Schooling is associated with a broad set of outcomes other than just learning. For example, factors related to satisfaction
with schooling and school learning are also factors that are known to be related to overall life satisfaction. Because of
the importance of school satisfaction in the holistic well-being of students, we have developed a reliable, six-item scale
meant to measure elementary-school-aged students’ overall satisfaction with schooling. The scale was developed by administering
an initial set of 25 items, from an item pool developed by the Finnish National Board of Education, to 331 Finnish and Dutch
students aged from six to 13. After factor and item analysis, six items were chosen for a final response set. The Finnish
and Dutch versions of the six-item scale have been shown to exhibit high unidimensionality, internal consistency, and high
test-retest reliability. Finnish, Dutch, and English versions of the scale are presented here along with guidelines for the
scale’s administration, scoring, and interpretation.
Keywords School satisfaction - Survey - Measurement - Summated rating scale - Netherlands - Finland - Overall satisfaction with schooling