Kindness as an important element of social emotional education at school: translation and initial validation of the Polish version of the School Kindness Scale – a preliminary study
Department of Educational Policy and Civic Education, Faculty of Educational Studies, University of Adama Mickiewicz in Poznan [Zakład Polityki Oświatowej i Edukacji Obywatelskiej, Wydział Studiów Edukacyjnych, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu], Wieniawskiego 1, 61-712 Poznan, Poland
Submission date: 2021-11-20
Final revision date: 2021-12-20
Acceptance date: 2021-12-20
Publication date: 2021-12-31
Corresponding author
Joanna Szafran
Zakład Polityki Oświatowej i Edukacji Obywatelskiej, Wydział Studiów Edukacyjnych,
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, Wieniawskiego 1, 61-712 Poznań,
Polska
Introduction. The article highlights the need to shape students’ socio-emotional skills and
recognizes kindness as the foundation necessary to build these competencies. A questionnaire
may be used to recognize the involvement of the school community in the formation
of benevolent attitudes and produce the School Kindness Scale (Binfet, Gadermann, &
Schonert-Reichl, 2016).
Aim. The main aim of the article is to present the results of preliminary research for the
Polish adaptation and validation of the School Kindness Scale questionnaire.
Methods. The study was conducted in May 2021 on a sample of students (N=166 individuals,
aged 14 to 21 years (mean age was M=17.260, SD=2.06) in the final grades of elementary and secondary schools. It was part of a larger research project carried out by the
Department of Education of the City of Poznań. The data obtained were used to analyse the
reliability of the Polish translation of the School Kindness Scale. The tool tested consists
of 5 statements evaluated using the Likert scale. As part of the study on the reliability of
the Scale, similar to analyses carried out in other countries, the mean scores obtained for
each item were reviewed and Cronbach’s Alpha analysis was conducted. A scree plot for
the scale was also prepared.
Results. The value of Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient turned out to be α=0.792, which should
be considered as a result indicating the satisfactory reliability of the Polish version of the
School Kindness Scale. Conducting more advanced statistical analyses requires collecting
a larger research sample and comparing the results obtained from the School Kindness
Scale with the results of other Polish language questionnaires testing constructs similar to
kindness.
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