Student Trust Scales – STS
Measures students' trust in their teachers (faculty) and their school principal.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Student Trust Scales – STS was developed by Adams, C.M. & Forsyth, P.B. (2004). It is designed to measure Student Trust. The scale is intended for use with Students (Adolescents / Children).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 25 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Student Trust in Faculty, Student Trust in Principal.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Student Trust in Faculty | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13 | 13 |
| Student Trust in Principal | 14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25 | 12 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly Disagree (Faculty) / Never (Principal), 2 = Disagree (Faculty) / Some of the time (Principal), 3 = Agree (Faculty) / Most of the time (Principal), 4 = Strongly Agree (Faculty) / Always (Principal).
The scale includes 1 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 25 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Trust: 25 – 50
- Moderate Trust: 51 – 75
- High Trust: 76 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Student Trust in Faculty alpha = 0.90, Student Trust in Principal alpha = 0.95.
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.