Measurement Invariance of the Inventory of Teacher–Student Relationships Among Middle and High School Students

Abstract

Teacher–student relationship quality (TSRQ) predicts academic motivation (Wentzel, 1997), school engagement, and academic achievement (Hughes, 2011). However, TSRQ appears to differ across demographics. For example, boys and racially/ethnically minoritized students consistently have poorer relationships with their teachers than girls and White students (Koomen & Jellesma, 2015; Murray et al., 2008). Ensuring that TSRQ is consistently conceptualized across individuals will allow demographic differences on TSRQ to be compared. The present study aims to further validate a survey instrument used to measure TSRQ, called the Inventory of Teacher–Student Relationships (IT-SR; Murray & Zvoch, 2011). Participants included 3,541 middle and high school students in a large school district in the Southeastern United States. The results of the study confirmed the hypothesized three-factor structure of the instrument. The instrument demonstrated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across race/ethnicity (Black/African American, White, Hispanic/Latinx, and multiracial) and partial metric and scalar invariance across gender (boys and girls) and school level (middle school and high school). Significant latent mean differences were found, where boys, Black/African American students, Hispanic/Latinx students, and high school students reported lower scores on various factors on the IT-SR compared to girls, White students, multiracial students, and middle school students, respectively. Results support future research and applied use of the IT-SR with middle and high school students.

Publication Title

School Psychology

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS