Investigating Students Perceptions of the Teacher: Validation of Learner-centered and Teacher-centered Scales

Abstract

Teaching–learning environments have been widely developed across the globe to enhance student learning and academic achievement. While large-scale international surveys are commonly used to assess students’ perceptions of these environments, there remains a notable lack of instruments specifically designed to measure such perceptions at the classroom level, particularly within the Congolese context. In the initial phase of this research, an imported questionnaire was administered; however, its validity and reliability were found to be insufficient. This limitation prompted the development of a new instrument, the Questionnaire Measuring Perceptions of the Teacher (QMPT), during a pilot study. The QMPT is designed to capture two key dimensions of students’ perceptions: teacher-centered and learner-centered teaching practices. Findings from the pilot study indicated that the instrument demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties, supporting its preliminary validity and reliability. Building on these results, the present study extends this work by examining the validation processes of the QMPT using a larger sample within the same educational context. The aim is to strengthen the instrument’s robustness and confirm its suitability for assessing classroom-level teaching–learning environments in Congo. The study also highlights directions for future research.