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
 
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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
 
 
Wychowanie w Rodzinie 2021;25(2):219-237
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
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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