Reliability and Validity of Measuring Instruments of Inclusive Practice in Higher Education
Abstract
Previous studies on students with special educational needs (SEN) focused on primary and secondary schools. As more and more students with SEN pursue their study at tertiary level, a set of measures that evaluate students’ psychosocial adjustment to inclusive settings of higher education is necessitated. This study investigated the reliability and validity of five measures that are applicable to assessing experience of students with and without SEN in inclusive settings of higher education. These measures included: (i) Core Values of Inclusive Education, (ii) Attitude towards Inclusive Education, (iii) Interaction with People with disabilities, (iv) Perception of Inclusion Questionnaire, and (v) Academic Motivation Scale. With references to literature specifying the minimum sample size of testing reliability and validity, a total of 90 students (mean age = 21.3 years, 70% males) of higher education were recruited for the present study. The data indicated that the five measures were of satisfactory reliability (Cronbach’s = .70 to .96). Content Validity Index ranged from .86 to 1.00. Construct validity was demonstrated by the expected moderate relationship between the measuring instruments and the criterion variables (p < .05). The psychometric properties of the five measuring instruments for inclusive practice in higher education were confirmed. Limitations of this study were considered and future studies suggested.
References
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Baker, S. R. (2004). Intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivational orientations. Current Psychology, 23(3), 189-202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12 144-004-1019-9
Bujang M. A., & Baharum, N. (2016). Sample size guideline for correlation analysis. World Journal of Social Science Research, 3(1), 37-46. https://doi.org/10.22 158/wjssr. v3n1p37.
Cara, M. (2013). Academic and social outcomes of children with SEN in the general education classroom. Journal of Educational and Social Research. 3(7), 90-99. https://doi.org/10.5901/jesr. 2013.v3n7p90
Chan, S. M., & Fung T. C. (2014). Reliability and validity of K10 and K6 in screening depressive symptoms in Hong Kong adolescents. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 9(1), 75-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2013.861620
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration and personality. In R. A. Diensthier (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation: Perspectives on Motivation (pp. 237-288). University of Nebraska Press
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1995). Human autonomy: The basis for true self-esteem. In M. H. Kernis (Ed.), Efficacy, agency, and self-esteem (pp. 31–49). Plenum Press.
DeVellis, R. F. (2017). Scale development: Theory and applications (4th ed.). Sage Publication.
Eisinga, R., Grotenhuis, M., & Pelzer, B. (2013). The reliability of a two-item scale: Pearson, Cronbach, or Spearman-Brown? International Journal of Public Health, 58(4), 637-642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0416-3
El-Dawa, B., & Hammoud, H. (2015). The effect of building up self-esteem training on students’ social and academic Skills. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 190, 146-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.929
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Forlin, C., Earle, C., Loreman, T., & Sharma, U. (2011). The sentiments, attitudes, and concerns about inclusive education Revised (SACIE) Scales for measuring pre-service teachers’ perception about inclusion. Exceptionality Education International, 21(3), 50-65. https://doi.org/10.5206/eei.v21i3.7682
Forlin, C., Fogarty, G., & Carroll, A. (1999). Validation of the factor structure of the Interactions with Disabled Person’s Scale. Australian Journal of Psychology, 51(1), 50-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049539908255334
Gething, L. (1992). Nurse practitioners’ and students’ attitudes towards people with disabilities. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 9(3), 25-30.
Hobart, J. C., Cano, S. J., Warner, T. T., & Thompson, A. J. (2012). What sample size for reliability and validity studies in neurology. Journal of Neurology, 259(12), 2681-2694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6570-y
Iacono, T., Tracy, J., Keating, J., & Brown, T. (2009). Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30 (6), 1490-1501. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.ridd.2009.07.010
Johanson G, & Brooks, G. (2010). Initial scale development sample size for pilot studies. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70(3), 394-400. https://doi.org/10. 1177/0013 164409355692
Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D. K., Normand, S. L. T., Walters, E. E., & Zaslavsk, A. M. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalence and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959-976. https://doi.org/10.1017}S0033291702 006074
Lam, B. H., & Yeung, A. S. W. (2005). Inclusion or Exclusion? – A study of Hong Kong students’’ affective and social outcomes in mainstream classroom. Educational Research Policy and Practice, 4(2), 145-167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-005-3509-4
Lee, S., Tsang, A., Ng, K. L., Ma, Y.L., Guo, W., Mak, A., & Kwok, K. (2012). Performance of the K6 Kessler scale for measuring serious mental illness in Hong Kong. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 53(5), 584-592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comp psych.2011.10.001
Lemos M. S., & Verissimo, L. (2014). Relationships between intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and achievement, along elementary school. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 112, 930-938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro. 2014.01.1251
Lindsay, G. (2007). Educational psychology and the effectiveness of inclusive education/mainstreaming. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709906X156881
Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the depression anxiety stress scales. Psychology Foundation.
Merritt, S. M. (2012). The two-factor solution to Allen and Meyer’s (1990) affective commitment scale: Effects of negatively worded items. Journal of Business and Psychology, 27(4), 421-436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-011-9252-3
Monteiro, R.P., Coelho, G. L. D., Hanel, P.H.P., de Medeiros, E. D., & da Silva, P. D. G. (2021). The efficient assessment of self-esteem: Proposing the Brief Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Applied Research Quality Life. https://doi.org/10.1007/s114 82-021-09936-4
Myers, N. D., Ahn, S., & Jin, Y. (2011). Sample size and power estimates for a confirmatory factor model in exercise and sport: A Monte Carlo approach. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 82(3), 413-423. https://doi.org/10.10 80/ 02701367.2011.10599773
Murdaca, A. M., Oliva, P., & Costa, S. (2018). Evaluating the perception of disability and the inclusive education of teachers: the Italian validation of the Sacie-R (Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education – Revised Scale). European Journal of Special Needs Education, 33(1), 148-156. https://doi.org/10. 1080/08856257.2016.1267944
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2006). The Content Validity Index: Are you sure you know what’s being reported? Critique and recommendations. Research in Nursing & Health, 29(5), 489-497. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20147
Ryan, R. M., & Deco, E. L. (2000). Self-Determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
Salazar, M. S. (2015). The dilemma of combining positive and negative items in scales. Psicothema, 27(2), 192-199. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2014.266q
Sharma, U., Forlin, C., & Loreman, T. (2008). Impact of training on pre-service teachers’ attitudes and concerns about inclusive education and sentiments about persons with disabilities. Disability & Society, 23(7), 773-785. https;//doi.org/10.1080/ 09887590802469271
Sharma, U., & Jacobs, D. K. (2016). Predicting in-service educators’ intentions to teach in inclusive classrooms in India and Australia. Teaching and Teacher Education, 55, 13-23. https://doi.org/10.11 11/j.1471-3802.2011.01200.x
Sin, K. F., Forlin, C., Ho, F. C., Au, M. L., & Yan, Z. (2012). Study on equal learning opportunities for students with disabilities under the integrated education system. Centre for Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education, The Hong Kong Institute of Education of Hong Kong.
Vallerand, R. J., Pelletier, L. G., Blais, M. R, Brière, N. M., Senécal, C., & Vallières, E .F. (1992). The Academic Motivation Scale: Educational and Psychological Measurement, 52(4), 1003-1017. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0013164492052004025
Venetz, M., Zurbriggen, C. L., Eckhart, M., Schwab, S., & Hessels, G. P. (2015). The Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ). English Version. https://piqinfo. chi/we
Wong-Ratcliff, M., & Ho, K. K. (2011). Can integrated education meet the needs of students with SEN? New Horizons in Education, 59(2), 101-115.
Zeleke, S. (2004). Self-concepts of students with learning disabilities and their normally achieving peers: A critical review. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 19(2), 145-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856250410001678469
Alnahdi, G. H., & Schwab (2020). Inclusive education in Saudi Arabia and Germany: Students’ perception of school well-being, social inclusion, and academic self-concept. European Journal of Special Needs Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 088556257.2020.1823163
Avrarmidis, E., & Kayla, E. (2007). The influence of teaching experience and professional development on Greek teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 22(4), 367-389. http://10.1080/08856250701649989
Baker, S. R. (2004). Intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivational orientations. Current Psychology, 23(3), 189-202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12 144-004-1019-9
Bujang M. A., & Baharum, N. (2016). Sample size guideline for correlation analysis. World Journal of Social Science Research, 3(1), 37-46. https://doi.org/10.22 158/wjssr. v3n1p37.
Cara, M. (2013). Academic and social outcomes of children with SEN in the general education classroom. Journal of Educational and Social Research. 3(7), 90-99. https://doi.org/10.5901/jesr. 2013.v3n7p90
Chan, S. M., & Fung T. C. (2014). Reliability and validity of K10 and K6 in screening depressive symptoms in Hong Kong adolescents. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 9(1), 75-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2013.861620
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration and personality. In R. A. Diensthier (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation: Perspectives on Motivation (pp. 237-288). University of Nebraska Press
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1995). Human autonomy: The basis for true self-esteem. In M. H. Kernis (Ed.), Efficacy, agency, and self-esteem (pp. 31–49). Plenum Press.
DeVellis, R. F. (2017). Scale development: Theory and applications (4th ed.). Sage Publication.
Eisinga, R., Grotenhuis, M., & Pelzer, B. (2013). The reliability of a two-item scale: Pearson, Cronbach, or Spearman-Brown? International Journal of Public Health, 58(4), 637-642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0416-3
El-Dawa, B., & Hammoud, H. (2015). The effect of building up self-esteem training on students’ social and academic Skills. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 190, 146-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.929
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Forlin, C., Earle, C., Loreman, T., & Sharma, U. (2011). The sentiments, attitudes, and concerns about inclusive education Revised (SACIE) Scales for measuring pre-service teachers’ perception about inclusion. Exceptionality Education International, 21(3), 50-65. https://doi.org/10.5206/eei.v21i3.7682
Forlin, C., Fogarty, G., & Carroll, A. (1999). Validation of the factor structure of the Interactions with Disabled Person’s Scale. Australian Journal of Psychology, 51(1), 50-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049539908255334
Gething, L. (1992). Nurse practitioners’ and students’ attitudes towards people with disabilities. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 9(3), 25-30.
Hobart, J. C., Cano, S. J., Warner, T. T., & Thompson, A. J. (2012). What sample size for reliability and validity studies in neurology. Journal of Neurology, 259(12), 2681-2694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6570-y
Iacono, T., Tracy, J., Keating, J., & Brown, T. (2009). Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30 (6), 1490-1501. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.ridd.2009.07.010
Johanson G, & Brooks, G. (2010). Initial scale development sample size for pilot studies. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70(3), 394-400. https://doi.org/10. 1177/0013 164409355692
Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D. K., Normand, S. L. T., Walters, E. E., & Zaslavsk, A. M. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalence and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959-976. https://doi.org/10.1017}S0033291702 006074
Lam, B. H., & Yeung, A. S. W. (2005). Inclusion or Exclusion? – A study of Hong Kong students’’ affective and social outcomes in mainstream classroom. Educational Research Policy and Practice, 4(2), 145-167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-005-3509-4
Lee, S., Tsang, A., Ng, K. L., Ma, Y.L., Guo, W., Mak, A., & Kwok, K. (2012). Performance of the K6 Kessler scale for measuring serious mental illness in Hong Kong. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 53(5), 584-592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comp psych.2011.10.001
Lemos M. S., & Verissimo, L. (2014). Relationships between intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and achievement, along elementary school. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 112, 930-938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro. 2014.01.1251
Lindsay, G. (2007). Educational psychology and the effectiveness of inclusive education/mainstreaming. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709906X156881
Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the depression anxiety stress scales. Psychology Foundation.
Merritt, S. M. (2012). The two-factor solution to Allen and Meyer’s (1990) affective commitment scale: Effects of negatively worded items. Journal of Business and Psychology, 27(4), 421-436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-011-9252-3
Monteiro, R.P., Coelho, G. L. D., Hanel, P.H.P., de Medeiros, E. D., & da Silva, P. D. G. (2021). The efficient assessment of self-esteem: Proposing the Brief Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Applied Research Quality Life. https://doi.org/10.1007/s114 82-021-09936-4
Myers, N. D., Ahn, S., & Jin, Y. (2011). Sample size and power estimates for a confirmatory factor model in exercise and sport: A Monte Carlo approach. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 82(3), 413-423. https://doi.org/10.10 80/ 02701367.2011.10599773
Murdaca, A. M., Oliva, P., & Costa, S. (2018). Evaluating the perception of disability and the inclusive education of teachers: the Italian validation of the Sacie-R (Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education – Revised Scale). European Journal of Special Needs Education, 33(1), 148-156. https://doi.org/10. 1080/08856257.2016.1267944
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2006). The Content Validity Index: Are you sure you know what’s being reported? Critique and recommendations. Research in Nursing & Health, 29(5), 489-497. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20147
Ryan, R. M., & Deco, E. L. (2000). Self-Determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
Salazar, M. S. (2015). The dilemma of combining positive and negative items in scales. Psicothema, 27(2), 192-199. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2014.266q
Sharma, U., Forlin, C., & Loreman, T. (2008). Impact of training on pre-service teachers’ attitudes and concerns about inclusive education and sentiments about persons with disabilities. Disability & Society, 23(7), 773-785. https;//doi.org/10.1080/ 09887590802469271
Sharma, U., & Jacobs, D. K. (2016). Predicting in-service educators’ intentions to teach in inclusive classrooms in India and Australia. Teaching and Teacher Education, 55, 13-23. https://doi.org/10.11 11/j.1471-3802.2011.01200.x
Sin, K. F., Forlin, C., Ho, F. C., Au, M. L., & Yan, Z. (2012). Study on equal learning opportunities for students with disabilities under the integrated education system. Centre for Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education, The Hong Kong Institute of Education of Hong Kong.
Vallerand, R. J., Pelletier, L. G., Blais, M. R, Brière, N. M., Senécal, C., & Vallières, E .F. (1992). The Academic Motivation Scale: Educational and Psychological Measurement, 52(4), 1003-1017. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0013164492052004025
Venetz, M., Zurbriggen, C. L., Eckhart, M., Schwab, S., & Hessels, G. P. (2015). The Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ). English Version. https://piqinfo. chi/we
Wong-Ratcliff, M., & Ho, K. K. (2011). Can integrated education meet the needs of students with SEN? New Horizons in Education, 59(2), 101-115.
Zeleke, S. (2004). Self-concepts of students with learning disabilities and their normally achieving peers: A critical review. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 19(2), 145-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856250410001678469
Published
2024-03-31
How to Cite
NGA NG, Hoi; WENG BOEY, Kam; WAI KWAN, Chi.
Reliability and Validity of Measuring Instruments of Inclusive Practice in Higher Education.
Asian Journal of Research in Education and Social Sciences, [S.l.], v. 6, n. 1, p. 512-524, mar. 2024.
Available at: <https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajress/article/view/26220>. Date accessed: 16 june 2025.
Section
English Section
