Introduction and Validation of Student Teachers' Teaching Anxiety Scale

Document Type : research paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Counselling, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Management, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

During the teacher training period, student teachers are usually worried and anxious about teaching in schools, which could lower their professional performance in the future. Investigating their teaching anxiety and its antecedents depends on the valid and reliable tool for measuring teaching anxiety. The purpose of this research was to investigate the factorial structure and internal consistency of Hart's teaching anxiety questionnaire (1987). The employed research method was correlational-descriptive. The statistical population consisted of 1364 student teachers' from among whom a sample of 275 people were selected using systematic random sampling. The data collection tool was the student teachers' teaching anxiety questionnaire. Data analysis was done using first order and second order confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and one-sample T-test. The findings showed that the items of the teaching anxiety questionnaire could be reduced to four components: anxiety of being evaluated, anxiety of professional issues and students, anxiety of class control, and anxiety of teaching activity requirements. The total reliability of the questionnaire was 0.927 and the reliability of the dimensions of the questionnaire were in the range of 0.66 to 0.89. In general, the results indicated the confirmation of the construct validity and internal consistency of Hart's (1987) teaching anxiety questionnaire in the studied Iranian sample although with the removal of two items.

Keywords

Main Subjects