ERIC Number: EJ1469747
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2194
EISSN: EISSN-1538-4780
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Assessing Beliefs about Intrinsic and Extrinsic Determinants of SLD: Evaluating the Factor Structure of a Novel Instrument
Courtenay A. Barrett1; Kathrin E. Maki2; Steven R. Chesnut3
Journal of Learning Disabilities, v58 n3 p225-237 2025
Schools conduct comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations to identify students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) and determine whether they qualify for special education services. This decision-making process is complex and research has documented many factors influencing SLD identification decisions. One such factor may be decision-makers' beliefs about the underlying causes of SLD, including intrinsic and extrinsic factors. However, no studies to date have examined the underlying factor structure of the responses to prompts about the causes of SLD from intrinsic and extrinsic perspectives. This study was conducted with a sample of 521 U.S. school psychologists as part of a larger study examining decision-making during SLD identification. Using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to compare two theoretically plausible models, results suggested that a single latent factor best captured variability in responses to these prompts. Implications for assessing beliefs and how they impact the psychoeducational assessment process to identify SLDs are discussed, along with areas for future research.
Descriptors: Learning Disabilities, Beliefs, Disability Identification, School Psychologists, Factor Structure, Attitude Measures
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA; 2University of Florida, Gainesville, USA; 3University of Missouri-Kansas City, USA