Validation of the Illinois bullying scale in primary school students of Semnan, Iran

Bullying in school is one of the major problems in education systems around the world and assessment of the psychometric properties of this concept is important. Therefore, the aim of this study was to validate the Illinos bullying scale in primary school students. In this study, 607 students of Semnan were selected through stratified sampling method in the academic year 2013-14 in Semnan. Research instruments included Illinois bullying scale and Harter’s motivation questionnaire. For data analysis, factor analysis method, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, and Pearson correlations were done using SPSS-22 and LISREL 8.54. Exploratory factor analysis, item-total correlation, and reliability analyses were undertaken to assess the psychometric properties of the Illinois bullying scale. In addition, confirmatory factor analysis was administered to assess the measurement model and internal relations construct of items. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.87 for the total scale, 0.71 for victims, 0.77 for bullying, and 0.76 for the fighting subscales; all of which were satisfactory. The Persian version of Illinois bullying scale has acceptable psychometric properties and can be used as a reliable and valid instrument in psychological research.