Measuring teacher efficacy to implement inclusive practices

TLDR

The study aimed to develop an instrument to measure perceived teacher efficacy for inclusive classroom instruction. An 18‑item scale was created using a sample of 607 pre‑service teachers from Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, and India. Factor analysis identified three factors—efficacy in inclusive instruction, collaboration, and managing disruptive behaviors—with a total scale alpha of 0.89 and factor alphas ranging 0.85–0.93, indicating reliable measurement across the four countries.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure perceived teacher efficacy to teach in inclusive classrooms. An 18‐item scale was developed on a sample of 607 pre‐service teachers selected from four countries (Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and India). Factor analysis of responses from the sample revealed three factors: efficacy in using inclusive instruction, efficacy in collaboration and efficacy in dealing with disruptive behaviours. The alpha coefficient for the total scale was 0.89. Alpha coefficients for the three factors ranged from 0.85 to 0.93. Reliability analysis for the total scale as well as factors for each country suggested that the scale provides a reliable measure of pre‐service teacher perceptions of self‐efficacy for inclusion across different countries.