Construction and Validation of a Scale to Measure College EFL Students’ Perceived Teacher Support

Abstract

Students’ perceived teacher support (SPTS) is considered crucial to students’ learning. But most existing SPTS scales were developed for the field of general education, and there is a lack of studies that attempt to develop a tailored scale specifically for the context of EFL learning. This study interviewed 86 Chinese college EFL learners and surveyed 1,089 Chinese non-English majors to develop an SPTS scale specifically for the context of college EFL learning in China. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. The result indicated that SPTS is a tripartite construct consisting of emotional, intellectual, and social support. This study contributes to a better understanding of the unique aspects of language teaching and emphasizes the significance of tailored SPTS scales in different educational settings. The study elucidates the importance of SPTS in college EFL learning, providing guidance for effective teaching practices to enhance students’ learning experience.