The Development of an Instrument To Measure the Attitudes of Middle School Mathematics Teachers toward Low Achievers in Mathematics.

This study was undertaken to develop and field test an instrument designed to measure attitudes of middle school mathematics teachers toward low achievers in mathematics. Three 15-item subscales designed to measure teacher beliefs, feelings, and intended behaviors toward low achievers in mathematics are contained in the Likert-type scale entitled: Teacher Attitudes Toward Low Achievers in Mathematics Scale (TALAM). The study was carried out in three phases. In Phase 1, comments about low achievers in mathematics were elicited from middle school mathematics teachers, experts in the field, and from related literature. In Phase 2, the validated items were administered to 58 middle school mathematics teachers. The data generated were analyzed to estimate validity and reliability. In Phase 3, the final scale was administered to 128 middle school mathematics teachers. The three scales used in Phase 2 were again found to be internally consistent and stable over a 6-week interval. Overall analysis of data yielded substantial support for the TALAM as a valid and reliable measure of attitudes of middle school mathematics teachers toward low achievers in mathematics. (Author/MDH)