Factorial Validity of an Instrument Designed to Assess Staff Training Needs in an Ethnically and Culturally Diverse School District

Abstract

The factorial validity of a 55 item instrument designed for use in a recently desegregated school district to assess staff needs as a basis for training was investigated. The instrument was designed to help determine needs in five areas: (1) multicultural awareness, (2) instructional leadership, (3) discipline strategies, (4) communication skills, and (5) instructional strategies. It was administered to 204 elementary school teachers and principals from the district. In a principal components factor analysis of the intercorrelation of item responses followed by varimax rotation, five empirical factors were identified which correspond to the five hypothesized categories of items. Therefore, the instrument appeared useful for determination of levels of five different needs, for training of school staff, and for assessment of the effectiveness of training programs intended to meet the five needs categories represented by the instrument.