School leaders’ vision is the strongest predictor of their attitudes towards inclusive education practice

Figures & data

Figure 1. Final factor model of school leaders (n = 301) attitudes towards practices (prac), vision (vis) and view of availability of support (sup) in inclusive education. Fit indices: χ²/df = 3.38, RMSEA = .089, CFI = .973, TLI = .959, WRMR = 0.789. Parameter estimates were obtained using WLSMV with THETA parametrisation, the values are standardised and significant. Numbers in rectangles are the item numbers in the questionnaire.

Table 1. Fit indices of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis models describing ATIES-EST test.

Factor model	χ²	df	χ²/df	RMSEA	CFI	TLI	WRMR
Three-factor model	81.210	24	3.38	.089	.973	.959	0.789
Two-factor model	132.885	26	5.11	.117	.949	.930	1.049
Second-order factor model	81.210	24	3.38	.089	.973	.959	0.789
Bifactor model	68.426	19	3.60	.092	.975	.954	0.627

Table 2. Descriptive statistics of school leaders (n=301) attitudes towards inclusive ATIES-EST test (7-point scale, ranging from −3 to +3).

Factors and items	Mean	SD
Vison factor	.59	1.17
1. Inclusion facilitates socially appropriate behaviour for all students.	.34	1.48
30. Inclusion will foster understanding of differences among students.	.82	1.20
33. Inclusive education ultimately leads to better inclusion of people in the society.	.61	1.43
Practice factor	.34	1.12
7. It is possible to organise classes in a way that is suitable for all children.	-.07	1.45
15. I believe that any student can learn in an inclusive school if the curriculum is adapted to meet their individual needs.	.34	1.45
26. Good teachers differentiate their teaching so that they can teach all students in their class/es.	.74	1.27
Support factor	−1.50	1.10
4. There are enough adequate personnel from outside school to support teachers to address the unique educational needs of all students.	−1.40	1.38
8. There are enough adequate personnel within school to support teachers to address the unique educational needs of all students.	−1.30	1.53
28. I find that there are adequate resources to address the unique educational needs of all students.	−1.80	1.35

Figure 2. SEM model for predicting attitudes towards practice (prac) in inclusive education based on school leaders vision (vis), view of availability of support (sup), school type (se_spec; 1 = mainstream school, 2 = special school), and experience of participation in in-service courses focusing on inclusive education (incl_edu; 1 = not at all, 2 = slightly, 3 = a lot (at least 40 hours)). Fit indices: χ²/df = 2.50, RMSEA = .071, CFI = .973, TLI = .963, WRMR = 0.883. Parameter estimates were obtained using WLSMV with THETA parametrisation, the values are standardised and significant. The numbers in rectangles are the item numbers in the questionnaire.