A Psychometric Investigation of the Multicultural and Special Education Survey: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

An exploratory factorial analysis of the Multicultural and Special Education Survey (MSES) evaluated the professional development training needs of general and special educators in a midwestern state. Survey items were selected from the culturally and linguistically diverse multicultural, bilingual and special education literature bases (CLD). The MSES was distributed to 403 general and special educators in school districts with an enrollment of (a) less than 10 percent of CLD students and (b) greater than 10 percent of CLD students. The results of the exploratory factor analyses revealed 7 common factors that accounted for 88% of the variability in teacher responses: (a) cultural knowledge, (b) teaching strategies, (c) curriculum and materials, (d) parental communication, (e) monitoring and evaluation, (f) individualized education plan, and (g) community relations. Implications for professional development programs in multicultural and special education are discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)