Factors influencing the decision to major in special education in Saudi Arabia

The study reported on here examined the factors influencing the decision to major in special education in Saudi Arabia. The sample was composed of 394 preservice special education (SE) teacher participants of which 141 were female and 253 were male. Three different statistical analyses were used to examine the study data: Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for reliability; confirmatory factor analysis for construct validity; and t-test for examining significant differences. The findings indicate that participants have positive attitudes towards teaching and a high interest in special education. However, 34% of participants stated that they did not want to teach for the rest of their lives, and 16% reported that they chose this major although they were fully convinced that special education was not their preferred type of work. We concluded that female preservice SE teachers were most likely to be interested in the field of special education and held positive attitudes towards teaching. This study presents major potential implications for preparing special education teachers in Saudi Arabia and other countries. Keywords: college major; incentives; personal interest; Saudi Arabia; special educatio

Teachers’ Implementation of Inclusive Teaching Practices as a Potential Predictor for Students’ Perception of Academic, Social and Emotional Inclusion

The aim of the study was to illustrate the impact of teachers’ implementation of differentiation and individualization (perceived by students) on students’ perception of their inclusion regarding their social inclusion, emotional wellbeing and academic self-concept. The study sample comprised 824 third-to-eighth-grade students [255 males (31%) and 569 females (69%)]. Around 10% of the sample (82) had special educational needs (SEN). Students’ perceived inclusion levels and academic self-concept were examined with the Arabic version of the Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ-S-AR). Students’ ratings of inclusive practices in their classroom were examined using the Arabic version of the Inclusive Teaching Practices Scale (ITPS). SEN students expressed lower perceived social inclusion, emotional inclusion, and academic self-concept in comparison with non-SEN students. Moreover, high levels of inclusive teaching practices strongly predicted students’ perceived emotional inclusion, social inclusion, and academic self-concept. The results of the study supported the importance of school-level inclusive teaching practices and their relation to students’ school experiences. It also highlighted the need for schools and teachers to work towards improved school-level inclusion experiences for SEN students

The psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the mental retardation attitude inventory-revised (MRAI-R) scale

Background This study examined the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Mental Retardation Attitude Inventory-Revised (MRAI-R) scale. Method: Data were collected from 455 undergraduate college students (214 female, 241 male). A statistical analysis was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and Cronbach’s alpha. Results: The internal consistency of the MRAI-R scale overall was good (0.76). However, it was less than 0.7 for the four subscales. CFA results for the 36-item scale indicated that the observed data did not support the four-factors model. However, separating the scale into two scales based on the phrasing type of items (positively phrased or negatively phrased) resulted in an acceptable fit for the model. Conclusion: Replication of this research with a different sample from Saudi Arabia is required to confirm the results of this study. Any future iteration of this study should consider the rephrasing of some items

The Arabic version of the teacher efficacy for inclusive practices (TEIP-AR) scale: A construct validity study

This study aimed to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Arabic version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) scale. Data were collected from 432 participants in Saudi Arabia—185 in-service and 247 pre-service teachers. A statistical analysis was conducted using the following methods: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), misfit analysis via Rasch modelling, and reliability Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Good internal consistency coefficients were obtained for the TEIP scale and each of its three subscales (>.8). Acceptable fit indices were obtained from the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for a scale with 18 items in three subscales: inclusive instructions, collaboration, and managing behaviour. In conclusion, the Arabic version of the TEIP scale is valid with Arabic samples and preserves the psychometric properties and the structure of the original scale in order to measure teachers’ self-efficacy working in inclusive classrooms. Recommendations for rephrasing some items are also discussed

Validation of the Arabic Version of the Transition Planning Inventory (TPI-AR)

The Transition Planning Inventory (TPI) is an important tool for planning the transition to life after school for students with disabilities. While interest in transition services has increased in the last decade in the Arab region, no transition assessment tools validated for the Arab population are currently available. This study is the first to validate an Arabic version (TPI-AR) for all three rating forms (student, home, and school) and examine its psychometric properties. The sample comprised 203 students with disabilities, a member of their family, and one of their teachers. The 11 subscales of TPI-AR for all three forms were found reliable and valid to be used with students with disabilities in Saudi Arabia, particularly in middle and high schools

A comparative study on Saudi and Japanese in-service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education and self-efficacy in inclusive practices

Although providing equal educational opportunity for all children is the common goal for inclusive education around the world, the way of implementation is influenced by cultural, historical, and socioeconomic factors of each country. This study aims to compare Saudi and Japanese teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy in inclusive education. Data were collected from 185 Saudi and 359 Japanese in-service teachers using a survey. Quantitative analysis revealed that there was no difference between Saudi and Japanese teachers’ attitudes towards including students with disabilities. The Japanese teachers’ overall self-efficacy was lower than that of the Saudi teachers, but this result was discussed with consideration to the modesty bias prevalent in Japanese culture. The findings provide useful insights for developing pre-service and in-service teacher education, where skills considering managing student behaviour and collaboration need to be more emphasised in Saudi Arabia and knowledge of policies regarding inclusive education should be stressed in Japan.peerReviewe

Rasch Analysis of the Japanese Version of Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices Scale : Scale Unidimensionality

This study aimed to examine the construct validity of the Japanese version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) scale. The sample consisted of 250 teachers in Japan. Rasch analysis was used to examine the psychometric properties of the scale. Results did not support the 18-item Japanese version of the TEIP scale as a unidimensional scale for measuring TEIP. However, they do support the final 14-item Japanese version of the TEIP scale as a unidimensional scale for measuring TEIP. Four items were removed from the original 18-item scale (items 12, 8, 5, and 3) for violation of the local independency assumption. No item with differential item functioning (DIF) was detected. Only one item (item 18) was rescored to solve a threshold disorder. Further studies with different samples are warranted to confirm the study findings.peerReviewe

Psychometric Properties and Rasch Validation of the Teachers’ Version of the Perception of Resources Questionnaire

Alnahdi GH, Goldan J, Schwab S. Psychometric Properties and Rasch Validation of the Teachers’ Version of the Perception of Resources Questionnaire. Frontiers in Psychology. 2021;12: 633801.Research indicates that the perception of available resources is a key factor for the implementation of inclusive education. Regarding the teachers, a relatively high level of perceived personnel and physical resources is associated with more positive attitudes toward inclusive education and experiencing a higher level of self-efficacy. Thus, this study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the teacher version of the Perceptions of Resources Questionnaire (PRQ-T). Data were collected from a sample of 1,078 in-service teachers in Austria. Different statistical analyses were used, including Rasch analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The results indicated good psychometric properties of the PRQ-T regarding internal consistency measured by person separation index (PSI) and construct validity by both confirmatory factor analysis and the Rasch analysis. Moreover, the findings supported that the PRQ-T is a two-factor scale to measure teachers’ perceptions of personnel and physical resources in inclusive education. Further studies with different samples are necessary to confirm the findings

Measuring Family Quality of Life: Scoping Review of the Available Scales and Future Directions

The lack of quality of life is a key issue for families with children with an intellectual disability. While the quality of life for people with disabilities has previously been researched as an individual variable, this has now shifted to include family members. The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of the studies measuring the quality of life of families with an intellectually disabled member, in order to identify the most commonly used scales and their psychometric properties. Method: Data were collected from six databases (ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, MedLine, and Google Scholar), and this search yielded 3948 studies. One hundred and twenty studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Results: Nine scales were used in the last years to measure the quality of life for families with individuals with an intellectual disability. The Beach Center scale was the most common scale, followed by the Family Quality of Life Survey and the World Health Organization’s quality of life assessment (WHOQoL-BREF). The results showed that the included studies in the review lack the consideration of a broader population representing the different types of cultures with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Key aspects used to assess the FQoL are environmental factors (proximal and distal factors), as well as economic factors. Conclusion: Although the operationalization of the FQoL often incudes several subthemes, a general agreement regarding which domains of the FQoL need to be included in the measurements, and these do not exist right now. Moreover, multidimensional scales are still rare