Assessing School Victimization in the United States, Guatemala, and Israel: Cross-cultural psychometric analysis of the School Victimization Scale

Jennifer Greif Green; Michael J. Furlong; Ron A. Astor; Rami Benbenishty; Evelyn Espinoza

doi:10.1080/15564886.2011.581883

Assessing School Victimization in the United States, Guatemala, and Israel: Cross-cultural psychometric analysis of the School Victimization Scale

Jennifer Greif Green, Michael J. Furlong, Ron A. Astor, Rami Benbenishty, Evelyn Espinoza

School of Social Work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	290-305
Number of pages	16
Journal	Victims and Offenders
Volume	6
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2011.581883
State	Published - Jul 2011

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Department of Sociology, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala The first author would like to thank Rebecca Zwick, Merith Cosden, and Gale Morrison for their valuable assistance in completing this project. This study was partially supported by a Hosford Research Grant and Gevirtz Dissertation Fellowship from the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Funding

Department of Sociology, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala The first author would like to thank Rebecca Zwick, Merith Cosden, and Gale Morrison for their valuable assistance in completing this project. This study was partially supported by a Hosford Research Grant and Gevirtz Dissertation Fellowship from the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Funders	Funder number
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Keywords

Adolescents
Assessment
Cross-cultural
International
School violence

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1080/15564886.2011.581883

Cite this

@article{588db3321d8e454b8525f91bb90d5ed7,

title = "Assessing School Victimization in the United States, Guatemala, and Israel: Cross-cultural psychometric analysis of the School Victimization Scale",

abstract = "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.",

keywords = "Adolescents, Assessment, Cross-cultural, International, School violence",

author = "Green, {Jennifer Greif} and Furlong, {Michael J.} and Astor, {Ron A.} and Rami Benbenishty and Evelyn Espinoza",

note = "Funding Information: Department of Sociology, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala The first author would like to thank Rebecca Zwick, Merith Cosden, and Gale Morrison for their valuable assistance in completing this project. This study was partially supported by a Hosford Research Grant and Gevirtz Dissertation Fellowship from the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara.",

year = "2011",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1080/15564886.2011.581883",

language = "אנגלית",

volume = "6",

pages = "290--305",

journal = "Victims and Offenders",

issn = "1556-4886",

publisher = "Routledge",

number = "3",

}

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

N1 - Funding Information: Department of Sociology, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala The first author would like to thank Rebecca Zwick, Merith Cosden, and Gale Morrison for their valuable assistance in completing this project. This study was partially supported by a Hosford Research Grant and Gevirtz Dissertation Fellowship from the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

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

M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???

AN - SCOPUS:79960666512

SN - 1556-4886

VL - 6

SP - 290

EP - 305

JO - Victims and Offenders

JF - Victims and Offenders

IS - 3

ER -

Assessing School Victimization in the United States, Guatemala, and Israel: Cross-cultural psychometric analysis of the School Victimization Scale

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this