Psychometric characteristics of the mindfulness in teaching scale in Chinese preschool teachers

Abstract

Preschool teachers often face a high level of stress due to the particularities of the educational environment. Previous studies have shown that mindfulness can be an effective tool for alleviating teachers’ stress. Measuring teacher mindfulness is an important step to expand the mindfulness related research in teachers. The present study explored the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Mindfulness in Teaching Scale (MTS-C) in a preschool setting. Two independent samples were used for the exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency and current validity were achieved with a sample of 506 preschool teachers. From this sample, a subsample of 72 preschool teachers was selected to take the MTS-C again one month later, to achieve test-retest reliability. The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for the two-factor MTS-C model. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were also satisfactory. Our results indicated that the MTS-C was positively correlated with the scores of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), teaching efficacy, and teaching satisfaction, and negatively correlated with teacher burnout and psychological distress. The findings suggest that the MTS-C appears to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing the level of mindfulness among Chinese preschool teachers.