguistic validation followed by an examination of its psychometric properties. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that the Greek version retained the bifactor structure (χ²/df = 2.11, CFI = .986, RMSEA = .047) featuring a strong general factor reflecting overall sense of school community, alongside three specific factors –Membership, Emotional Connection and Opportunities– which contributed distinctly, although not with equivalent psychometric strength. Further support for the bifactor structure was provided by the Explained Common Variance (ECV) and Omega Hierarchical (ωΗ) indices. The total scale and its subscales demonstrated high internal consistency (ω = .82–.90) and measurement invariance across gender was established. Overall, the findings indicate that the Greek version of the scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing sense of community in the school among the Greek student population with both research and practical applications.
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Vagiatis, K., & Zisi, A. (2026). Greek adaptation and psychometric validation of the Scale of Sense of Community in the School . Social Work. Review of Social Sciences, 40(1), 94–112. https://doi.org/10.12681/socialwork-rss.43556
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