A measure for pupils’ inconsistency of response to a self-report instrument of attitudes toward school

A scale was developed to measure pupils’ inconsistency in replying to a self-report questionnaire regarding attitudes toward school (Israeli Quality of School Life Scale—IQSL). The effect of inconsistency on the scale’s validity was examined empirically at both class and individual levels. A student was scored for an inconsistent answer whenever a response to a pair of items was contradictory. Eight such pairs were identified on the IQSL by independent judges. Subjects were over 6, 000 pupils from 245 classes in approximately 70 randomly selected elementary, junior, and senior high schools in Israel. Results indicated that inconsistency could lower the internal consistency of the IQSL subscales. Direction of inconsistency differences between pupils in advantaged and disadvantaged schools and at various grade levels led to the conclusion that inconsistent behavior in answering the self-report measure is more a result of unwillingness to cooperate than an inability to cooperate.