Assessment of teacher-child relationships - results of an explorative study of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) in German day care centres

A German-language version of the "Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS)" by Pianta (2001) enlarged by additional items was tested in an empirical study in German day care centres. Practitioners (N=123) rated their relationships to children 3 to 6 years old (N=329). Principal component analyses confirmed the three dimensions identified by Pianta: "Conflict", "Closeness", and "Dependency". However, in addition, the possibility of a more differentiated description of "Closeness" and "Dependency" was revealed. Composite scales were constructed for "Conflict", "Closeness" and "Dependency" (respectively a short and a long form) showing a high degree of internal consistency. Analyses of age and gender effects revealed (a) that younger children are more dependent than older children and (b) that girls, compared to boys, scored higher on the scales "Closeness" and "Dependency", and lower on the scale "Conflict" from the perspective of kindergartenteachers.