Teacher Academic Optimism Scale for Secondary Teachers – TAOS-S
Measures a secondary teacher's academic optimism through self-efficacy, trust in students and parents, and academic emphasis.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Teacher Academic Optimism Scale for Secondary Teachers – TAOS-S was developed by Fahy, P. F., Wu, H. C., & Hoy, W. K. (2010). It is designed to measure Teacher Academic Optimism. The scale is intended for use with Secondary school teachers.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 9 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 | 3 |
| Academic Emphasis | 7,8,9 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: Items 1-3: 1 = Nothing, Items 1-3: 2 = Very Little, Items 1-3: 3 = Some Influence, Items 1-3: 4 = Quite a bit, Items 1-3: 5 = A Great Deal, Items 4-9: 1 = Never, Items 4-9: 2 = Rarely, Items 4-9: 3 = Sometimes, Items 4-9: 4 = Often, Items 4-9: 5 = Always.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low: 1 – 2
- Moderate: 3 – 3
- High: 4 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Self-Efficacy: 0.85, Trust: 0.87, Academic Emphasis: 0.83.
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.