Teacher Communication Behavior Questionnaire – TCBQ
Measures students' perceptions of their teachers' communication behaviors across five distinct dimensions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Teacher Communication Behavior Questionnaire – TCBQ was developed by Hsiao-Ching She & Darrell Fisher (2000). It is designed to measure Teacher communication behavior. The scale is intended for use with Students (typically junior high and high school).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Challenging, Encouragement and Praise, Non-Verbal Support, Understanding and Friendly, Controlling.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Challenging | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | 8 |
| Encouragement and Praise | 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 | 8 |
| Non-Verbal Support | 17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24 | 8 |
| Understanding and Friendly | 25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32 | 8 |
| Controlling | 33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Almost never, 2 = Seldom, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often, 5 = Very often.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 8 to 40. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low frequency of behavior: 8 – 18
- Moderate frequency of behavior: 19 – 30
- High frequency of behavior: 31 – 40
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Challenging (.70-.88), Encouragement & praise (.77-.91), Non-verbal support (.86-.93), Understanding & friendly (.86-.94), Controlling (.76-.87).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.