Validation of the teaching interpersonal style questionnaire in physical education

Introduction Although research in Physical Education (PE) has widely examined the role of teachers’ motivational style, there is still a lack of validated instruments that jointly assess both the supportive and thwarting dimensions of interpersonal behaviors. This gap limits progress in understanding how teachers can either foster or undermine students’ motivational processes in PE. Thus, this study aimed to provide evidence of validity for the Teachers’ Interpersonal Style Questionnaire in Physical Education (TISQ-PE) as a multidimensional measure of students’ perceptions of their teachers’ interpersonal behaviors. Method A total of 54 Primary and Secondary education students participated ( M age = 11.96 ± 1.95; 337 girls). Results A confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence of factorial validity, supporting the six correlated main factors of the scale (autonomy-support, competencesupport, relatedness-support, autonomy-thwarting, competence-thwarting, and relatedness-thwarting). Evidence of convergent validity was supported by satisfactory average variance extracted values for all factors. Furthermore, the TISQ-PE provided evidence of discriminant and nomological validity and showed invariance by sex and educational stage. Lastly, all factors showed acceptable internal consistency values. Conclusion Therefore, the TISQ-PE offers evidence of validity and reliability to assess students’ perceptions of their teachers’ interpersonal style in PE class, offering researchers and practitioners a comprehensive instrument to better understand both supportive and thwarting teaching behaviors.