Adaptation of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction in Tunisia: Teaching Strategies to Promote Sustainable Education in Schools

Samia Boukari,Riadh Khalifa,Aymen Khemiri,Antonella Muscella,Sabri Gaied Chotrane,Sami Bouzid,Noomen Guelmami

doi:10.3390/su14052489

Abstract

The objective of the study was the translation and adaptation into Arabic language of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction and the examination of psychometric properties among students in Tunisia. A set of students (N = 778) were recruited to complete a translated, Arabic version of the Teacher Interaction Questionnaire (AQTI). The subjects represented both female and male with an average age of 15.98 ± 2.17 years. The subjects were divided into exploratory (N = 226) and confirmatory (N = 552) samples. For the exploratory sample, the female sex represented 46.90% and the male 53.10% (N = 120). Likewise, the confirmatory sample consisted of females (48.01%) and males (51.99%). The scale designed in Arabic AQTI presented eight components for exploratory factor analysis. The result was a first factorial solution, which kept these eight components of the predetermined instrument. The confirmatory factor analysis provided good fit indices. Similar results for instrument reliability were confirmed for all dimensions, through good Cronbach’s coefficient, which were superior to 0.80. The Arabic version of AQTI is valid and reliable and can be administered to assess teacher/student interactions in Tunisia. However, further research needs to examine the construct validity of the instrument.

Highlights

Teacher–student relationships play a significant role in the quality of teaching and learning at school [1,2], especially when they are facilitated by the natural environment [3]
In mathematics, in a recent study, Semeraro et al [9] showed that the quality of the student–teacher relationship has an indirect influence on student achievement through
The Tunisian context of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) scale: the initial scale designed in Arabic Arabic version of the Teacher Interaction Questionnaire (AQTI), which presents the eight-dimensional factors, was evaluated using a population of both male and female students in college and high school, aged around 16 years

Summary

Introduction

Teacher–student relationships play a significant role in the quality of teaching and learning at school [1,2], especially when they are facilitated by the natural environment [3]. Several recent studies confirmed the presence of direct and indirect links between teacher–student relationships and student performance in several school subjects [4,5], their emotions [6] and even their social behaviors [7]. Natural environments usually seem to be used by schools to increase these factors, because the contact with nature makes individuals more susceptible to cooperation and creates new awareness [8]. In mathematics, in a recent study, Semeraro et al [9] showed that the quality of the student–teacher relationship has an indirect influence on student achievement through

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion