Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T22:34:42.024Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Portuguese Version of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale – Short Form

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2015

Joana Nunes Patrício*
Affiliation:
Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) (Portugal)
M. Clara Barata
Affiliation:
Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) (Portugal)
M. Manuela Calheiros
Affiliation:
Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) (Portugal)
João Graça
Affiliation:
Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) (Portugal)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Joana Nunes Patrício, CIS-IUL (sala 2w17). Av. Das Forças Armadas. Edf. ISCTE. 1649–026. Lisboa (Portugal). E-mail: joana.nunespatricio@gmail.com

Abstract

Research consistently demonstrates that positive student-teacher relationships are fundamental to the healthy development of all students. However, we lack a Portuguese-validated measure of student-teacher relationships. In this article we present the adaptation procedures and the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale – Short Form (Pianta, 1992). Five hundred and thirty five teachers from 127 schools completed the STRS-SF. The results demonstrate that this adapted version of the STRS-SF has good psychometric properties, namely high reliability (α = .84 to .87) and expected construct validity, which were tested through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (χ2/df = 1.65, CFI = .96, GFI = .93, RMSEA = 0.05). This study also showed that the correlations of student-teacher relationship with students' demographic variables are consistent with the evidence in the literature about this construct. Finally, the study indicated that female teachers reported more closeness, t(530) = 4.06, p < .001 and better overall student-teacher relationships, t(530) = 4.90, p < .001. In the discussion, we analyze the implications of these results.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abreu-Lima, I., Cadima, J., & Silva, R. F. (2008). Estudo e adaptação de um instrumento para avaliar a relação professor criança no 1° ciclo do ensino básico [Study and adaptation of na instrument to measure the student-teacher relationship in the first school grade]. In Noronha, A. P., Machado, C., Almeida, L., Gonçalves, M., Martins, S., & Ramalho, V. (Coord.), Actas da XIII Conferência Internacional de Avaliação Psicológica: Formas e Contextos (pp. 21012115). Braga, Portugal: Psiquilibrios.Google Scholar
Adams, C. M., & Forsyth, P. B. (2009). Conceptualizing and validating a measure of student trust. In Hoy, W. K., & DiPaola, M. F. (Eds.), Studies in school improvement (pp. 263279). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.Google Scholar
Ang, R. (2005). Development and validation of the teacher–student relationship inventory using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The Journal of Experimental Education, 74, 5574. http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.74.1.55-74 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, J. A., Grant, S., & Morlock, L. (2008). The teacher-student relationship as a developmental context for children with internalizing or externalizing behavior problems. School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1045-3830.23.1.3 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barbosa, A., Campos, R., & Valentim, T. (2011). A diversidade em sala de aula e a relação professor-aluno [Diversity in the classroom and the teacher-student relationship]. Estudos de Psicologia, 28, 453461.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beyazkurk, D., & Kesner, J. E. (2005). Teacher-child relationships in Turkish and United States schools: A cross-cultural study. International Education Journal, 6, 547554.Google Scholar
Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G. W. (1997). The teacher–child relationship and children’s early school adjustment. Journal of School Psychology, 35, 6179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(96)00029-5 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G. W. (1998). Children’s interpersonal behaviors and the teacher–child relationship. Developmental Psychology, 34, 934946. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.34.5.934 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buyse, E., Verschueren, K., Doumen, S., Damme, J. V., & Maes, F. (2008). Classroom problem behavior and teacher-child relationships in kindergarten: The moderating role of classroom climate. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 367391. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.06.009 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buyse, E., Verschueren, K., Verachtert, P., & van Damme, J. (2009). Predicting school adjustment in early elementary school: Impact of teacher-child relationship quality and relational classroom climate. The Elementary School Journal, 110, 119141. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/605768 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (2013). Policy Brief: Measuring and improving teacher-student interactions in PK-12 settings to enhance students' learning. Charlottesville, VA: Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. Retrieved from http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/CLASS-MTP_PK-12_brief.pdf Google Scholar
Connor, C. M., Son, S. H., Hindman, A. H., & Morrison, F. J. (2005). Teacher qualifications, classroom practices, family characteristics, and preschool experience. Complex effects on first graders’ vocabulary and early reading outcomes. Journal of School Psychology, 43, 343375. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2005.06.001 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Curran, P. J., West, S. G., & Finch, J. F. (1996). The robustness of test statistics to nonnormality and specification error in confirmatory factor analysis. Psychological Methods, 1, 1629. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//1082-989X.1.1.16 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, H. A. (2003). Conceptualizing the role and influence of student-teacher relationships on children’s social and cognitive development. Educational Psychologist, 38, 207234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3804_2 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiLalla, L. F., Marcus, J. L., & Wright-Phillips, M. V. (2004). Longitudinal effects of preschool behavioral styles on early adolescent school performance. Journal of School Psychology, 42, 385401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2004.05.002 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doth, B., & Lyon, M. A. (1998). Risk and resilience: Implications for the delivery of educational and mental health services in the schools. School Psychology Review, 27, 348363.Google Scholar
Doumen, S., Koomen, H. M. Y., Buyse, E., Wouters, S., & Verschueren, K. (2012). Teacher and observer views on student-teacher relationships: Convergence across kindergarten and relations with student engagement. Journal of School Psychology, 50, 6176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.08.004 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doumen, S., Verschueren, K., Buyse, E., De Munter, S., Max, K., & Moens, L. (2009). Further examination of the convergent and discriminant validity of the student-teacher relationship scale. Infant and Child Development, 18, 502520. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/icd.635 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drugli, M. B., & Hjemdal, O. (2013). Factor structure of the student-teacher relationship scale for Norwegian school-age children explored with confirmatory factor analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 57, 457466. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2012.656697 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eccles, J., Midgley, C., & Adler, T. (1984). Grade-related changes in the school environment: Effects on achievement motivation. In Nicholls, J. G. (Ed.), Advances in motivation and achievement: The Development of Achievement Motivation, (Vol. 3, pp. 283331). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Essex, M. (1997). Children’s Feelings about School Questionnaire. (Unpublished questionnaire). Wisconsin Study of Families and Work. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison.Google Scholar
Fortin, L., Royer, É., Potvin, P., Marcotte, D., & Yergeau, É. (2004). La prédiction du risque de décrochag escolaire au secondaire: Facteurs personnels, familiaux et scolaire [Predicting the risk of school dropout on secondary school: Personal, family and school factors]. Revue Canadienne des Sciences du Comportement, 36, 219231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, L. T. S., Banks, T. I., Anhalt, K. Der, H. H., & Kalis, T. (2008). The association between externalizing behavior problems, teacher-student relationship quality, and academic performance in young urban learners. Behavioral Disorder, 33, 167183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraire, M., Longobardi, C., Prino, L. E., Sclavo, E., & Settanni, M. (2013). Examining the student-teacher relationship scale in the Italian context: A factorial validity study. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 11, 851882. http://dx.doi.org/10.14204/ejrep.31.13068 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galanaki, E. P., & Vassilopoulou, H. D. (2007). The student-teacher relationship scale in a Greek sample of preadolescents: Reliability and validity data. Psychology, The Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society, 14, 292310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallagher, K. C., Kainz, K., Vernon-Feagans, L., & White, K. M. (2013). Development of student–teacher relationships in rural early elementary classrooms. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28, 520528. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2013.03.002 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García, R. M., & Martínez-Arias, R. (2008). Adaptación española de la escala de relacion professor-alumno (STRS) de Pianta [Spanish adaptation of the Student-teacher relationship Scale]. Psicología Educativa, 14, 1127.Google Scholar
Gregoriadis, A., & Tsigilis, N. (2008). Applicability of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) in the Greek educational setting. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 26, 108120. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0734282907306894 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2001). Early teacher–child relationships and the trajectory of children’s school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72, 625638. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00301 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2006). Student-teacher relationships. In Bear, G. G. & Minke, K. M. (Eds.), Children’s needs III: Development, prevention, and intervention (pp. 5971). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.Google Scholar
Howes, C. (2000). Social–emotional classroom climate in child care, child–teacher relationships and children’s second grade peer relations. Social Development, 9, 191204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howes, C., Hamilton, C. E., & Matheson, C. C. (1994). Children’s relationships with peers: Differential associations with aspects of the teacher–child relationship. Child Development, 65, 253263. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00748.x CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jerome, E. M., Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2009). Teacher–child relationships from kindergarten to sixth grade: Early childhood predictors of teacher-perceived conflict and closeness. Social Development, 18, 915945. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00508.x CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kesner, J. E. (2000). Teacher characteristics and the quality of child-teacher relationships. Journal of School Psychology, 38, 133149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(99)00043-6 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koomen, H., Verschueren, K., & Pianta, R. (2007). Student-teacher relationship questionnaire manual. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafieu Van Loghum.Google Scholar
Koomen, H. M. Y., Verschueren, K., van Schooten, E., Jak, S., & Pianta, R. C. (2012). Validating the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale: Testing factor structure and measurement invariance across child gender and age in a Dutch sample. Journal of School Psychology, 50, 215234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.09.001 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, S. J. (2007). The relations between student-teacher trust relationship and school success in the case of Korean middle schools. Educational Studies, 33, 209216. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03055690601068477 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lessard, A., Butler-Kisber, L., Fortin, L., Royer, E., Marcotte, D., & Potvin, P. (2008). Shades of disengagement: High school dropouts speak out. Social Psychology of Education. 11, 2542. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11218-007-9033-z CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 155. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantzicopoulos, P., & Neuharth-Pritchett, S. (2003). Development and validation of a measure to assess head start children's appraisals of teacher support. Journal of School Psychology, 41, 431451. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2003.08.002 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mautone, J. A., Marshall, S. A., Sharman, J., Eiraldi, R. B., Jawad, A. F., & Power, T. J. (2012). Development of a family-school intervention for young children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. School Psychology Review, 41, 447466.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Midgley, C., Feldlaufer, H., & Eccles, J. S. (1989). Student/Teacher Relations and Attitudes toward Mathematics before and after the Transition to Junior High School. Child Development, 60, 981992.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moos, R. H., & Trickett, E. J. (2002) Classroom environment scale manual (3rd Ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
Myers, S. S., & Pianta, R. c. (2008). Developmental commentary: Individual and contextual influences on student–teacher relationships and children’s early problem behaviors. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37, 600608. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15374410802148160 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
NICHD Study of Early Child Care. (2000). Teacher's relationship with child; first grade student-teacher relationship scale. Child Care Data Report - 309. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute. Retrieved from http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/NICHD_related_pub.pdf Google Scholar
Pianta, R. (1992). Student Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS). Charlottesville, VA: Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. Retrieved from http://curry.virginia.edu/academics/directory/robert-c.-pianta/measures.Google Scholar
Pianta, R. (1999). Enhancing relationships between children and teachers. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pianta, R. (2001). Student–teacher relationship scale. Professional manual. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. Retrieved from http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/STRS_Professional_Manual.pdf Google Scholar
Pianta, R. C., Hamre, B., & Stuhlman, M. (2003). Relationships between teachers and children. In Reynolds, W. M. & Miller, G. E. (Eds.), Handbook of psychology: Educational psychology (Vol. 7, pp. 199234). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K. M., Payne, C., Cox, M. J., & Bradley, R. (2002). The relation of kindergarten classroom environment to teacher, family, and school characteristics and child outcomes. Elementary School Journal, 102, 225238. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/499701 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pianta, R., Nimetz, S. L., & Bennett, E. (1997). Mother-child relationships, teacher–child relationships, and school outcomes in preschool and kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 12, 263280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(97)90003-X CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pianta, R., & Steinberg, M. (1992). Relationships between children and their kindergarten teachers. Paper presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meetings, Seattle, WA: April.Google Scholar
Pianta, R. C., & Stuhlman, M. W. (2004). Teacher-child relationships and children’s success in the first years of school. School Psychology Review, 33, 444448. Retrieved from http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/abstract.aspx?ID=1717 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quaglia, R., Gastaldi, F., Prino, L., Pasta, T., & Longobardi, C. (2013). The pupil-teacher relationship and gender differences in primary school. The Open Psychology Journal, 6, 6975. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874350101306010069 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reid, M., Landesman, S., Treder, R., & Jaccard, J. (1989). “My Family and friends”: Six- to twelve-year-old children's perceptions of social support. Child Development, 60, 896910. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1989.tb03522.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenfeld, L. B., Richman, J. M., & Bowen, G. L. (2000). Social support networks and school outcomes: The centrality of the teacher. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 17, 205226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1007535930286 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rudasill, K., Reio, T., Kosine-Stipanovic, N., & Taylor, J. (2010). Temperament and student teacher relationship quality as predictors for risky behavior among early adolescents. Journal of School Psychology, 48, 389412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schermelleh-Engel, K., Moosbrugger, H., & Müller, H. (2003). Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: Test of significance and descriptive goodness-of-fit measures. Methods of Psychological Research - Online, 8, 2374.Google Scholar
Sclavo, E., Prino, L., Fraire, M., & Longobardi, C. (2012). Examining cross-cultural validity, in a European educational setting, of the student-teacher relationship scale. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology, INFAD Revista de Psicología, 1, 165174 . Google Scholar
Silver, R. B., Measelle, J. R., Armstrong, J. M., & Essex, M. J. (2005). Trajectories of classroom externalizing behavior: Contributions of child characteristics, family characteristics, and the teacher–child relationship during the school transition. Journal of School Psychology, 43, 3960. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2004.11.003 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spilt, J. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., & Jak, S. (2012). Are boys better off with male and girls with female teachers? A multilevel investigation of measurement invariance and gender match in teacher-student relationship quality. Journal of School Psychology, 50, 363378. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.12.002 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spilt, J. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., & Mantzicopoulos, P. (2010). Young children's perceptions of teacher-child relationships: an evaluation of two instruments and the role of child gender in kindergarten. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31, 428438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2010.07.006 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spilt, J. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., & Thijs, J. T. (2011). Teacher wellbeing: The importance of teacher-student relationships. Educational Psychology Review, 23, 457477. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9170-y CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsigilis, N., & Gregoriadis, A. (2008). Measuring teacher-child relationships in Greek kindergarten settings: A validity study of the short form of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale. Early Education and Development, 19, 816835. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10409280801975826 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vo, A. K., Sutherland, K. S., & Conroy, M. A. (2012). Best in class: A classroom-based model for ameliorating problem behavior in early childhood settings. Psychology in the Schools, 49, 402415. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pits.21609 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, M. L., & Neuharth-Pritchett, S. (2011). Examining factorial validity and measurement invariance of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 205215. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2010.09.004 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenzel, K. (1998). Social relationships and motivation in middle school: The role of parents, teachers, and peers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 202209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar