Scale Overview
The Teacher Academic Optimism: Elementary Teacher – TAOS-E was developed by Beard, K. S., Hoy, W. K., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2009). It is designed to measure Teacher Academic Optimism. The scale is intended for use with Elementary school teachers.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 11 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Self-Efficacy, Trust in Students and Parents, Academic Emphasis.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Self-Efficacy |
1,2,3 |
3 |
| Trust in Students and Parents |
4,5,6,7 |
4 |
| Academic Emphasis |
8,9,10,11 |
4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Nothing (Items 1-3) / Never (Items 4-11), 2 = Very Little (Items 1-3) / Rarely (Items 4-11), 3 = Some Influence (Items 1-3) / Sometimes (Items 4-11), 4 = Quite a bit (Items 1-3) / Often (Items 4-11), 5 = A Great Deal (Items 1-3) / Always (Items 4-11).
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Academic Optimism: 1 – 2
- Moderate Academic Optimism: 3 – 4
- High Academic Optimism: 5 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Self-Efficacy: 0.73, Trust: 0.79, Academic Emphasis: 0.71.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.