Psychometric Properties of a Newly Developed Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale for Teachers of Students with ASD

Background:  

Special education teachers have a difficult job providing individualized instruction, collecting progress data, and facing the potential for slower student progress (Farber, 2001). These increased expectations often result in high levels of stress, burnout, and teacher turnover. Recent research has focused on examining the role of teacher self-efficacy as a buffer to stress and burnout.

Utilizing self-report measures, researchers have found that teachers with lower self-efficacy experience more difficulties in teaching, decreased job satisfaction, and higher levels of stress related to teaching (Betoret, 2006). Additionally, teachers indicate high levels of stress attributed to working with students with disabilities and an overall sense that they lack professional competence (Kokkinos & Davazoglou, 2009).

The drastic rise in the identification of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has put special education teachers at a heightened risk for stress and burnout due to the unique deficits in social, communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior (Jennett, Harris, & Mesibov, 2003). Despite these concerns, little research has examined the role of teacher self-efficacy among teachers of students with ASD. One study found that teachers who reported higher levels of confidence in their classroom management abilities reported lower levels of burnout (Ruble, Usher, & McGrew, 2011). However, the researchers recommended a teacher self-efficacy measure that is more sensitive to the skills and tasks required of teachers of students with ASD for future research.

Objectives:  

The purpose of this study is two-fold: (a) to evaluate the psychometric properties (dimensionality, internal consistency, and construct validity) of a newly developed teacher self-efficacy scale for teachers of students with ASD that assesses teachers' perceptions of their ability to conduct various assessment, intervention, and classroom-based practices for students with ASD; and (b) to replicate findings of a previous study (Ruble et al., 2011) with a new sample using this more specific teacher self-efficacy measure and to examine how it relates to teacher stress and burnout.

Methods:  

Data were collected as part of a larger randomized controlled study (Ruble, McGrew, Toland, & Dalrymple, 2011).  Data were collected at baseline from 44 special education teachers of children between the ages of three and eight with ASD.  Teacher self-report on the teacher self-efficacy scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Part B of the Index of Teaching Stress will be analyzed. 

Results:  

Internal consistency of reliability will be estimated using Cronbach's coefficient alpha, Pearson correlations will be estimated to examine the relationship of self-efficacy with stress and burnout, and dimensionality will be examined using principal components parallel analysis using raw data permutations.

Conclusions:

This research will evaluate the utility of a new measure that is catered to the unique skill set required of teachers of students with ASD. Furthermore, results will reveal the relationship between teacher self-efficacy, stress, and burnout. Given the increase in students identified with ASD and the typical lack of teacher training in autism, it is important to know whether the beliefs that teachers hold about their skills in educating students with ASD is related to teachers' reported levels of stress and burnout.