Psychometric quality of student-teacher relationship drawings among young children in the Netherlands and China

This study investigated the psychometric quality and mean differences in Student–Teacher Relationship Drawings of 5-to-8-year-old children in the Netherlands and China. A sample of 239 children (52.3% boys, 47.7% girls) from different regions in the Netherlands and 190 children (49.5% boys, 50.5% girls) from Zhejiang, China was recruited. Children were asked to draw a picture of themselves and their teachers twice, which were double-coded on seven dimensions by independent raters. Structural equation modelling suggested that a one-factor model was the best solution. The drawing dimensions had sufficient test–retest measurement invariance and test–retest reliability. At both timepoints, drawing dimensions reached partial scalar invariance across the Dutch sample and the Chinese sample. Drawings of Chinese children indicated more favourable relationships with teachers than those of Dutch children. Lastly, girls and older children perceived their relationships with teachers more favourably than boys and younger children. Our findings suggest that relationship drawings could be a useful tool to compare young children’s relationship perceptions with teachers across countries.