Development and validation of a Japanese version of the Teachers Acceptance and Action Questionnaire

Abstract

Experiential avoidance related to teachers or teaching can be assessed using the Teachers Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (TAAQ); however, no Japanese version of the TAAQ has thus far been presented. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the TAAQ and examine its reliability and validity. The participants were 300 elementary or middle school teachers in Japan (201 men, 99 women; mean age = 45.37, SD = 10.42). A one-factor structure was identified using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was assessed using item-total correlation coefficients and Cronbach’s alpha, while test-retest reliability was measured using intraclass correlation coefficients. The results demonstrated sufficient reliability. Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients—with scales that measure burnout, experiential avoidance (EA) in general, teachers’ occupational stressors, work engagement, and worry—were calculated to examine concurrent validity and showed a small-to-large significant correlation. Mediation analyses—with occupational stressors as the independent variable, the three factors of burnout as the dependent variables, and teaching-related EA as the mediation variable—were also conducted to examine construct validity, which showed significant mediation models. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine incremental validity; it showed that once the Japanese version of the TAAQ was added, the effect on burnout improved. Although our Japanese version of the TAAQ has some limitations, it showed sufficient reliability and validity; therefore, its use as a scale in future research is acceptable.