ADAPTATION OF THE SCHOOL CLIMATE QUESTIONNAIRE: ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY, AND MENTAL WELLBEING IN AZERBAIJAN

Abstract

School climate is an important concept in the field of education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to adapt the School Climate Questionnaire for use with Azerbaijani adolescents and explore the relationships between school climate, psychological distress, academic self-efficacy, and mental wellbeing. Data were collected from 1204 adolescents in Azerbaijan using convenience sampling. During the adaptation process, confirmatory factor analysis, criterion-related validity, and reliability analyses were performed. Additionally, the relationships between school climate and psychological distress, academic self-efficacy, and mental wellbeing were examined using PROCESS mediational analysis. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the scale consisted of 22 items, had a three-dimensional structure, and showed a good fit. Moreover, the results showed that school climate was negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress, and positively related to academic self-efficacy and mental well-being. Lastly, the results revealed that school climate had a mediating effect on mental well-being via psychological distress and academic self-efficacy. All of these results suggest that the Azerbaijani version of the School Climate Questionnaire has acceptable psychometric properties. Keywords: academic self-efficacy, mental wellbeing, psychological distress, school climate, educational psychology, quantitative research