Teacher–Student Relationship Quality and Classroom Climate From the Student Perspective: Adaptation of the SPARTS-E in the Spanish Context7

Abstract

Background: The quality of the affective bond between teachers and their students is recognised as a key determinant of children's socio-emotional adjustment, classroom climate and academic engagement. Spain, however, lacks student-reported measures grounded in attachment theory. This study therefore adapted and validated the Student Perception of Affective Relationship with Teacher Scale (SPARTS) for Spanish primary education and examined its associations with classroom climate and teacher perceptions. Methods: A forward–back translation and pilot testing produced a 25-item Spanish version (SPARTS-E). Participants were 1073 Year 5 and Year 6 pupils and 58 teachers from three regions. The sample was randomly split for exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. We also assessed the correspondence between student- and teacher-rated relationship quality and tested whether student-perceived relationship quality predicted pupils' perceptions of classroom climate. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported a three-factor structure—Closeness, Conflict and Negative Expectations—replicating the original model. Closeness and Conflict showed satisfactory reliability (α > 0.80), whereas Negative Expectations was low (α = 0.45). Closeness correlated positively with favourable classroom-climate dimensions and negatively with Conflict and Negative Expectations. Student–teacher agreement was modest, emerging mainly for Conflict. Regression analyses indicated that student-perceived Closeness was the strongest predictor of classroom climate. Conclusion: The SPARTS-E is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing student-reported Closeness and Conflict in Spanish primary schools; refinement of the Negative Expectations subscale is warranted. The scale supports cross-cultural research and underscores the pivotal role of teacher–student relationships in fostering positive classroom environments.