The Teacher Staff Development Survey: Assessing Its Reliability and Validity in Relation to Teacher Efficacy.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the validity of the Competence subscale of the Teacher Staff Development Survey (TSDS) as a measure of the teacher efficiency construct. Results from regular education elementary school teachers (N=296) revealed a subscale structure of the TSDS that differed from the subscale structure originally designed by the Tempe (Arizona) School District. Specifically, six independent factors (i.e., subscales) were revealed: (1) Teacher Efficacy; (2) Organizational Efficacy; (3) Inclusion; (4) Resources; (5) Teaming; and (6) Self-Evaluation. The Competence subscale of the TSDS, as originally proposed by the Tempe School District, did not emerge as an independent subscale. Instead, this scale appeared to break down into two separate subscales: Teacher Efficacy and Organizational Efficacy. The Teacher Efficacy subscale of the TSDS was found not only to be a valid measure of teacher efficacy, but also to provide a better means of assessing the construct than the Competence subscale originally proposed by the Tempe School District. This subscale may be conceptualized as a measure of the personal teaching efficacy dimension of teacher efficacy. As an index of personal teaching efficacy, the Teacher Efficacy subscale appears to have utility in assessing the effectiveness of not only Project RIDE (Responding to Individual Differences in Education), but also other programs in which the objective is to enhance teachers' skills in dealing with "at-risk" students. The Teacher Efficacy subscale may not be appropriate, however, for evaluating programs where influencing teachers' perceptions of the general teaching efficacy dimension is of greater concern. Contains 4 tables and 24 references. (TS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** The Teacher Staff Development Survey: Assessing its Reliability and Validity in Relation to Teacher Efficacy Gloria Strychasz Arizona State University Mary Arredondo Tempe, Arizona School District No. 3 A paper presented at the annual convention of the National Association of School Psychologists, Atlanta, March, 1996 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION ' CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY c-i-r-yc 45z ° Points of view or opinions stated in this TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES document do not necessarily represent 2 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. The Teacher Staff Development Survey: Assessing its Reliability and Validity in Relation to Teacher Efficacy In an effort to fulfill the promise of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), proponents of a movement called the Regular Education Initiative (REI) have called for a restructuring of present systems serving students with disabilities (Reynolds, Wang, & Walberg, 1987; Will, 1986). Opposing the practice of placing students with special needs in segregated programs, the REI endorses the mainstreaming of exceptional children in regular education classrooms. Supporters of the REI contend that regular education can provide services to the full range of exceptional children and encourage the delivery of indirect special education services (Nelson, Smith, Taylor, Dodd, & Reavis, 1991). Prereferral Interventions To realize the goal of mainstreaming, supporters of the REI suggest implementing regular classroom interventions designed to prevent the referral, and subsequent disabled classification, of exceptional students (Will, 1986). Such strategies, termed "prereferral interventions," assist teachers in the education of students experiencing problems in their classrooms (Pugach & Johnson, 1989). Research on prereferral intervention approaches indicates that these strategies can maintain students in regular education programs (e.g., Graden, Casey, & Christenson, 1985), enhance teachers' abilities to accommodate students experiencing classroom difficulty (e.g., Pugach & Johnson, 1988), and positively affect student performance (e.g., Fuchs & Fuchs, 1990). Project RIDE The prereferral intervention program, Project RIDE (Responding to Individual Differences in Education), is based on the premise that "teachers, when provided with the necessary resources and support, can become their own best problem solvers" (Beck, 1990, p. 5). The Project RIDE model consists of three major components, including (a) a teacher self-evaluation questionnaire based on effective classroom practices, (b) a Computer Tactics Bank/Video Library, and (c) School-Wide Assistance Teams (Beck & Weast, 1990; Jones, Bender, & McLaughlin, 1992). The School-Wide Assistance Team (SWAT) involves a team of teachers working together to support their peers in resolving classroom problems. Based on the Teacher Assistance Team model developed by Chalfont, Pysh, and Moultrie (1979), the SWAT functions as a building-based, problem solving unit to assist teachers in accommodating students with special needs in the regular classroom (Beck, 1990). Teacher Efficacy Teacher efficacy and student achievement. An important contributor to the success of prereferral intervention programs is the level of efficacy of the teachers involved in the program (Sindelar, Griffin, Smith, and Watanabe, 1992). Teacher efficacy