Assessing teachers' intervention-related expectations and self-efficacy: An examination of the factor structure of the implementation beliefs assessment.

Abstract

Individual-level determinants are hypothesized to enable or prevent successful implementation of evidence-based practices, yet there are limited options for measuring theory-informed, individual-level determinants that influence teachers' and other implementers' delivery of school-based interventions. The goal of this study was to develop a self-report scale that measures variables that have been associated with initial and sustained behavior change related to school-based intervention implementation according to the health action process approach (HAPA). Participants were a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through Grade 12 public school teachers, stratified by grade level and geographical region. Item generation was based on a systematic review of the literature on outcome expectations and self-efficacy, the core constructs related to initiating and sustaining behavior change from the HAPA and in consultation with the theory developer. The sample was randomly split; half of the sample was used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the other half was used for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA resulted in a final factor structure of three dimensions of the Implementation Beliefs Assessment (IBA): (a) implementation self-efficacy, (b) positive outcome expectations, and (c) negative outcome expectations. This structure was supported in the other half of the sample using CFA. Additional analyses supported the reliability of IBA data. The IBA represents a step forward toward psychometrically sound measurement of factors associated with initial and sustained behavior change. Implications for future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).