Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire

Abstract

The Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire (PTO) is a widely recognized and frequently cited 100-item psychological instrument developed in 1970 by Bentley and Rempel to measure the general level of teacher morale. Beyond providing a single total score reflecting overall morale, the PTO yields ten distinct subscale scores. These subscales offer meaningful, component-specific information regarding various dimensions of the teaching environment and the teacher’s psychological well-being within the school system, making it the most frequently utilized tool for this purpose.

Keywords

Teacher Morale, Job Satisfaction, Educational Psychology, School Administration, Teacher Status, Teacher Load, Curriculum Issues, Faculty Rapport, Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire.

Authors

R. R. Bentley, A. M. Rempel

Purpose

The primary purpose of the PTO is to provide a standardized, comprehensive assessment of teacher morale. By utilizing ten specific subscales, the instrument allows administrators, researchers, and school officials to identify specific areas of strength and weakness within the school environment that impact faculty satisfaction and engagement.

The instrument is designed to move beyond a simple, global assessment, offering diagnostic insights into critical factors such as administrative effectiveness, peer relationships, and community support, which are essential components influencing teacher retention and overall educational quality.

Construct

The PTO measures the construct of teacher morale, which is operationalized across ten distinct dimensions identified through rigorous factor analysis. These dimensions collectively assess the teacher’s attitudes towards their professional role, their colleagues, the school administration, the physical and functional aspects of their workplace, and the surrounding community environment.

Key components of this construct include the teacher’s perception of their relationship with the principal, satisfaction derived from the act of teaching, perceived fairness of salary and workload, and the extent of community understanding and support for the educational program. The PTO Supplement further expands the construct to include rapport with the school board and the superintendent.

Validity

The validity of the PTO is supported by its demonstrated ability to effectively discriminate morale levels. Specifically, the instrument is sensitive enough to differentiate morale not only between different schools but also among individual teachers working within the same school setting.

Further evidence of validity was established through a comparison study where principals completed the PTO based on how they believed their faculty would respond. The results indicated that the differences between the median scores reported by the teachers and the scores anticipated by their principals were not statistically significant, suggesting a strong alignment between administrative perception and actual faculty sentiment regarding morale factors.

Reliability

The PTO demonstrates strong internal consistency and temporal stability. During the initial development of the 145-item scale, Kuder-Richardson Formula (KR reliability coefficients) ranged from 0.79 to 0.98, yielding a robust overall reliability coefficient of 0.96 for the original item pool.

Temporal stability was assessed using test-retest correlations for the ten subscales. These coefficients ranged from 0.62 (Community Pressures) to 0.88 (Teacher Rapport with Principal), with a median correlation across all factors reported at 0.87. Additionally, norms derived from the original sample are available for comparison across all school levels, further supporting the reliable application of the instrument.

Factor Analysis

The initial development phase involved a principal components analysis followed by an oblique rotation, utilizing data collected from 570 teachers. This procedure initially extracted eight factors corresponding to general areas such as working conditions and relationships with students and colleagues.

Subsequently, additional factor analytic procedures were conducted by stratifying the sample into high, middle, and low teacher morale groups. This refined analysis ultimately identified ten distinct factors, which form the basis of the current 100-item PTO structure. These ten factors provide the specific subscale scores that contribute to the total morale index. The PTO Supplement later introduced two additional factors: Teacher Rapport with School Board (10 items) and Teacher Rapport with Superintendent (10 items).

The ten core factors and their definitions are:

• Teacher Rapport with Principal: Focuses on the teacher’s feelings regarding the principal’s professional competency, interest in teacher welfare, communication ability, and skill in human relations. (20 items)
• Satisfaction with Teaching: Deals with teacher relationships with students and overall feelings of personal satisfaction derived from the teaching profession. (20 items)
• Rapport among Teachers: Examines a teacher’s relationships and professional cooperation with other colleagues. (14 items)
• Teacher Salary: Addresses the teacher’s feelings about current salary levels and established salary policies. (7 items)
• Teacher Load: Concerns factors contributing to workload stress, including record-keeping, clerical work, community demands on time, extracurricular duties, and the burden of professional development. (11 items)
• Curriculum Issues: Measures teacher reactions to the adequacy of the school program in effectively meeting student needs. (5 items)
• Teacher Status: Assesses the prestige, security, and benefits associated with the teaching profession. (8 items)
• Community Support of Education: Measures the extent to which the community understands and is willing to support a sound educational program. (5 items)
• School Facilities and Services: Deals with the adequacy of physical facilities, supplies, and equipment, as well as the efficiency of procedures for obtaining necessary materials and services. (5 items)
• Community Pressures: Addresses community expectations regarding the teacher’s personal standards, participation in outside-school activities, and freedom to discuss controversial issues in the classroom. (5 items)

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report opinionnaire/Attitude scale

Format: 100 items scored on a 4-point Likert-type scale.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Teachers (Professional educators, standardized primarily on high school teachers).

Age Group: Adults (Professional educators)

Population Details: The original standardization sample consisted of 3,023 high school teachers drawn from 60 stratified random sample schools in Indiana and 16 schools in Eastern Oregon.

Test Methodology: The PTO uses a 4-point response scale where 4 is the most positive response (Agree = 4; Probably Agree = 3; Probably Disagree = 2; and Disagree = 1). Scoring is reversed for 26 specific items (1, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 18, 25, 30, 31, 34, 40, 42, 45, 54, 56, 60, 71, 72, 76, 79, 81, 85, 98, and 99) to ensure that a higher total score consistently reflects higher overall morale.

Keywords

Educational Leadership, Job Satisfaction, School Climate, Principal-Teacher Relations, Psychological Assessment, Opinionnaire, Purdue University, School Management.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Correspondence Address: Purdue Research Foundation, Lafayette, IN, Purdue University (Based on 1970 publication)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was originally developed and published in 1970 by the Purdue Research Foundation at Purdue University. Information regarding current usage permissions and associated fees must be sought directly from the copyright holder or subsequent authorized distributors.

Test Year: 1970

Reference’s

Bentley, R. R., and Rempel, A. M. (1970). Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire. Lafayette, IN: Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue University.

Carroll, D. F. O. (1992). Teacher morale as related to school leadership behavior. EdD dissertation, East Tennessee State University.

Fisher, P. V. (2010). An investigation of leadership best practices and teacher moral in six community college child development centers in southern California. PhD dissertation, Capella University.

Ivie, S. C. (2007). School leaders’ behavior informed by thirteen core leadership competencies and the relationship to teacher job satisfaction. EdD dissertation, University of Memphis.

Pikos, S. (1993). Perceptions of building administrators and teachers at the secondary level on the role of the teacher in shared decision-making. EdD dissertation, Wayne State University.

Zbikowski, L. G. (1992). A study of the relationship between elementary principal leadership behavior and teacher morale. PhD dissertation, Michigan State University.

Items of the Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Details, “red tape,” and required reports absorb too much of my time.

2. The work of individual faculty members is appreciated and commended by our principal.

3. Teachers feel free to criticize administrative policy at faculty meetings called by our principal.

4. The faculty feels that their salary suggestions are adequately transmitted by the administration to the school board.

5. Our principal shows favoritism in his relations with the teachers in our school.

6. Teachers in this school are expected to do an unreasonable amount of recordkeeping and clerical work.

7. My principal makes a real effort to maintain close contact with the faculty.

8. Community demands upon the teacher’s time are unreasonable.

9. I am satisfied with the policies under which pay raises are granted.

10. My teaching load is greater than that of most of the other teachers in our school.

11. The extracurricular load of the teachers in our school is unreasonable.

12. Our principal’s leadership in faculty meetings challenges and stimulates our professional growth.

13. My teaching position gives me the social status in the community that I desire.

14. The number of hours a teacher must work is unreasonable.

15. Teaching enables me to enjoy many of the material and cultural things I like.

16. My school provides me with adequate classroom supplies and equipment.

17. Our school has a well-balanced curriculum.

18. There is a great deal of griping, arguing, taking sides, and feuding among our teachers.

19. Teaching gives me a great deal of personal satisfaction.

20. The curriculum of our school makes reasonable provision for student individual differences.

21. The procedures for obtaining materials and services are well defined and efficient.

22. Generally, teachers in our school do not take advantage of one another.

23. The teachers in our school cooperate with each other to achieve common, personal, and professional objectives.

24. Teaching enables me to make my greatest contribution to society.

25. The curriculum of our school is in need of major revisions.

26. I love to teach.

27. If I could plan my career again, I would choose teaching.

28. Experienced faculty members accept new and younger members as colleagues.

29. I would recommend teaching as an occupation to students of high scholastic ability.

30. If I could earn as much money in another occupation, I would stop teaching.

31. The school schedule places my classes at a disadvantage.

32. The school tries to follow a generous policy regarding fringe benefits, professional travel, professional study, etc.

33. My principal makes my work easier and more pleasant.

34. Keeping up professionally is too much of a burden.

35. Our community makes its teachers feel as though they are a real part of the community.

36. Salary policies are administered with fairness and justice.

37. Teaching affords me the security I want in a position.

38. My school principal understands and recognizes good teaching procedures.

39. Teachers clearly understand the policies governing salary increases.

40. My classes are used as a “dumping ground” for problem students.

41. The lines and methods of communication between teachers and the principal in our school are well developed and maintained.

42. My teaching load in this school is unreasonable.

43. My principal shows a real interest in my department.

44. Our principal promotes a sense of belonging among the teachers in our school.

45. My heavy teaching load unduly restricts my nonprofessional activities.

46. I find my contacts with students, for the most part, highly satisfying and rewarding.

47. I feel that I am an important part of this school system.

48. The competency of teachers in our school compares favorably with that of teachers in other schools that I know.

49. My school provides the teachers with adequate audiovisual aids and projection equipment.

50. I feel successful and competent in my present position.

51. I enjoy working with student organizations, clubs, and societies.

52. Our teaching staff is congenial to work with.

53. My teaching associates are well prepared for their jobs.

54. Our school faculty has a tendency to form into cliques.

55. The teachers in our school work well together.

56. I am at a disadvantage professionally because other teachers are better prepared to teach than I am.

57. Our school provides adequate clerical services for the teachers.

58. As far as I know, the other teachers think I am a good teacher.

59. Library facilities and resources are adequate for the grade or subject area which I teach.

60. The “stress and strain” resulting from teaching makes teaching undesirable for me.

61. My principal is concerned with the problems of the faculty and handles these problems sympathetically.

62. I do not hesitate to discuss any school problem with my principal.

63. Teaching gives me the prestige I desire.

64. My teaching job enables me to provide a satisfactory standard of living for my family.

65. The salary schedule in our school adequately recognizes teacher competency.

66. Most of the people in this community understand and appreciate good education.

67. In my judgment, this community is a good place to raise a family.

68. This community respects its teachers and treats them like professional persons.

69. My principal acts as though he is interested in me and my problems.

70. My school principal supervises rather than “snoopervises” the teachers in our school.

71. It is difficult for teachers to gain acceptance by the people in this community.

72. Teachers’ meetings as now conducted by our principal waste the time and energy of the staff.

73. My principal has a reasonable understanding of the problems connected with my teaching assignment.

74. I feel that my work is judged fairly by my principal.

75. Salaries paid in this school system compare favorably with salaries in other systems with which I am familiar.

76. Most of the actions of students irritate me.

77. The cooperativeness of teachers in our school helps make my work more enjoyable.

78. My students regard me with respect and seem to have confidence in my professional ability.

79. The purposes and objectives of the school cannot be achieved by the present curriculum.

80. The teachers in our school have a desirable influence on the values and attitudes of their students.

81. This community expects its teachers to meet unreasonable personal standards.

82. My students appreciate the help I give them with their school work.

83. To me there is no more challenging work than teaching.

84. Other teachers in our school are appreciative of my work.

85. As a teacher in this community my nonprofessional activities outside of school are unduly restricted.

86. As a teacher, I think I am as competent as most other teachers.

87. The teachers with whom I work have high professional ethics.

88. Our school curriculum does a good job of preparing students to become enlightened and competent citizens.

89. I really enjoy working with my students.

90. The teachers in our school show a great deal of initiative and creativity in their teaching assignments.

91. Teachers in our community feel free to discuss controversial issues in their classes.

92. My principal tries to make me feel comfortable when he visits my classes.

93. My principal makes effective use of the individual teacher’s capacity and talent.

94. The people in this community, generally, have a sincere and wholehearted interest in the school system.

95. Teachers feel free to go to the principal about problems of personal and group welfare.

96. This community supports ethical procedures regarding the appointment and reappointment of the teaching staff.

97. This community is willing to support a good program of education.

98. Our community expects the teachers to participate in too many social activities.

99. Community pressures prevent me from doing my best as a teacher.

100. I am well satisfied with my present teaching position.