Factorial Validity of a Referral Preference Rating Scale

Abstract

The validity of the Referral Preference Rating Scale (RPRS) was studied for a sample of 294 high school teachers. The teachers responded to a 50 item four-level Liker-type rating scale. A principal axis factor analysis with a varimax rotation disclosed four behavior categories of concern to teachers. The categories of behavior which interfered with classroom teaching were related to physical aggression, interruptions of class attendance, lack of readiness to become involved in a task, and inappropriate verbal behavior. It is concluded that the Referral Preference Rating Scale identified the main concerns of classroom teachers at the secondary level and clustered these concerns in terms of the most disruptive classroom behaviors.