Adaptation and Validation of the Scale for Chinese Preschool Teachers’ Self-Efficacy (SCPTSE): Based on Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory
Preschool teachers’ self-efficacy is essential to improve their professional development and the quality of early childhood education. This study adapted and validated the Scale for Chinese Preschool Teachers’ Self-Efficacy (SCPTSE) based on the Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (OSTES), in accordan...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/6/741 |
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| Summary: | Preschool teachers’ self-efficacy is essential to improve their professional development and the quality of early childhood education. This study adapted and validated the Scale for Chinese Preschool Teachers’ Self-Efficacy (SCPTSE) based on the Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (OSTES), in accordance with Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. Following a rigorous four-stage cross-cultural adaptation procedure, the 21-item SCPTSE was administered to 882 in-service preschool teachers from Zhejiang, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces in China (M age = 30.41, SD = 6.05). Both CTT and IRT frameworks were employed to evaluate the scale’s psychometric properties. Under CTT, the SCPTSE demonstrated high internal consistency (α = 0.980), and CFA supported a robust three-factor structure—instructional strategies, classroom management, and child engagement—with excellent model fit (RMSEA = 0.079; SRMR = 0.025; CFI = 0.953; TLI = 0.947; NFI = 0.945; IFI = 0.953; PNFI = 0.837; PGFI = 0.700). Under IRT, all three sub-scales demonstrated strong unidimensionality (H<sub>IS</sub> = 0.812, H<sub>CM</sub> = 0.800, H<sub>CE</sub> = 0.818), the SCPTSE’ items demonstrate excellent discrimination capabilities(all a > 1.70), overall reasonable difficulty(<i>b</i><sub>1</sub> < <i>b</i><sub>2</sub> < <i>b</i><sub>3</sub> < <i>b</i><sub>4</sub>), and balanced information distribution. Nevertheless, the relatively low-difficulty design (e.g., <i>b</i><sub>1</sub>) indicates room for improvement. Notably, cultural adaptation efforts ensured the scale’s contextual relevance to China’s preschool education system. The SCPTSE thus offers a valid, reliable, and culturally responsive tool for assessing self-efficacy of Chinese in-service preschool teachers and holds promise for informing targeted professional development and comparative international research. |
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| ISSN: | 2076-328X |