Development and validation of the Teaching Styles Inventory for Higher Education (TSIHE)

Abstract: Teaching style is conceptualized as the teacher’s specific instructional approach that influences students’ motivation, learning, and performance. The main aim of this study is to explore the sources of structural validity of the of the Teaching Styles Inventory for Higher Education (TSIHE) using confirmatory techniques. A total of 3312 university students participated in the study. Data were analyzed using confirmatory techniques to find the adjustment of their structure to four alternative models. For the analyses, data were randomly divided into eight subgroups. The first subgroup was employed to test the goodness of fit of the tested model. Subsequently, a cross-validation analysis was performed with the eight subgroups. The bifactor model showed the best fit indexes: (χ2 = 782.75, df = 322, p < .001, χ2/df = 2.44, TLI = .98, CFI = .98, RMSEA = .058). Its scales also present high reliability values. The questionnaire assesses a bipolar general factor, the teaching style, (ω = .99), and four dimensions, also bipolar: teacher-student interaction (ω = .97), decision-making negotiation (ω = .96), teaching structuring (ω = .96) and behavioral control (ω = .96). It was concluded that the questionnaire presents appropriate psychometrical properties to use for research and practical purposes.