Parental Attitudes Towards Inclusiveness Instrument: Developing a Multidimensional Attitudinal Scale

• In Event: Connections and Relationships Shaping and Redefining Queerness in Education

Abstract

Australian educators are advised that, if they discuss gender and sexuality diversity (GSD), they shoulder the burden of proof that such inclusions are aligned with their school’s community values. This is problematic for many reasons, not the least of which is that Australian parents’ perceptions of GSD-inclusive curriculum remain largely unknown. This paper outlines the development and piloting process for an original multidimensional measure of parental attitudes towards inclusiveness (“PATII”), which measures parents’ perceived supports for and barriers to GSD-inclusive education. Pilot testing resulted in an 8-factor measure, with excellent model fit and factorial invariance across participant sub-cohorts. This measure can be used at the federal, state and local school levels to collect large-scale trend data on parental sentiment.

Authors

• Jacqueline Ullman, Western Sydney University, Sydney (Australia)

• Lucy Hobby, University of Western Sydney

• Tania Ferfolja, University of Western Sydney