Gender Affirmative School Climate Scale (Scrofani, 2023)

• Populations: Gender Minority and Non-Gender Minority adolescents
• Age ranges: 15-19
• Languages: English
• Countries: United States

Items

Subscales

• Gender Agency, 20 Items
• Peer Bullying, 8 Items
• Exo- and Meso-Support, 18 Items
• Felt-Pressure to Gender Norms, 5 Items

Items by Subscale

Gender Agency

• When I’m at school I’m free to live in the gender that feels most real and comfortable
• At my school students are free to take the lead in expressing their gender, apart from what may be expected of you from traditional norms
• At my school questioning your gender is considered normal
• Overall, my school does not restrict, but helps to support my gender identity
• At my school students of all gender identities feel listened to, represented, and that they have a voice
• At my school students of different gender identities (i.e. including cisgender, transgender, non-binary identified, etc.) blend, interrelate, and feel like valid members of the community
•  My peers are willing to intervene (to help), when witnessing gender-related and transphobic harassment
• Teachers and other staff at school support me in my gender identity (cisgender, transgender, non-binary identified, etc.)
• My teachers and other staff are willing to intervene (to help), when witnessing gender-related and transphobic harassment
• Teachers and other staff freely talk about topics that expand the traditional concept of gender, such as diversity (i.e. gender diverse identities) and equity (i.e. challenging the idea that males belong math and science fields)
• Teachers and other staff have a collective sense of responsibility in creating a space for students of all genders (i.e. cisgender, transgender, and non-binary identified, etc.) to learn and thrive
•  I feel comfortable reporting gender-related bullying or harassment to teachers and other staff without fear that their own gender biases or opinions would prevent the issue from being heard, or taken seriously
• My school provides trans and other gender diverse students equal access to educational programs and activities, even in circumstances in which parents raise objections or concerns
• Regardless of the visibility of transgender and other gender diverse students, my school is pro-active in creating a safe space for transgender and gender diverse students
• My school is proactive to initiate a culture in which all students (i.e. cisgender, transgender, non-binary identified, etc.) have the ability to live in the gender that feels most real and comfortable to them, and to express that gender with freedom from restriction and rejection
• My school permits transgender and other gender diverse students to participate in gender-segregated school activities in accordance with the student’s gender identity (For example, think about the school choir, pep rally activities, prom king/queen contest, etc.)
• Students at my school are allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms coinciding with their gender identity, rather than birth sex
• My schools code of conduct guidelines for dress code do not prevent students from wearing clothing or accessories because of their gender identity and/or gender expression
• School media such as posters on walls or newsletters (online or paper) include messages, symbols, or images which promote gender equity (i.e. such as reproductive rights for women, resistance of toxic masculinities such as school gun violence, challenging gender roles in academic subject domains and career paths)
•  School media such as posters on walls and newsletters (online or paper) include messages, symbols, or images which promote gender inclusion (i.e. such as advocating for girls to pursue careers in the math and sciences and using gender inclusive language)

Peer Bullying

• Among peers at school I have witnessed comments or behaviors that convey insensitivity, or invalidate the thoughts, feelings, or reality of marginalized gender identities (including cisgender and gender diverse)
• Peers at school have commented or behaved in ways that convey insensitivity, or invalidate my thoughts, feelings, or reality because of my gender identity (cisgender female, transgender, non-binary identified, etc.)
•  Among peers at school I have witnessed the spreading of rumors or someone being ignored, because of their gender identity (cisgender, transgender, non- binary identified, etc.) or gender expression (i.e. may include clothing, make-up, mannerisms, hair style, etc)
• A peer has spread rumors or ignored me because of my gender identity (cisgender, transgender, non-binary identified, etc.) or gender expression (i.e may include clothing, make-up, mannerisms, hair style, etc.)
• Among peers at my school I have witnessed gendered “name calling” that is derogatory because of a someone’s gender identity or gender expression
• I have been the victim of gendered “name calling” that is derogatory because of my gender identity or gender expression
• Among peers at my school I have witnessed threats to physically hurt someone because of their gender identity or gender expression
• A peer has threatened to physically hurt me because of my gender identity or expression

Exo- and Meso-Support

• Teachers at my school take initiative to teach students about proper pronoun usage related to gender identities
• My school has a sense of a vision, or mission that focuses on expanding the understanding of gender
• My school has a sense of a vision, or a mission that focuses on creating a social discourse where gender hierarchies are not maintained, such as working against the notion that the values aligned with a westernized ideal of masculinity should be dominant
• The curriculum at my school challenges gender privilege through expansive curricula (within and across subject domains such as history and science) and approaches to teaching, such as by educating on why the belief that men belong in the math and sciences came to exist
•  The curriculum at my school challenges traditional gender stereotypes through expansive curricula (within and across subject domains such as history and science) and approaches to teaching, by covering why gender stereotypes exist, and deconstructing their connection to social norms
• My school curriculum is inclusive and sensitive to current social issues centering around gender diversity, such as advocating for the rights of transgender youth
•  I have learned about transgender and other gender diverse role models at my school
• The curriculum on adolescent health and development at my school explains the difference between biological sex and gender identity
• The curriculum on adolescent health and development at my school is inclusive to the identities and experiences gender diverse youth
•  The curriculum at my school teaches about biology and human bodies in ways that does not reinforce a traditional gender binary, such as including education on intersex people
• Role models in the community whose gender falls outside of the traditional binary have been invited to speak at my school
• My school runs community or after school events which focus on educating about gender equity (i.e. reproductive rights for women, resistance of toxic masculinities such as school gun violence, challenging gender roles in the math and sciences), and are designed to connect students with an extended social network, including their families.
• My school runs community or after school events which focus on educating about gender diversity (i.e. may include rights for transgender and non-binary identies), and are designed to connect students with an extended social network, including their families
• The actions of families in the greater community, such as involvement in political activism or fundraising, has helped my school’s commitment to advocating for gender equity (i.e. such as reproductive rights for women, resistance of toxic masculinities such as school gun violence, and challenging gender roles in math and sciences)
• My school sends out at least one notice to parents (including e-mails, letters, bulletins, online newsletters, etc.) informing them of the rights of transgender and other gender diverse identities in school spaces
• My school has a space for transgender and other gender diverse athletes, on mixed gender sport leagues and/or by allowing transgender athletes to participate on single sex sports teams based on their gender identity, rather than birth sex
• My school has a social support group/s designed to create an alliance between cisgender and students in the great LGBTQIA+ community, such as a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)
• If structures and spaces do not fit the needs of transgender and other gender diverse students, my school is pro-active to make alternative arrangements for these students

Felt-Pressure to Gender Norms

• When I’m at school I feel more pressure to conform to traditional gender norms than usual
•  I feel pressure to maintain traditional gender norms when I’m with peers at school
•  I feel pressure from my peers at school to engage in stereotypical male or female behavior
• I feel pressure to maintain traditional gender norms when I’m with teachers and other professionals at school
• I feel pressure from teachers and other professionals at school to engage in stereotypical male or female behavior

Responses

Items used a 7-point Likert type scale, with items scaled based on agreement (1= Strongly Disagree – 1 = Strongly Agree)

Scoring

“A total of 13 items (25, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 53, and 54) were reverse coded so that higher scale sum scores represent more supportive school climate. Sub-scale scores corresponding with each of the four latent domains were calculated by dividing each sum by the total number of sub-scale items. Again, high scores represent supportive or positive school climates, and lows scores signify poor school climate”

Citations

Scrofani, S. (2023). The Development of a Measurement and Structural Model of Gender Affirmative School Climate [PhD dissertation, Arizona State University]. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering // 2024;85(2-B):ProQuest Information & Learning 2024