Reliability and Validity of the Reflective Teaching Instrument

Abstract

Scores from the Reflective Teaching Instrument were examined for reliability and validity. In Study 1, teachers from gifted programs (n = 32), special education (n = 26), and regular education (n = 26) completed the instrument, the Ambiguity of Tolerance Scale, and the Teacher Efficacy Scale. Group 1 teachers scored higher on reflective teaching than the other groups, and internal consistency was .75 to .82; but concurrent validity of the instrument was low. In Study 2, teachers (ns = 22, 60, and 29) from the gifted program, special education, and regular education completed the Reflective Teaching Instrument and were judged with a measure of teaching effectiveness by a school administrator. There was no significant correlation between the reflective teaching and effectiveness measures, but there were no differences among the groups, α reliabilities were .67 to .83. While this instrument shows promise, reflective teaching may be difficult to measure with a short objective scale.