The Reliability and Factorial Validity of a Scale for Measuring Teachers' Attitudes Towards Mainstreaming

Abstract
This paper reports the development of a scale entitled the Educational Attitude Survey (EAS) that was designed to measure teachers' attitudes toward the mainstreaming of handicapped children into regular classrooms. Consisting of 16 items, the EAS yields scores on two factorially determined subscales as well as a total scale score. The psychometric characteristics of the EAS indicate it to be a reliable and factorially valid measure of teachers' attitudes toward mainstreaming. The EAS should provide a useful measure for researchers and educators involved in examining teachers' attitudes toward the integration of handicapped students into regular classrooms.