Adolescent peer relations instrument : assessment of its reliability and construct validity when used with upper primary students

An increasing awareness of the detrimental effects of single-item scales to measure bullying has recently become apparent. A new multiple-item multiple-scale behavioural measure of bullying was developed for secondary schools by Parada (2000) and found to be a reliable and valid scale for adolescent students. However, it is not known whether a similar instrument would yield sound psychometric properties for younger students and therefore provide a salient measure for those students. The aim of the present investigation is to examine the multi-dimensional and hierarchical structure of the Adolescent Peer Relations Questionnaire (APRI)(Parada, 2000) for upper primary aged students. A total of 894 students from Years 5 and 6 from eight Western Sydney primary schools completed the questionnaire. The APRI contains 36 items, 6 scales, and measures 3 types of bullying (Physical, Verbal, Social) in 2 categories (bullying, being targeted). Each scale (e.g., Bullying Physical) is comprised of 6 items. In addition, this investigation analyses the ability of these 3 types of bullying and being targeted to define 2 global second order factors" Global Bullying, and Global Target. Results from the first- and second order Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) showed excellent results for the APRI. The APRI was as such deemed appropriate for use within the upper primary school years.