Validity Issues in Assessing Disposition: The Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a Teacher Disposition Form

• In Event: 14.046 - Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: 14.046-2 - Division K Section 10 Poster Sessions

Abstract

Abstract
Critics against the inclusion of disposition as part of the teacher education accreditation focus on (1) the lack of an operational definition of disposition generally agreed upon, and (2) the dearth of empirical literature on reliably and validly accessing disposition (Borko, Liston, & Whitcomb, 2007).
In this study, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is performed to test the validity of a teacher disposition form (5 factors and 12 indicators) employed by a southern American university to assess teacher candidates from 2006 to 2016. The initial CFA results revealed highly unsatisfactory model fit statistics. Further model modifications are then implemented to remove two single-indicator factors (Diversity and Collaboration) from the original structure, and significantly improved the model fit.

Authors

• Chunling Niu, Western Kentucky University

• Kimberlee Callister Everson, Western Kentucky University

• Cassie F. Zippay, Western Kentucky University

• Sylvia Dietrich, Western Kentucky University