Design and validation of an instrument to evaluate bullying at the end of primary education

Abstract

This article presents the process followed to design, build and validate the “CAES” instrument, School Bullying Assessment Questionnaire, aimed at students in 6th grade of Primary Education, 11-13 years. It is intended to assess how schoolchildren understand the concepts of bullying and cyberbullying, what perceptions students have as aggressors, victims or spectators and, finally, what skills for conflict resolution they possess, whether personal or social It has started from a broad conceptual framework, including legal norms and practical aspects of relational dynamics in education. The final instrument has been made up of 40 items and has been administered to 494 students. From the design process to its validation, different statistical tools have been used, in the case of an expert trial or the development of an exploratory factor analysis and the calculation of Cronbach's Alpha index. The calculated statistics have shown high rates of validity, case of an average content validity index of .86, and reliability, index of .76. The usefulness of having instruments in educational centers such as the one presented in this research is transcendental, especially if, unfortunately, bullying is an existing reality in school practices. Paying attention to the relational climate and interactions among students is a key task of education professionals, but it does fit the changes in the level of schooling and educational stage. Instruments such as the one presented contribute to this end, facilitating teaching and guidance work.