A Rasch Analysis of the Teacher Social and Emotional Learning Beliefs Scale (TSELBS) in Chinese Context

Abstract

The impact of teachers’ beliefs on the implementation and effectiveness of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs underscores the essential need for reliable measures of these beliefs. This study aims to explore and validate the psychometric properties of the Teacher Social and Emotional Learning Beliefs Scale (TSELBS) within the Chinese educational context, utilizing the Partial Credit Model of the Rasch family models. Through the analysis of responses from 893 Chinese teachers, our findings confirm the reliability, validity, and robust psychometric properties of the TSELBS, making it a valuable instrument for assessing educators’ SEL beliefs. Additionally, our results indicate that the TSELBS demonstrates fairness across gender, educational levels, and areas. These outcomes emphasize the critical role of culturally sensitive methods in evaluating SEL beliefs and lay a foundational step for future cross-cultural research in this domain. This contribution advances the global conversation on SEL, facilitating further studies on similar validations across diverse cultural settings.