Teachers’ Perceptions About School Characteristics Supporting Professional Development: A Scale Development Study

Abstract

The aim of the study is to develop a scale that measures teachers’ perceptions about school characteristics that support professional development (PD). The 40-item pool was created for the scale to be developed by examining similar measurement tools and literature. According to expert opinions, a 32-item trial form was created to conduct. The data were collected from 322 branch teachers. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was carried out using the collected data. A three-factor structure with 19 items, explaining 61.43% of the variance, was obtained in the EFA. The fit index values (χ2 /Df = 1.47, CFI = .96, TLI = .95, RMSEA = .056, RMR = .038, SRMR = .063) calculated in CFA to support the findings of the structure showed good fit. Cronbach Alpha coefficients were calculated as .91 for administrative support, .89 for collaborative structure, .74 for structural support, and .92 for the total scale. The results indicate that the scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can measure teachers’ perceptions of supportive school characteristics that are effective in their participation in professional development.