On the Elusive Nature of Measuring Teacher Change: An Examination of the Stages of Concern Questionnaire

Abstract

This study builds on the work of Bailey and Palsha (1992), which investigated the quality of data gathered from the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ), an instrument based on the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) for measuring teacher concerns during a reform effort. The present study examined two hypotheses: (1) the subscales of Awareness and Refocusing lack reliability and should be removed from consideration in the SoCQ instrument; and (2) reorganising the seven-stage SoCQ into a five-stage questionnaire can provide more representative data aboutlevels of concern. Investigators examined data from two groups of teachers involved in implementing a new algebra curriculum. Primary methods of inquiry included computing measures of internal consistency and conducting confirmatory factor analyses. Results of the study supported the first hypothesis but did not support the second hypothesis. Collecting qualitative data that will identify teacher concerns more precisely is suggested as a means of validat...