General and special education teachers' attitudes towards evidence‐based practice

• Published in: Journal of research in special educational needs
• Main Authors: Rüger, Lea, Scheer, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 14-10-2024
• ISSN: 1471-3802; 1471-3802
• DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.12727

In the context of special and inclusive education, applying evidence‐based practice (EBP) is important for providing equal access to effective and efficient education for students, regardless of their ability status. However, there is a relevant research‐practice gap in this area. To better understand how teachers can be supported using evidence‐based interventions and to identify training and development needs, we developed a questionnaire on attitudes towards EBP and piloted it with a sample of 809 teachers in Germany. The factor structure was determined using categorical exploratory factor analysis in half of the sample and then confirmed using categorical confirmatory factor analysis in the other half. Good model fit and factor reliability were observed. The instrument is measurement‐invariant between general and special education teachers. As expected, we found more positive attitudes towards EBP among special education teachers. No significant differences were observed between the different age groups. Based on these findings, it can be assumed that the measurement instrument is suitable for use in implementation research, as well as in the evaluation of initial and in‐service teacher training programmes. Further studies on convergent, divergent and prognostic validities are necessary.