This study assessed the validity of the Dutch version of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) in Greece. The STRS measures relationships through closeness, conflict, and dependency subscales. 275 Greek teachers rated their relationships with 1126 students using the 34-item Dutch STRS. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed the original three-factor structure. Greek teachers reported high closeness, low conflict, and moderate dependency in relationships. While further analysis is needed, this study provides initial evidence that the STRS can validly assess teacher-student relationships cross-culturally in Greece.
2. STRS (Student-Teacher Relationship Scale)
A widely accepted instrument developed by
R. Pianta (1991-2001).
Measures the quality of teacher-child
relationships, based on teachers’
perspectives.
Introduction
3. STRS (Student-Teacher Relationship Scale)
STRS consists of 28 items (Pianta, 2001)
Measures three dimensions of the teacher-
child relationship:
-Closeness
-Conflict
-Dependency
Introduction
4. STRS (Student-Teacher Relationship Scale)
STRS has been used extensively in various
countries (US, UK, Germany, Netherlands,
Spain, Norway, Italy, etc.)
The three dimensions closeness, conflict and
dependency, have been established
successfully in different samples in various
countries.
Introduction
5. STRS (Student-Teacher Relationship Scale)
The STRS (28 items) was tested in Greece and
the results supported the factorial validity of
the scale.
Introduction
6. However, findings from two separate Greek
studies showed that the Dependency factor
was positively correlated with the Closeness
factor instead of the Conflict factor.
This finding was in contrast with all the other
studies at that time.
Introduction
7. After the two Greek studies, additional findings
from the US and Norway confirmed the
inconsistencies regarding the Dependency
subscale.
On 2012 R. Pianta together with colleagues from
the Netherlands (Koomen, Verschueren, van
Shooten, Jak, Pianta, 2012) developed a “Dutch”
version of the scale that consisted of 34 items
and incorporated new items in the dependency
factor.
Introduction
8. Introduction
A widely used and valid scale across different cultures
and educational systems provides the opportunity for
cross-national comparisons.
This is something very important especially in Europe,
where one of the goals of the European Union regarding
education focuses in the homogenization of education
across nations.
9. Aim of the study
Examine the factor structure of the “Dutch”
version of STRS in the Greek educational
context .
That is to examine whether the proposed
structure can be replicated in the ECE in
Greece.
10. Method
Participants
275 teachers who rated their relationships with 1126 students .
Instrument
The ‘Dutch’ version of STRS (Koomen et al., 2012) was used. The
scale consisted of 34 items that measure three dimensions of
relationships: closeness, dependency, and conflict.
Analysis
Exploratory factor analysis was selected for this initial effort to
test the psychometric properties of the STRS. Exploratory
analysis was preferred because the Dutch version included items
that had not been tested before.
11. Results
The descriptive statistics regarding the factors of the
scale revealed that the teachers rated high the
Closeness factor (M = 3.46, SD ± .77), low the Conflict
factor (M = 1.67, SD ± .94), and moderate to high the
Dependency factor (M = 2.12, SD ± .96).
13. Factor structure was replicated in the Greek sample
Discussion
A 25-item STRS is a valid and reliable scale that
measures the three factors/dimensions of the
student-teacher relationship in Greece.
Limitation: this was an initial effort. Further studies
with advanced statistical methods need to be
applied before any solid conclusion can be drawn.
14. Discussion
Based on the factor mean scores, it can be argued that the
Greek teachers have a warm and supportive relationship with
their students, which is characterized by low levels of Conflict.
Yet, the Dependency factor has moderate to high scores
indicating that in Greece, Dependency is not considered a
behavior that affects negatively the student-teacher
relationships in early childhood education.
15. Discussion
A possible explanation is that the notion of
autonomy and self-regulation is not considered
equally important in the Greek educational
system as in other societies.
16. In sum
Discussion
This study showed the applicability of the STRS in the
Greek educational context
It encourages researchers to further test the
psychometric properties of the scale and also to test
it in primary schools.
The cross-cultural validity could provide a common
ground for an improved understanding of the cultural
differences in the teacher-child relationships across
various countries.
