Designing and Psychometrics of Teacher-Student Relationship Questionnaire in Health Sciences: An Exploratory Mixed Study.

Abstract

Background: The teacher-student relationship is the basis of education. Assessment of this relationship requires the use of a valid instrument. This study was conducted to design psychometrics features of Teacher-Student Relationship Questionnaire in Health Sciences (TSRQ-HS).

Materials and methods: This exploratory study was carried out in two distinct phases. In the initial stage (qualitative phase), we established the framework for the teacher-student relationship by using 22 individual interviews with teachers and students. This was achieved through conventional content analysis. Subsequently, the quantitative phase, as the second stage, focused on evaluating the psychometric attributes of the questionnaire. This encompassed an assessment of face, content, and construct validity, as well as internal consistency and homogeneity.

Results: The initial pool of items included a total of 121 entries, while the final scale was refined to encompass 31 items. The S-CVI/Ave, which is the average content validity index for the questionnaire, was determined to be 0.93; it was observed that item factor loadings through exploratory factor analysis ranged from 0.22 to 0.94 (x² ₄₆₅ = 9568.15, p < 0.001). Subsequently, five items were excluded, and the three dimensions established in the primary questionnaire were confirmed. The comprehensive intraclass correlation coefficient of the instrument was 0.97. The reliability of the instrument was evaluated regarding internal homogeneity, revealing a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.96 for the entire instrument.

Conclusions: The findings indicated that the newly developed questionnaire designed to evaluate the teacher-student relationship had a satisfactory level of reliability and validity. Educational administrators are recommended to utilize this instrument.