Development of the attribution scale for behavioral problems in children with special educational needs: a reliability and validity study

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new scale to assess behavioral problems in children with special educational needs in China, showing it is reliable and valid.

Contribution

The study develops and validates a culturally tailored attribution scale for behavioral problems in children with special educational needs in China.

Findings

The Attribution Scale consists of 36 items grouped into five factors with high internal consistency.

Confirmatory factor analysis showed excellent model fit and significant factor loadings.

The scale is suitable for assessing and intervening in behavioral problems in inclusive education settings.

Abstract

With the comprehensive advancement of inclusive education in China, the proportion of children with special educational needs (CSEN) enrolled in mainstream schools has continued to increase. The identification and intervention of behavioral problems among these students have become core challenges in the implementation of inclusive education. This study aims to develop the Attribution Scale for Behavioral Problems in Children with Special Educational Needs, tailored to the Chinese cultural context, and to examine its reliability and validity.

A multi-stage sampling approach was adopted, involving teachers from both mainstream and special schools in Sichuan Province. First, in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 teachers (15 from mainstream schools and 15 from special schools) to generate the initial item pool. Second, a pilot test was administered to 32 teachers for item discrimination analysis and preliminary assessment of internal consistency reliability. Third, a formal questionnaire survey was conducted among teachers from 14 schools, yielding 195 valid responses (10 special education teachers, 185 mainstream teachers) for exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Fourth, a larger-scale survey was distributed to teachers from 31 schools, with 328 valid responses collected (35 special education teachers, 293 mainstream teachers) for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and further reliability testing. A comprehensive analytic strategy was employed, including critical ratio (CR) analysis, item-total correlation, EFA, CFA, and calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients.

The finalized Attribution Scale for Behavioral Problems in Children with Special Educational Needs consists of 36 items. EFA identified five distinct factors: neurophysiological drivers, environmental-task adaptation, motivation-rule cognition, emotional–social interaction, and support system deficiencies. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the total scale and each subscale ranged from 0.887 to 0.908, indicating high internal consistency. Correlations between the subscales and the total score ranged from 0.705 to 0.786 (p < 0.001). CFA demonstrated excellent model fit (CFI = 0.996, RMSEA = 0.012), with all factor loadings reaching statistical significance.

The newly developed Attribution Scale for Behavioral Problems in Children with Special Educational Needs demonstrates a clear structure and robust reliability and validity. It offers a scientifically sound tool for the assessment and intervention of behavioral problems in CSEN within the context of inclusive education in China.