Students' Perception of Teachers' Democratic Behaviours Scale ( <scp>TDBS</scp> ): Construction and Assessment of Psychometric Properties

ABSTRACT A plethora of assessment tools has been developed to measure democratic behaviour in the context of the classroom. A critical review of existing literature revealed prevailing limitations in most tools in the realm of democratic education. Considering the identified deficiencies, this study endeavours to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Teachers' Democratic Behaviours Scale (TDBS) from the perspective of students. Guided by Perry´s (2009) democratic education model, this research constructed an initial questionnaire comprising 35 items categorised into five subscales of equality, diversity, participation, autonomy, and cohesion. Initially, face, content and context validity were examined through expert panel assessments. Subsequently, a pilot testing involving 33 students from Norway and Iran was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed questionnaire and refine administration procedures before its broader deployment. The main phase of the study enlisted 488 students from 20 countries (e.g., Norway, Iran, USA, Poland), representing diverse cultures, with data collected internationally via paper‐and‐pencil ( n = 70) and online formats ( n = 418). Cross‐cultural comparisons between Norway and Iran further enriched the analysis. The main phase assessed construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity and differences between contrasted groups. Various Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) models were tested using Amos, with results favoring the second‐order factor CFA model due to its superior fit statistics and lower AIC value, indicating higher psychometric and statistical robustness. In sum, the adoption of the second‐order factor model establishes the TDBS as a valid and valuable instrument for assessing and enhancing democratic practices within the classroom environment.