Review of School Situation Survey

The School Situation Survey (SSS) is a 34-item instrument designed to assess “school-related student stress” in grades 4 through 12. Comprising seven scales, the SSS provides separate scores for four “sources” of stress: Teacher Interactions (“students’ perceptions of their teachers’ attitudes toward them”), Academic Stress (“situations that relate to academic performance or achievement”), Peer Interactions (“students’ social interactions or their perceptions of their classmates’ feelings toward them”), and Academic Self-Concept (“students’ feelings of selfworth, self-esteem, or self-concept relevant to perceived ability”). The remaining three scales yield scores regarding “manifestations” of stress: Emotional (“feelings such as fear, shyness, and loneliness”), Behavioral (“actions, reactions, or behavior toward others, such as striking out or being hurtful or disrespectful”), and Physiological (“physical reactions or functions such as nausea, tremors, or rapid heart beat”).