Topic Emotions Survey – TES
Measures positive and negative academic or topic-related emotions experienced by students.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Topic Emotions Survey – TES was developed by Broughton, S. H., Sinatra, G. M., & Nussbaum, E. M. (2012). It is designed to measure Topic-specific and academic emotions. The scale is intended for use with Students (elementary to college).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 16 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Positive Emotions, Negative Emotions.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Emotions | 2,4,6,9,10,13,14,16 | 8 |
| Negative Emotions | 1,3,5,7,8,11,12,15 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all, 2 = Very little, 3 = Moderate, 4 = Strong, 5 = Very strong.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 8 to 40. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low emotional intensity: 8 – 16
- Moderate emotional intensity: 17 – 32
- High emotional intensity: 33 – 40
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Varies by study (typically Cronbach's alpha > .70 for subscales).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.