The development and psychometric evaluation of a support scale for pre-school inclusion

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a new scale, the 'Supports Scale For Preschool Inclusion' (SSPI), to assess pre-school teachers' perceptions of necessary factors and availability of supports for a successful inclusion in pre-school educational settings. Pre-school teachers (n = 183, mean age = 32.81, standard deviation = 8.29) from all regions of Turkey participated in the study. They were asked to fill in each item of the SSPI for two dimensions, namely necessity and support dimensions, by rating on a four-point Likert-type scale from 1 (none) to 4 (completely). A number of reliability and validity analyses-such as internal consistency, test-retest reliabilities and factor and criterion validities-were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the SSPI. The results showed that the 34-item respondent-based scale is a reliable and valid instrument to assess pre-school teachers' perception of necessities and availabilities of supports for successful inclusion. Findings were discussed in relation to the usage of the scale in inclusive settings. © 2006 Taylor & Francis.