Development and validation of the Teacher Rating Scale of Reflective Ability for three-to-six-year-old preschoolers in China / Desarrollo y validación de la Escala de Evaluación de la Capacidad de Reflexión de los preescolares chinos de tres a seis años para el profesorado de EP en China

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and validate the Teacher Rating Scale of Reflective Ability (TRSRA) for preschoolers aged three to six. The initial development involved interviews, observations and questionnaires, resulting in a scale with two dimensions and 11 indicators. Stratified random sampling selected 1,036 preschoolers from kindergartens in Zhejiang Province, China (M_age = 63.62 months, SD = 10.66; 46.81% boys). The TRSRA demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .90 to .96) and confirmatory factor analysis supported its construct validity. Inter-rater reliability was acceptable (rs = .64 to .66, p < .001), and criterion-related validity was confirmed through significant positive correlations with the reflection indicator of the Child Observation Record Advantage (CORA) (rs = .80 to .83, p < .001) and the Early Childhood Metacognition Teacher Rating Questionnaire (ECMTRQ) (rs = .68 to .83, p < .001). These findings suggest the TRSRA is a reliable and valid tool for assessing reflective ability in Chinese preschoolers.