School Attitude Scale (SESSW) Test

See how a teen views school, from genuine interest to obligation, in about 2 minutes. Nine quick items capture motivation and goals, helping educators tailor support fast.

Start Online Test

Questions: 92 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

13,664 views

1,501 completion

1,243 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

21/45

School Attitude Scale (SAS)

Measures how positively a student values school and views it as a meaningful place for learning.

Negative/indifferent

Neutral to moderately positive

Positive

9 – 21: Negative/indifferent | 22 – 35: Neutral to moderately positive | 36 – 45: Positive

A score of 21 falls in the Negative/indifferent range, suggesting school currently has low subjective value for the student and may be viewed more as an obligation than as meaningful.

example score

9/15

Personal Importance (PI)

Measures how personally important academic success and achievement goals are to the student.

Low importance

Moderate importance

High importance

3 – 7: Low importance | 8 – 11: Moderate importance | 12 – 15: High importance

A score of 9 falls in the Moderate importance range, suggesting academic success is somewhat meaningful to the student but not a strong personal priority.

example score

8/15

Usefulness (U)

Measures how useful the student believes school knowledge will be for their future.

Low usefulness

Moderate usefulness

High usefulness

3 – 7: Low usefulness | 8 – 12: Moderate usefulness | 13 – 15: High usefulness

A score of 8 indicates a moderate perception that school learning will be beneficial, with some practical value recognized but not strongly endorsed.

example score

10/15

Intrinsic Values (IV)

Measures how important and personally meaningful school feels to the student as a source of inner values and intrinsic learning motivation.

Low

Moderate

High

3 – 7: Low | 8 – 11: Moderate | 12 – 15: High

A score of 10 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting school is seen as somewhat meaningful, with intrinsic motivation present but not consistently strong.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Teachers in mixed classrooms

41%OF USERS

Teachers use it to quickly see how students feel about school, what motivates them, and who may need extra support.

School psychologists and counselors

34%OF USERS

They take it to screen motivation, school engagement, and aspirations, especially when planning individual interventions for teens.

Migrant teens and families

25%OF USERS

They use it to understand a student’s attitude toward learning and adjustment after moving to a new school environment.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Attitude Towards School Scale (ATSS)

Average

20.5

Normal range

15.3 — 25.7

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Personal Importance (PI)

Average

10.3

Normal range

8.3 — 12.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Usefulness (U)

Average

8.1

Normal range

6.3 — 9.9

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Inner values (Iv)

Average

7.3

Normal range

5.5 — 9.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Start Online Test

Featured On

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Strongly disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 9 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

Start Online Test

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Attitudes Toward School Scale, SESSW Test

School Attitude Scale (SESSW) Test - Symptoms and Signs

ethnopsychology

migrants

sociocultural adaptation

This brief self-report measure is designed to characterize adolescents’ perceptions of school and related academic attitudes. The School Attitude Scale (SESSW) can be used in educational or clinical settings to support screening and treatment or intervention planning.

The instrument includes 9 items and typically requires about 2 minutes to complete. Items query attitudes toward school, intrinsic motivation for learning, and personal academic aspirations; results are interpreted as indicators of current stance toward school rather than as a diagnostic finding.

The School Attitude Scale (SESSW) was developed by Herbert W. Marsh. Scores may help identify students who could benefit from further assessment or targeted supports related to engagement, motivation, and goal setting.

Author: Herbert W. Marsh

Literature: Eccles, J. S., & Roeser, R. W. Schools as developmental contexts during adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence. 2011.