Measuring teacher attitudes towards change: an empirical validation

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to validate a substantiated Teacher Attitudes towards Change (TATC) model and an instrument to identify critical components of TATC. A total of 936 teachers from 47 high-performing secondary schools completed the survey. Five different pretests had been applied to ensure the validity and reliability of the instrument: (a) review by academic colleagues; (b) verification and comments from panel; (c) personal interviews with respondents about the questionnaire format, syntax and design; (d) evaluation of item clarity; and (e) assessment of internal consistency reliability. Following these, exploratory factor analysis was employed to identify the underlying factors, whereas confirmatory factor analysis was applied to test the measurement models. The analysis yielded a three-factor model: (a) cognitive; (b) behavioural; and (c) affective reaction to change. The results demonstrated a good fit of the model: normed x2 = 4.412, TLI = 0.966, CFI = 0.977 and RMSEA = 0.060. Psychometric analyses provided evidence for convergent validity, discriminant validity and construct reliability. The TATC model is an empirically tested model derived in local Malaysian setting. It provides direction for practitioners in planning and designing training programs for school principals in enhancement of positive TATC. The TATC scale offers a promising measure for examining TATC for practitioners and researchers.