Exploring the Psychometric Properties of Two Primary Domains in the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (R-OBVQ) among Primary School Learners in South Africa

Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of two primary domains in the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (R-OBVQ) in a convenience sample of 272 Grade 6 and 7 primary school learners in Gauteng, South Africa. This appears to be the first study to explore the psychometric properties of the self-report scale among a South African sample of primary school learners in Grade 6 and 7. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that two distinct factors lay beneath the surface of the items tested (i.e., ‘being victimised’ and ‘bullying others’), and in combination explained 48.63% of the variance. Further results from the item analysis indicated that both factors were soundly reliable, yielding Cronbach Alpha values of .85 and .81, respectively. Notwithstanding the insight indicative in the results, the current study adopted only one technique to explore the factor solution in the data. As such, only modest support for the validity and reliability of the R-OBVQ is provided. Further research of the scale using (partial) confirmatory factor analysis among South African primary school learners is warranted.