Parents’ trust in upper secondary school teachers: development and psychometric properties of the Parental Trust in Teacher Questionnaire (PTTQ)

Abstract

Introduction. Parental trust in teachers is a relational variable that supports the educational alliance between family and school and bears on adolescents’ psychological adjustment. Despite its relevance, no Italian psychometric instrument exists to assess this construct in the upper secondary school context. Method. This study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Parental Trust in Teacher Questionnaire (PTTQ), a 13-item self-report scale, in a sample of 237 parents (70.5% female; M age = 52.59, SD = 4.84) of upper secondary school students. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, hierarchical cluster analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis using the MLR estimator. Results. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure with adequate fit (RMSEA = .076; CFI = .942; SRMR = .047). Internal consistency was excellent (α = .95; ω = .96). Standardized factor loadings ranged from .557 to .876, and corrected item-total correlations from .579 to .824. Conclusions. The PTTQ shows adequate preliminary psychometric properties for assessing parental trust in teachers in Italian upper secondary schools. Further studies on larger and more diverse samples will allow consolidation of external validity and examination of its predictive value for student outcomes.