Construction and Psychometric Validation of a Multidimensional Scale Measuring Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education: An Exploratory Factor Analysis Across Educational Levels

Teachers' attitudes constitute a central determinant of the successful implementation of inclusive education policies and practices.Positive perceptions toward inclusion influence classroom adaptation, instructional flexibility, and the effective participation of students with diverse learning needs.Despite the growing international commitment to inclusive education, there remains a need for reliable and contextually appropriate measurement tools capable of assessing teachers' attitudes from a multidimensional perspective.The present study aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a comprehensive instrument designed to measure teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education across primary, middle, and secondary educational levels.The initial version of the scale consisted of 49 items constructed based on theoretical foundations and previous empirical studies addressing cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of attitudes.The instrument was administered to a purposively selected sample of 146 teachers representing different educational stages and geographic regions.To assess the suitability of the data for factor analysis, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure and the Measure of Sampling Adequacy (MSA) were calculated, both yielding acceptable values exceeding the minimum recommended threshold of 0.50.Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using factor extraction and rotation procedures resulted in the elimination of 22 items that did not meet loading criteria.The final structure revealed a three-factor solution consistent with the theoretical model: the cognitive dimension (11 items), reflecting teachers' beliefs and knowledge about inclusion; the affective dimension (6 items), representing emotional responses and concerns; and the behavioral dimension (9 items), indicating readiness to implement inclusive practices.Reliability analysis demonstrated high internal consistency for the overall scale, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.92, indicating excellent reliability and stability.The findings support the validity of the proposed instrument as a robust tool for assessing teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education.This scale can contribute to educational research, teacher training evaluation, and policy development aimed at strengthening inclusive educational environments and improving the quality of learning for students with special educational needs.