There may be many reasons why students feel stress at school. The School Situation Survey (SSS) helps identify the causes of stress as well as the ways in which it is demonstrated. It is a valuable instrument for those investigating stress-related problems experienced by our children.
The scales are under two categories: Sources of Stress (Teacher Interactions, Academic Stress, Peer Interactions, Academic Self-Concept) and Manifestations of Stress (Emotional, Behavioral, Physiological). Interpretation of scores is clear. High scores reflect a high degree of stress. The Manual (Sampler Set) includes extensive normative information reported by total group, grade-level, cluster and gender. The instrument has been administered to more than 7,000 students representing rural, suburban and urban schools. Generous information to aid in interpretation is included along with reliability and validity studies.
Copyright © 1989 by Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.
Features of the SSS
Purpose: Assess students' perceptions of school-related sources and manifestations of stress.
Length: 34 items
Average completion time: 10-15 minutes
Target population: K-12 grade
Administration: For individual or group administration
Uses of the SSS
Scales
Sources of Stress
Teacher Interactions
Academic Stress
Peer Interactions
Academic Self-Concept
Manifestations of Stress
Emotional
Behavioral
Physiological
The instruments offers a number of statements that students can use to describe themselves. Students are asked to read each statement and decide how often it seems to describe them. Students are reminded that there are no right or wrong answers, but to choose the response that best describes them. The following choices are given:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Never | Rarely | Sometimes | Often | Always |
1. I enjoy doing things with my classmates. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
2. I feel that some of my teachers don't like me very well. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
3. I get into fights. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
4. I feel upset. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
5. I worry about not doing well in school. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |