Transcultural validation of the "Teacher Stress Inventory" (TSI) in Arabic: An exploratory study on stress among Tunisian teachers

Badyi Sai ¹ Mohamed Baaziz ¹ Ismail Dergaa ² Halil Ibrahim CEYLAN ^3* Noomen Guelmami ⁴ Valentina Stefanica ^5,6 Mohamed Jaraya ⁷ Muntean Raul Ioan ^8* Abderraouf Ben ⁹

• ¹ High Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Gafsa, University of Gafsa, Gafsa, Tunisia
• ² Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Saïd, University of Manouba, Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
• ³ Physical Education of Sports Teaching Department, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Erzurum, Türkiye
• ⁴ Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education Kef, University of Jendouba, Tunis, Tunisia
• ⁵ Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
• ⁶ Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sciences, Physical Education and Informatics, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Pitesti University Center, Pitesti, Arges, Romania
• ⁷ High institute of Sports and Physical Education, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
• ⁸ Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, University “1 Decembrie 10 1918” of Alba Iulia, Alba Iulia, Romania
• ⁹ Tunisian Research Laboratory “Sports Performance Optimization”, National Center of Medicine and Science in Sports (CNMSS; LR09SEP01), Tunis, Tunisia

Background The Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) is an instrument for assessing the multifaceted stressors experienced by educators. However, its original English format necessitates cultural adaptation to ensure relevance for Arabic-speaking contexts. Aim This study aimed to validate the TSI in Arabic for Tunisian teachers, assessing its psychometric properties, including factorial structure, internal reliability, construct validity, and sensitivity. Methods We used back-translation to validate the Arabic version of the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI-A). We collected data from a total of 1292 teachers aged 45.22 ± 5.99 years. These participants from primary and secondary schools across Tunisia formed an exploratory sample of 544 teachers (52.60% female) to determine the factor structure and a confirmatory sample of 748 teachers (50.50% female) to test validity. Results The results from the EFA indicate that the TSI-A scale is aligned well with the theoretical model, demonstrating strong internal consistency across all factors. All 49 items of the TSI-A exhibited excellent reliability, as indicated by McDonald's omega (0.912), Cronbach's alpha (0.923), and Gutmann's lambda-6 (0.954) coefficients, and solid temporal stability (ICC = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.83-0.94) over 2 weeks. Similarly, the CFA fit indices were satisfactory. Conclusion This study's results confirmed the TSI-A's validity for Tunisian teachers, illustrating its robust reliability and psychometric soundness. The tool is essential for identifying stressors in Tunisia's educational environment, marked by issues such as overcrowded classrooms and resource constraints. The TSI-A can assist school administrators and policymakers in executing targeted actions to mitigate teacher stress. It establishes a foundation for cross-cultural comparisons among Arabic-speaking countries, enhancing comprehension of educator well-being in the Arab world.