Development and Validation of a Research Practices Scale for Teacher Educators (RPS-TE)

Abstract

Research has become a fundamental component of professional development and educational innovation in teacher education. Despite the increasing emphasis on research productivity and scholarly engagement, the availability of standardized instruments specifically designed to assess research practices among teacher-educators remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate the Research Practices Scale for Teacher Educators (RPS-TE). The study adopted a scale development research design and involved 141 teacher educators working in teacher education institutions affiliated with Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University (TNTEU) in and around the Tiruchirappalli district. The scale development process included conceptual framework construction, item pool generation, expert validation, pilot administration, and psychometric testing of the scale. Initially, 35 items were developed based on an extensive review of the literature and expert consultation. Following content validation, 29 items were retained for the final scale development. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach’s alpha, which yielded an excellent internal consistency coefficient of 0.95. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted to determine the construct validity of the scale. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) value of 0.829 and a significant Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (χ² = 3548.327, p < 0.001) confirmed the suitability of the data for factor analysis. The analysis extracted two factors, namely Research Competence and Scholarly Engagement (RCSE) and Research Supportive Institutional Environment (RSIE), which together explained 55.09% of the total variance in the data. The item-total correlations ranged from 0.50 to 0.77, and the factor loadings ranged from 0.51 to 0.86, indicating satisfactory item discrimination and construct representation. Discriminant validity analysis revealed a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.615, p < 0.01) between the two dimensions, confirming that they are related but distinct constructs. The findings demonstrate that the RPS-TE is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing research practices among teacher-educators. The scale can be effectively used for self-assessment, professional development, institutional evaluation, quality assurance, and policy formulation aimed at strengthening the research culture in teacher education institutions. Further studies may be based on qualitative methods to provide deeper insights into research practices. Further studies can apply SEM to strengthen the robustness of the tool.