Capturing the Complexity of Enacting Equity-Centered Teaching Practice: A Rasch-Based Scenario-Style Scale

• In Event: Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers for Equity-Oriented Classrooms: How Do We Evaluate Their Effectiveness and Our Own?

Abstract

Purpose
This poster presents the results and use of the Teaching Equity Enactment Scenario (TEES) Scale designed to measure the complexity of teachers’ self-reported levels of enacting equity-centered practice.
Theoretical Framework
Theories of equity-centered and social-justice teaching informed the construct of teaching practice for equity (Author, 2010; Author, 2016), which comprises six interconnected principles: 1) selecting worthwhile content and designing and implementing learning opportunities aligned to valued outcomes; 2) connecting to students as learners and their lives and experiences; 3) creating learning-focused, respectful and supportive learning environments; 4) using evidence to scaffold learning and improve teaching; 5) taking an inquiry stance for further professional engagement and learning; and, 6) recognizing and challenging classroom, school, and societal practices that reproduce inequity (Author, 2017; Author, 2019).
Methods
Guided by a novel approach of integrating Rasch measurement (Rasch, 1960/80) and Guttman facet theory (Guttman, 1959) to measure complex psychological and educational constructs (Author, 2014), we hypothesized that equity-centered teaching practice could be conceptualized as a ladder-like, unidimensional continuum ranging from lower to higher levels of enactment (see Figure 1). We systematically developed 15 comparative scenario-style items with five items capturing each of three levels of enactment – low, moderate, and high (see Table 1). Participants were instructed to reflect on their practice, compare it against the practice described in a scenario, and rate their own practice based on a five-point level of enactment scale (much lower = 1, slightly lower = 2, about the same = 3, slightly higher = 4, much higher = 5). For instance, choosing about the same means that respondents conceive of their own practice as similar to the practice in a scenario. Higher scores indicate higher levels of enactment of equity-centered practice.
Data Sources
The pilot study included 73 teachers from the US and New Zealand. The calibration study included 52 novice teachers from the US. The majority of participants were white (or European), female K-12 teachers or student teachers.
Results
The Rasch rating scale model (Wright & Masters, 1982) was employed to analyze data using the WINSTEPS software package (Linacre, 2015, v3.91.2). Empirical data based on both studies suggest that the distribution of the scenarios confirms their hypothesized progression and is consistent with Rasch scale development expectations. Participants can be reliably differentiated along the continuum of enactment of practice for equity defined by the 15 scenarios (Rasch person reliability = 0.81 and Cronbach alpha = 0.86 for the calibration study). Moreover, the scale provides a rich meaningful narrative interpretation of participants’ levels of enactment based on their scores (see Table 2).
Scholarly Significance
The TEES Scale provides a powerful way to capture teachers’ equity-centered practice, which offers one piece of evidence to shape the curriculum, on-campus courses, and organization of the field work in the program. Additionally, the rich practice captured in each scenario can offer a point of entry to stimulate discussions and deeper reflections on one’s assumptions underneath the teaching practice and to identify suggestions that can support individual teachers for their professional growth.

Authors

• Wen-Chia Claire Chang, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Larry Houston Ludlow, Boston College

• Lexie Barbara Grudnoff, The University of Auckland

• Fiona Ruth Ell, University of Auckland

• Mary F. Hill, University of Auckland

• Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Boston College