A reliability and validity study of the self-assessment component of the Administrator's Desktop Guide for Assistive Technology
by Schechla-Ferris, Elizabeth Jean, Ph.D., CAPELLA UNIVERSITY, 2009, 133 pages; 3358595

Abstract:

Currently no valid or reliable self-assessment instrument exists in the literature for school administrators to use in developing and evaluating assistive technology (AT) services. AT is a term used to describe technology used by individuals with disabilities to engage in activities that may be difficult or impossible for them to accomplish. In 2004, the Administrator's Desktop Guide to Assistive Technology, authored by Gayle Bowser and Dr. Penny Reed, was published to support school leadership in developing effective AT services. Bowser and Reed are considered national experts in the field of study. The guide was created to assist school leadership to self-assess the status of AT services and to develop specific actions to allocate resources to meet legal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The study focused specifically on the 31-item self-assessment component of the Administrator's Guide and 18 demographic items. Two national experts in the field selected from the National Assistive Technology Research Institute Advisory Board established content validity. The internal consistency reliability was very strong, based on the calculated Cronbach's coefficient alpha, indicating that the 31-item self-assessment component of the Administrator's Guide is a reliable tool. To further investigate the content validity, a factor analysis was completed and found that only 5 factors had eigenvalues greater than 1 and that together, these factors explained 65% of the total variation of the original questions. Because the communalities were extremely low, the 5 factors were sufficient, and additional factors would not add significantly to the solution. The factor analysis did not provide strong support for the leadership, management, supervision, and program development of effective AT services, as measured by the 31-item self-assessment component of the Administrator's Guide.

 
AdviserTed Ray
SchoolCAPELLA UNIVERSITY
SourceDAI/A 70-05, p. , Jul 2009
Source TypeDissertation
SubjectsEducational administration; Special education; Educational technology
Publication Number3358595
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3358595
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.