| Summary: | <p>The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the factor structure of the Student School Uniform Survey, developed by Sanchez, Yoxsimer, and Hill (2012) for the purpose of collecting data on student perceptions of the benefits of wearing a school uniform. A secondary purpose of this study was to investigate relationships among responses based on student membership in the demographic groupings of gender, ethnicity, and grade level. This quantitative study utilized existing, de-identified data that related to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students at three middle schools in northern Nevada. The data were collected in each school at the conclusion of the first year of a mandatory school uniform policy. A factor analysis was conducted on 32 of the survey items which revealed 13 of the items contributed to three meaningful factors: Factor 1—Safety and Behavior of Others, Factor 2—Acceptance and My Behavior, and Factor 3—Ease of Going to School. Internal reliability of the survey items was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (a), which indicated the 13 variables that related to each of the identified factors had a high degree of reliability (α > . 70). To check the factors for reliability, a Pearson’s product moment correlation was conducted. In all cases the identified factors had a high degree of reliability. Finally, three multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to determine if demographic groups identified by gender, ethnicity, and grade level had discrepant response patterns on the three identified factors. Where significance was found, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was calculated and the factor means were examined to identify which groups responded higher on each factor. The results revealed that seventh grade students responded higher on Factors 1 and 3, Hispanic/Latino respondents responded higher on Factors 2 and 3, and there were no differences in response patterns by gender. </p>
|
|---|
