Abstract

The Student-Teacher Relationship Survey: Student Version was developed and assessed for factor structure using principal components analysis. No instruments measuring students’ perceptions of student-teacher relationships have been developed for high school students, and scales that measure related constructs tend to view good student-teacher relationships as a unidimensional construct. Participants were 274 students in grades 9 through 12 attending large urban high schools in the northeastern United States. The principal components analysis identified a seven factor structure: (a) Providing Academic and Personal Support for Students, (b) Showing Concern For and Interest in Students, (c) Motivating Students and Attending to Their Personal Interests, (d) Treating Students with Respect, (e) Being Compassionate to Students, (f) Being Accessible to Students, and (g) Understanding and Valuing Students’ Opinions and Feelings. The factors had internal reliabilities ranging from .74 to .94. The findings of this study indicate good student-teacher relationships have many components and should therefore be viewed as a multidimensional construct.