Design and validation of the perceptions of teacher authoritarianism in research scale (PTARS)

Although certain factors limit students’ scientific production, one such factor, i.e., teacher authoritarianism during the preparation of research papers, has received little attention to date. Objective: To design and validate the Perceptions of Teacher Authoritarianism in Research Scale (PTARS). This research took the form of an instrumental study, in which 816 students and graduates from state and private universities located in the three regions of Peru participated voluntarily. The process by which the scale was constructed involved 10 stages, and the initial version of the scale consisted of 20 items. The data were subjected to descriptive analysis, exploratory factorial analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), alongside tests of measurement invariance and reliability. The re-specification of the exploratory three-factor model, excluding items 7, 8, and 11 due to factorial complexity, significantly improved the fit indices. This was reflected in a reduction of the RMSEA from 0.274 to 0.067 and an increase of the CFI to 0.997. Subsequently, in the confirmatory factor analysis, the final 10-item model (Model 5) demonstrated excellent fit (χ² = 47.81, RMSEA = 0.02) and high internal consistency (ω ≥ 0.90 for all factors). In the invariance analysis, the configural model showed no differences exceeding the established cut-off points (ΔRMSEA < .015; ΔCFI ≤ .010), supporting the stability of the model across different gender groups. This study represents an important step in the process of evaluating teacher authoritarianism during the preparation of research papers; therefore, the PTARS serves as a tool that, according to the results of this research, is both valid and reliable.