Assessing a School Staff as a Community of Professional Learners
Pilot Test of the Instrument
A small pilot test (n = 28 students, parents, and educators participating in a summer AEL project conference) was conducted in 1996, with encouraging results. This sample represented individuals much like those in any school community, and the results indicated that the instrument can be applied to a spectrum of people who have varying experiences and involvement in a learning community of professionals.
It is important to assess the reliability or consistency of an instrument. There are two types of reliability: internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach's Alpha) and stability (test-retest). For the pilot test, Cronbach's Alpha reliability for the total of the 17 items was + .92. There is general agreement that + .75 or above indicates appropriate instrument internal consistency.
The test-retest measures stability over time and the reliabilities for the 15 participants who could be matched with individual ID numbers was + .94. The correlation of the total score of this instrument with the total score of a school climate instrument titled the "School Climate Questionnaire" (Manning, Curtis, & McMillen, 1996) and deemed to assess similar characteristics was + .82.
This pilot test of the instrument in the AEL region with a small heterogeneous group suggested that the instrument possessed pyschometric properties sufficient to continue its use, but a field test with a larger sample of schools was required.
Next Page: Field Test of the Instrument