Translation and Psychometric Validation of the Teachers’ Beliefs and Intentions Questionnaire (TBIQ) in Chilean Early Childhood Education

The Teachers’ Beliefs and Intentions Questionnaire (TBIQ) assesses educators’ beliefs and intentions regarding the importance of sensitive interactions with young children. Understanding these beliefs is particularly relevant in contemporary educational contexts where teacher–child interactions are viewed as central to children’s learning and development. Despite its use in several countries, there is no validated Spanish version available. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and psychometrically validate a Spanish version of the TBIQ for early childhood education settings in Chile. Following international guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation, the questionnaire was translated into Spanish and administered to early childhood teachers and assistant teachers working in public early childhood education centers. The original two-factor structure (Beliefs and Intentions) was tested using confirmatory factor analyses with robust estimators for ordinal data. Results supported the two-factor model after removing six items with low factor loadings and indicated excellent model fit. Both scales demonstrated high internal consistency. However, measurement invariance across educator roles could not be established, and cross-group comparisons should be interpreted with caution. Despite this limitation, the Spanish version of the TBIQ demonstrates adequate validity and reliability and offers a brief and accessible instrument for research and for the assessment of educators’ beliefs and intentions regarding interaction quality in early childhood education.