Table of Contents
Wilczenski, F. L. (1995). Development of a scale to measure attitudes toward inclusive education. Educational and Psychological Measurement 55:291–99.
Comments:
The 16-item Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale (ATIES) assesses attitudes toward including students with disabilities in regular education classrooms. The scale contains four statements in each of the following categories: academic, behavioral, physical, and social integration. The basis for this scale is the Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale that was developed by Berryman (1988).
Sample:
The participants consisted of 445 regular education teachers from urban, suburban, and rural school districts in New Hampshire.
Data Analysis:
Rasch analysis was conducted through BIGSTEPS (a computer program used to analyze the data on a rating scale). Therefore, the nonlinear scores were changed into linear scores. Infit and outfit statistics as well as calibrations and standard errors are reported. According to the author, the item-fit statistics were acceptable, indicating a unidimensional construct.
References
Berryman, J. D. (1988). Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale: Factorial validity for a lay population. Educational and Psychological Measurement 48:231–36.
Wilczenski, F. L. (1992). Measuring attitudes toward inclusive education. Psychology in the Schools 29:306–12. Wright, B. D., and Linacre, J. M. (1993). BIGSTEPS: Rasch-model computer program. Chicago: MESA Press.
Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale
1. Students whose academic achievement is two or more years below the other students in the grade should be in regular classes.
2. Students who are physically aggressive toward their peers should be in regular classes.
3. Students who cannot move without help from others should be in regular classes.
4. Students who are shy and withdrawn should be in regular classes.
5. Students whose academic achievement is one year below the other students in the grade should be in regular classes.
6. Students whose speech is difficult to understand should be in regular classes.
7. Students who cannot read standard print and need to use Braille should be in regular classes.
8. Students who are verbally aggressive toward their peers should be in regular classes.i
9. Students who have difficulty expressing their thoughts verbally should be in regular classes.
10. Students who need training in self-help skills and activities of daily living should be in regular classes.
11. Students who use sign language or communication boards should be in regular classes.
12. Students who cannot control their behavior and disrupt activities should be in regular classes.
13. Students who need an individualized functional academic program in everyday reading and math skills should be in regular classes.
14. Students who cannot hear conversational speech should be in regular classes.
15. Students who do not follow school rules for conduct should be in regular classes.
16. Students who are frequently absent from school should be in regular classes.
Scoring:
Strongly Agree = 6; Agree = 5; Agree Somewhat = 4; Disagree Somewhat = 3; Disagree = 2; Strongly Disagree = 1.