Social‐ecological assessment of environments: Toward a two‐factor model

Abstract

A study was conducted to test the usefulness of the two-factor model in assessing social environments. Subjects were residents and staff at a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed and/or delinquent boys and girls. Rating instruments consisted of (a) two parallel versions of Moos' Community-Oriented Programs Enivronment Scale (COPES), each worded so as to be appropriate to the setting being measured, and (b) global ratings of satisfaction with the environment. Principal component factor analyses, carried out separately on the youths' COPES-School and the youths' COPES-Cottage, yielded two orthogonal but similar factors in each environment. In a comparison with Moos' three-dimensional formulation of the social milieu, the two factors strongly resembled two of Moos' dimensions but were more independent, had greater validity, and discriminated between the two environments at a higher level of significance. The instruments derived from the factor analyses provide a simple procedure for assessing a variety of treatment programs and populations.

Dimensions of the group environment scale

“…Such a pattern of findings roughly parallels results reported by Kohn et al (1979), Fisher (1977, and Manderscheid, Koenig, and Silbergeld (1977). Results of factor analyses of Moos's Community-Oriented Program Environment Scales were reported in the first two of these three studies and factor analysis of the Classroom Environment Scale was reported in the third.…”

“…Results of factor analyses of Moos's Community-Oriented Program Environment Scales were reported in the first two of these three studies and factor analysis of the Classroom Environment Scale was reported in the third. In the Kohn et al (1979) study support was found for a two-factor model of social environment. The two factors showed strong similarity both to Moos's Relationship and System Maintenance/System Change domains and our Factors I and II, respectively.…”