DOI: 10.4231/qa2n-vt09
title: Survey of Preschool Teachers and Arts Education (SPTAE)

description: &lt;p data-end="855" data-start="226"&gt;The Survey of Preschool Teachers and Arts Education (SPTAE) is a research-based instrument developed to assess the extent and accessibility of arts education opportunities provided in preschool classrooms. Situated within the broader context of early childhood education and equity in access to the arts, the SPTAE is designed to capture teachers&rsquo; self-reported practices related to the frequency, variety, and inclusiveness of arts activities across multiple domains (e.g., dance, drama, media arts, music, and visual arts), as well as structural and contextual factors that support or limit children&rsquo;s access to these experiences.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p data-end="1262" data-start="857"&gt;The primary purpose of the SPTAE is to provide a reliable and valid measure of preschool teachers&rsquo; instructional practices in arts education and the degree to which arts opportunities are accessible to all children in early learning settings. The instrument also aims to document disparities in access and to identify programmatic and environmental conditions associated with more robust arts integration.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p data-end="1897" data-start="1264"&gt;To establish the psychometric properties of the SPTAE, the instrument was administered to a sample of 157 preschool teachers in Indiana. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were employed to examine the underlying factor structure and to provide evidence of construct validity. Content validity was supported through the systematic development of items grounded in early childhood and arts education literature and expert review. Internal consistency reliability was evaluated using standard reliability coefficients, demonstrating acceptable to strong reliability across the identified subscales.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p data-end="2256" data-start="1899"&gt;Results of the validation study provided evidence that the SPTAE is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring preschool teachers&rsquo; provision of and access to arts education. The finalized factor structure reflected coherent dimensions of arts opportunities and accessibility, supporting the theoretical framework guiding the instrument&rsquo;s development.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p data-end="2759" data-start="2258"&gt;The SPTAE can be applied in both research and practice to assess arts programming in early childhood settings, evaluate the impact of professional development in arts education, and inform policy and programmatic decisions aimed at improving equity and quality in preschool arts experiences. It offers researchers, administrators, and policymakers a systematic tool for monitoring arts education practices and for guiding efforts to expand meaningful, accessible arts opportunities for young children.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="margin-left:48px; text-indent:-.5in"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12pt"&gt;&lt;span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""&gt;Begeske, J. (2022) &lt;i&gt;Development, psychometric evaluation, and validation of an instrument to measure implementation and accessibility of preschool arts education&lt;/i&gt; (Publication No. 30505855). [Doctoral dissertation, Purdue University]. ProQuest One Academic. &lt;a href="https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/development-psychometric-evaluation-validation/docview/2838331781/se-2" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline"&gt;https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/development-psychometric-evaluation-validation/docview/2838331781/se-2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
description: The SPTAE assesses the arts opportunities in preschool and their accessibility. The SPTAE was validated in a sample of 157 preschool teachers; providing evidence of content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency reliability.