Measuring School Attendance Problems : Validation of the School Refusal Assessment Scale and the Inventory of School Attendance Problems
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Schooling is essential for the positive development of youth. While regular school attendance is fundamental to healthy educational progress and socio-emotional growth, absence is negatively associated with academic achievement and well-being, leading to a heightened risk for social exclusion and greater economic difficulties. Risk factors of school attendance problems (SAPs) are multifaceted and diverse, encompassing factors related to youth, family, school, and society. Because SAPs are heterogeneous, assessment requires tools that can capture multiple mechanisms and contexts. Without comprehensive assessment, interventions risk being mismatched, reducing effectiveness and potentially worsening disengagement. Various methods can be used when assessing SAPs, including interviews, observations, and tests. Several questionnaires have been developed to facilitate a deeper understanding of SAPs, including the School Refusal Assessment Scale (SRAS) and the Inventory of School Attendance Problems (ISAP). This thesis seeks to strengthen the measurement foundations of school attendance by validating two questionnaires, the SRAS and ISAP, neither of which has previously been evaluated in a Swedish context. Therefore, the overarching aim of this thesis was to evaluate aspects of reliability and validity of the SRAS and ISAP in Sweden. Specifically, factor structure, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, and measurement invariance was evaluated. First, youth and parent versions of the revised SRAS (i.e., SRAS-R), the adapted SRAS-R (i.e., A-SRAS-R), and the youth version of the ISAP were translated into Swedish. Subsequently, the translated versions were tested in small-scale pilot testing. Finally, the instruments were psychometrically evaluated in larger samples. Participants responded to a web survey, including the SRAS, ISAP, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and questions about schooling and school attendance. Three samples was included in the studies: 1) a Swedish student sample, consisting of 399 students (180 females, 211 males, 8 identified as another gender) aged 12 to 16 (M = 14.7, SD = 0.9), 2) a Swedish parent sample, consisting of 251 parents aged 33 to 77 (M = 46.9, SD = 5.5); 169 mothers, 78 fathers, and four participants with a different relationship to the child, and 3) a Finnish student sample, consisting of 1,505 students: 976 Swedish-speaking and 529 Finnish-speaking students (793 females, 670 males, and 39 identified as another gender), aged 12 to 16 (M = 13.9, SD = 0.8). Pilot feedback and author review indicated conceptual equivalence with only minor revisions, suggesting satisfactory translation quality. The psychometric evaluations demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity of all included versions, but also weaknesses and potential sources of misfit, including one problematic factor in the SRAS (i.e., Pursuit of Tangible Reinforcements; PTR). Further, the A-SRAS-R was superior to the SRAS-R, and the ISAP demonstrated measurement invariance between sample subgroups based on SAP status, school absence, age, gender, language (Swedish and Finnish), and country (Sweden and Finland). This thesis provides Swedish versions of the SRAS and ISAP, with generally acceptable psychometric properties in lower secondary school samples. The ISAP also demonstrates measurement invariance across key subgroups, enabling meaningful comparisons within and across Swedish and Finnish samples. At the same time, the results highlight areas for further refinement, particularly the PTR factor in the SRAS and the Somatic Complaints and School Aversion factors in the ISAP. Collectively, these contributions strengthen the measurement foundation for school attendance research and practice in Sweden, supporting earlier identification and more informed matching of assessment to need.
Source: Doria (University of Helsinki)
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
Funder: Åbo Akademi
OpenAlex ID: W7160727802