The perceived teacher support scale (PTSS) for students: Development and psychometric studies

Abstract

This study developed a brief student-reported Perceived Teacher Support Scale (PTSS) to assess how well students felt supported by their teachers. Using a theory-driven approach, the PTSS with instrumental, emotional, informational, and appraisal support subscales was developed based on the framework of social support. A total of 1,138 middle school students in grades seven to ten from middle schools in mainland China participated in this survey. The psychometric features of the PTSS were studied using factor and Rasch analyses. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor model while confirmatory factor analysis supported three- and four-factor solutions. The Rasch analysis further demonstrated the psychometric quality of the four subscales: scale dimensionality, rating scale functioning, and item fit. Measurement invariance across gender was confirmed. The final PTSS had 25 items in four subscales evaluating students’ perceived teacher support: instrumental, emotional, informational, and appraisal support. The correlation between the PTSS and student engagement supported concurrent validity. Finally, the study’s limitations and implications are discussed. In general, the PTSS scale is a more effective tool for measuring students’ perceived teacher support. It can be used to understand the situation of teacher support in different dimensions, and can also be used to conduct relevant cross-sectional and longitudinal research experiments.