Measuring microthreats in middle and high schools: a first step toward making schools safe for all students

This study examined psychometric qualities of a scale assessing middle and high school students’ experiences with negative social interactions that we call “microthreats.” The scale comes from the School Success Profile, a self-report social environmental assessment. Similar to microaggression scales, but with important differences, the scale measures perceptions of incivilities and discrimination that threaten students’ educational success. Because members of marginalized groups (based for example, on race/ethnicity, SES, or sexual orientation) may experience microthreats more than others, assessing and addressing them is an issue of social justice and equal access to education. Unlike existing scales, the SSP microthreat scale is developmentally appropriate, focuses on the school setting, and uses a time frame relevant for assessing change over the school year. Used in conjunction with identity status data, the scale can assess experiences of students with one or more identities that may provoke microthreats. The scale’s within-group performance and invariance were tested with a sample of 2,619 6th through 9th graders from two school districts in a southeastern state. Invariance of the scale was tested in two random samples of African American, Latino, and European American students ( n = 1,310 and 1,309 respectively). A one-factor model with partial measurement invariance fit the data well. Microthreats were common in all three groups and were associated with scores on measures of self-esteem, maladjustment, school engagement, and behavior. Measuring students’ negative social interactions at school is an important first step toward addressing school and classroom dynamics that threaten student well-being and educational success.