Psychometric Validation of the Teachers’ Social and Emotional Learning Belief Scale for Use With Jamaican Primary School Teachers

While Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) often facilitates positive child outcomes, understanding of teachers’ implementation role remains limited due to insufficient measurement tools, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study evaluated the Teacher SEL Belief Scale (TSBS) with 249 Jamaican primary school teachers, examining factor structure and measurement invariance across grades and teaching experience levels. Results confirmed the original three-factor construct and demonstrated full measurement invariance across both grades taught and teaching experience levels. These findings validate TSBS use in high-demand-low-resource contexts like Jamaica, benefiting researchers, school psychologists, and education stakeholders implementing SEL practices.