Construction and Validation of an Instrument to Assess Secondary Teachers' Perceptions of Career Readiness Outcomes

• In Event: Multiple Perspectives on Accountability in Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument intended to assess teachers’ perceptions of career readiness as an outcome of secondary schools. All [state] secondary teachers were invited to complete the preliminary instrument via email. Principal axis factor analysis with direct oblimin rotation was used to produce a final three-factor solution that included 27 instrument items. Reliability analysis on the instrument produced a Cronbach’s alpha level of .95 with individual subscales ranging from .79 to .92. It is recommended the instrument be used to assess teachers’ perceptions of career readiness in order to develop effective professional development, establish useful local-level school policies, and guide administrators as they provide support to their classroom teachers.

Authors

• Brooke L Thiel, North Dakota State University

• Adam Marx, North Dakota State University