Examining student-teacher relationship from students’ point of view: Italian adaptation and validation of the young children’s appraisal of teacher support questionnaire

Background: Numerous studies on educational and developmental psychology have concluded that students’ affective relationships with their teachers are crucial for their academic motivation and commitment to school. Frequently the relationship is evaluated from the teacher’s point of view, but the importance of considering the children’s perspective has been highlighted by many authors. Methods: In this study, we present data to examine the factorial structure of the Young Children’s Appraisals of Teacher Support (Y-CATS), a measure designed to explore children’s perceptions of their relationships with teachers on a sample of 503 children ranging in age from 5 to 10 years, and 163 teachers. Results: This study provides implications for construct validity research and substantive research using Y-CATS, given that Y-CATS is used extensively in intervention and research in early childhood education. Conclusion: On the basis of the results obtained, the questionnaire seems to be an adequate instrument to study student-teacher relationships, both as a monitoring scale of a given relationship and as a way to help teachers achieve more awareness of their educational skills.