Assessing School Happiness: Development and validation of a measurement scale for parents/guardians

Patricia Gramaxo^1*Alvaro Dias²Marta Abelha^1,3Georg Dutschke^4,5Filipa Seabra^1,6*

• ¹Universidade Aberta, Lisbon, Portugal
• ²Business Research Unit, University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE), Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
• ³Centre of 20th Century Interdisciplinary Studies, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
• ⁴Atlantic University Higher Institution, Atlântica University, Barcarena, Portugal
• ⁵Center for Administration and Business Sciences, Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal
• ⁶Research Centre on Education, University of Minho, Braga, Braga, Portugal

Parents are one of the stakeholders in evaluating schools, and families' perspectives about schools are increasingly acknowledged as essential to educational decision-making. However, little is known about how parents' perspectives on school happiness can be assessed. This article proposes a model for evaluating a school's happiness as perceived by parents/guardians. Data was obtained through questionnaires administered to 641 parents. The model was tested using structural equation modeling techniques. The results made it possible to identify four main components: relationships and teachers' characteristics (People), teaching practice (Process), learning/leisure balance (Process), and green school (Place). The article discusses the development and validation of an instrument that can be applied to parents/caretakers as one of the means of assessing a school's general happiness level and identifying key aspects to improve to increase a school's level of happiness. Implications for future research on happy school evaluation are discussed. 1 A4 Children's differences are respected at school. 0,585 A6 There are good relations between teachers and students. 0,777 A7 There are good relations between parents and teachers. 0,667 A9 The teachers at the school are generally happy. 0,614 A10 The teachers at the school are generally friendly 0,779 A11 Teachers generally support students. 0,772 A13 Most of the assistants are friendly. 0,628 A14 Most of the assistants perform their duties well. 0,573 A17 There is rarely any discrimination or injustice at school. 0,504 A18 The school has good teachers. 0,747 A34 Teachers praise students' success and/or progress. 0,664 A44 There's a good atmosphere at school. 0,627 A45 The classroom environment is suitable for learning. 0,529 A24 Classroom practices are interesting. 0,590 A23 The school promotes working together. 0,576 A27 The school is open to technological innovation. 0,612 A28 The school promotes project work. 0,702 A29 The school holds some outdoor classes. 0,709 A30 The school promotes dynamic learning. 0,792 A31 The school promotes the development of students' abilities. 0,684 A32 The school promotes opportunities to develop creativity. 0,764 A33 Students' successes are recognized by the school.