Development and validation of the English teachers’ attitudes towards recruitment system scale

Abstract

Teacher assessment and evaluation (TAE) of a nation is an important determinant of its teacher quality and student achievement. However, the literature lacks a scale for displaying English teachers’ attitudes towards TAE model in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context where teachers are assessed and evaluated via high-stakes tests based on multiple choice questions. The English Teachers’ Attitudes towards Recruitment System Scale (ETARS) has been developed based on the existing literature, and data were collected from various stakeholders (policymakers, education experts, teacher trainers, teachers, student teachers). The data were piloted with 319 teachers through exploratory factor analysis. Then, a confirmatory factor analysis was utilized with 260 teachers. Results indicated the ETARS, comprised of 23 items and three dimensions, to be a valid and reliable instrument. Finally, the ETARS was applied to 260 English teachers to reveal their attitudes towards Turkish TAE model in terms of various variables. Findings displayed that English teachers had negative attitudes towards the current TAE model. This research fills the gap in the literature by providing the ETARS.