TEACHER SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY FOR CHILDREN

185 Pages·2012·0.55 MB·English

TEACHER SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY FOR CHILDREN:
A SCALE DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY VALIDITY STUDY

A DISSERTATION IN

Counseling Psychology

Presented to the Faculty of the University
Of Missouri-Kansas City in partial fulfillment of
The requirements for the degree

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

By
DANAH BARAZANJI
M.A., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2009
B.A. University of Iowa, 2006

Kansas City, Missouri
2012
© 2012
DANAH BARAZANJI
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TEACHER SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY FOR CHILDREN:
A SCALE DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY VALIDITY STUDY
Danah Barazanji, Candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree
University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2011
ABSTRACT
Social injustices on the school, neighborhood, societal, and family level can affect
certain populations of children and these injustices have been associated with school-related
consequences, including: unequal access to education opportunities, decreased academic
achievement, grade repetition, expulsions and suspensions, and higher dropout rates (Bemak
& Chung, 2005; Bowen & Bowen, 1999; Brookes-Gunn & Duncan, 1997; Evans, 2004;
Garcia-Reid et al., 2005; Knitzer et al., 1991; Slavin, 1997; Walter, Gouze, & Lim, 2006). In
light of this impact, scholars have called teachers to increase social advocacy efforts for
students (Athanases & Larrabee, 2003; Bemak & Chung, 2005; Gallagher & Clifford, 2000;
McCabe & Rubinson, 2008; Rogers & O'Bryon, 2008). There is limited empirical research
and no known instruments measuring teacher advocacy orientation. This dissertation sought
to develop the Teacher Social Justice Advocacy Scale (TSJAS) to measure teachers’ social
justice advocacy orientation, as well as provide support for the validity and reliability of the
self-report instrument.
Six hundred and seven K-12 teachers in the United States participated in the online-
survey study. Methodological procedures used to provide evidence of factor structure,
validity, and reliability for the scale included: two randomly split samples of principal axis
factoring, comparing TSJAS scores with additional survey instruments to assess convergent
and criterion validity, and comparing TSJAS scores with specific demographic and
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participant data. The stability of TSJAS scores was examined with internal consistency
values.
Results supported a 22-item scale and three distinct factors: teacher advocacy
orientation, social justice awareness, and student empowerment. Bivariate correlations
demonstrated positive relationships between the TSJAS subscales and a measure of general
social advocacy and political involvement, supporting convergent validity; and a negative
relationship with a measure of just world ideology, also supporting convergent validity. No
group differences were found on the scale depending on participants’ race/ethnicity or sexual
orientation. TSJAS scores also evidenced adequate internal consistency reliability.
Overall, results support the initial psychometric properties of the TSJAS. The primary
implication of this research concerns valid and reliable measurement of teacher social
advocacy orientation using TSJAS scores. Directions for future application and research of
the TSJAS are provided.

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APPROVAL PAGE
The faculty listed below, appointed by the Dean of the School of Education, have examined a
dissertation titled, “Teacher Social Justice Advocacy for Children: A Scale Development and
Preliminary Validity”, presented by Danah Barazanji, candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy
degree, and certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance.

Supervisory Committee

LaVerne Berkel, Ph.D.
Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology

Valerie Blackwell, Ph.D.
Curriculum and Instruction

Chrisanthia Brown, Ph.D.
Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology

Jake Marszalek, Ph.D.
Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology

Johanna Nilsson, Ph.D., Committee Chair
Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology

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CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... iii

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................... xi

Chapter

1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1

Definition of Teacher Advocacy .................................................................................. 4

2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................................................. 9

Underprivileged Children in Schools ........................................................................ 10

Teachers as Advocates in the School System ............................................................ 16

History of Social Advocacy ....................................................................................... 19

Contemporary Guidelines for Social Advocacy ........................................................ 24

Guidelines in education.................................................................................. 24

Guidelines in the field of mental health ......................................................... 26

Empirical Findings related to Social Advocacy ......................................................... 32

Predictors associated with advocacy efforts .................................................. 34

Definition of Teacher Social Justice Advocacy ......................................................... 39

Social Justice Advocacy Instruments......................................................................... 42

The Teacher Social Justice Advocacy Scale (TSJAS) ............................................... 47

Instrument Reliability and Validity ........................................................................... 49

Rationale for Present Study ....................................................................................... 50

Dissertation Goals and Hypotheses ........................................................................... 51

3. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................... 53

Participants ................................................................................................................. 53
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Instruments ................................................................................................................. 56

Teacher social justice advocacy ..................................................................... 56

Social justice advocacy .................................................................................. 56

Political involvement ..................................................................................... 57

Belief in a just world ...................................................................................... 58

Procedures .................................................................................................................. 61

Item Development ...................................................................................................... 62

4. RESULTS .................................................................................................................. 69

Data Screening and Preliminary Analyses ................................................................. 69

Study 1 ....................................................................................................................... 75

Item analysis .................................................................................................. 75

Exploratory factor analysis ............................................................................ 76

Reliability analysis ......................................................................................... 84

Study 2 ....................................................................................................................... 84

Exploratory factor analysis ............................................................................ 84

Reliability analysis ......................................................................................... 89

Study 3 ....................................................................................................................... 89

Validity Analysis ........................................................................................... 89

Hypothesis five .......................................................................................................... 92

Post-hoc analyses ........................................................................................... 94

5. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................ 98

Hypothesis 1................................................................................................... 99

Hypothesis 2................................................................................................. 103

Hypothesis 3................................................................................................. 104

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Hypothesis 4................................................................................................. 105

Hypothesis 5................................................................................................ 107

Post-hoc conclusions ................................................................................... 109

Limitations .............................................................................................................. 111

Sampling methodology ................................................................................ 111

Threats to construct validity......................................................................... 113

Threats to statistical conclusion validity ...................................................... 113

Research Recommendations .................................................................................... 115

Implications and Conclusions .................................................................................. 117

Appendix

A. Table of Original TSJAS items with item-specific citations ................................... 120

B. Measures Used in Dissertation................................................................................. 127

C. Final TSJAS Items and Subscales after Factor Analyses ........................................ 136

D. MANOVA and ANOVA Results ............................................................................ 140

E. Solicitation and Informed Consent Email ................................................................ 148

F. Solicitation Email for Permission to Submit Survey on a Website ......................... 151

G. On-line Incentive Form ............................................................................................ 153

H. Permission to Use Instruments................................................................................. 155

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................... 158

VITA .................................................................................................................................... 173

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TABLES

Table Page

1. Scales Used to Measure Constructs related to Social Justice Advocacy ................... 43

2. Original TSJAS Item Stems, Means, Standard Deviations, Score Ranges and
Skewness and Kurtosis Statistics ............................................................................... 72

3. Item Stems, Factors, Coefficients, and Extraction Communality Values for the TSJAS
for Study 1 ................................................................................................................. 79

4. Factor Correlations for TSJAS for Study 1................................................................ 81

5. Inter-Item Correlations for final TSJAS Items for Study 1 ......................................... 8

6. Factor Correlations for TSJAS for Study 2................................................................ 86

7. Inter-Item Correlations for Final TSJAS Items for Study 2 ...................................... 87

8. Item Stems, Factors, Coefficients, and Extraction Communality Values for the TSJAS
for Study 2.................................................................................................................. 88

9. Correlations, Means, Standard Deviations, and Cronbach’s Alpha Values for TSJAS
subscales, Validity, and Post-hoc variables for Study 3 ............................................ 91

10. MANOVA for Participants’ Race/Ethnicity Group Differences on TSJAS Subscales
(TAO, SJA, SE ......................................................................................................... 141

11. MANOVA of Equal Sample sizes for Participants’ Race/Ethnicity Group Differences
on TSJAS Subscales (TAO, SJA, SE ...................................................................... 141

12. MANOVA for Participants’ Sexual Orientation Group Differences on TSJAS
Subscales (TAO, SJA, SE ........................................................................................ 142

13. MANOVA of Equal Sample sizes for Participants’ Sexual Orientation Group
Differences on TSJAS Subscales (TAO, SJA, SE ................................................... 142

14. ANOVA for Gender on TAO .................................................................................. 143

15. ANOVA for Gender on SJA .................................................................................... 143

16. ANOVA for Gender on SE ...................................................................................... 143

17. ANOVA for School Area on TAO .......................................................................... 144

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18. ANOVA for School Area on SJA ............................................................................ 144

19. ANOVA for School Area on SE .............................................................................. 144

20. ANOVA for School Type on TAO .......................................................................... 145

21. ANOVA for School Type on SJA ........................................................................... 145

22. ANOVA for School Type on SE ............................................................................. 145

23. ANOVA for Student Race on TAO ......................................................................... 146

24. ANOVA for Student Race on SJA........................................................................... 146

25. ANOVA for Student Race on SE............................................................................. 146

26. ANOVA for Student SES on TAO .......................................................................... 147

27. ANOVA for Student SES on SJA ............................................................................ 147

28. ANOVA for Student SES on SE .............................................................................. 147

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