Critical Consciousness of Educators: The Development and Validation of a Measure

• In Event: Scale Validation

Abstract

This study presents a measure of critical consciousness (CC) of educators, defined by the researcher as the capacity of educators to have awareness of marginalization, perceive inequality and privilege, and act on oppressive structures within society and the educational system. First, the researcher uses exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with a population of 494 public school educators to examine the construct of critical consciousness. Results reveal three internally consistent factors: (a) critical awareness, (b) critical reflection, and (c) critical action. Second, the researcher uses confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with a new sample of 494 public school educators. Strong model fit estimates confirm the factor structure, resulting in a final 19-item novel measure known as the Critical Consciousness of Educators Scale (CCES).

Author

• Melissa Peterson Schneider, University of Denver