Deficit Thinking Scale for teachers: A validity and reliability study in Turkish context

Abstract

Deficit thinking is one of the theories developed to explain achievement gaps among different student groups. It attributes academic failure to perceived deficiencies within students, disregarding the role of structural inequalities in education. This study aims to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure Turkish teachers’ attitudes toward deficit thinking, which has not previously been operationalized in Türkiye. Based on a rigorous scale development process, including literature review, expert consultation, pilot testing, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the final version of the scale consists of 22 items and five dimensions. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 323; KMO = .87; Bartlett’s χ² = 4983.99, p < .001) revealed a five-factor structure (Blaming the Environment, Educability, Oppression, Blaming the Victim, and Pseudoscience) that explained 66.13% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis (n = 569) supported this structure with good model fit (χ² / df = 2.58, CFI = .95, TLI = .95, RMSEA = .053, SRMR = .043). The scale demonstrated strong reliability (Cronbach’s α = .86 overall; .93, .93, .88, .87, .91 for subscales). Item 20 is reverse-scored; total scores range from 22 to 110, with higher scores indicating stronger deficit-oriented attitudes. This context-specific scale offers a robust tool for investigating deficit-oriented beliefs in educational settings and provides a foundation for further research, teacher training, and policy development.

Keywords

• Deficit thinking
• Deficit theory
• Scale development

Ethical Statement

All the rules outlined in the "Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive" have been adhered to, and none of the actions listed in the second section of the directive, "Actions Contrary to Scientific Research and Publication Ethics," have been carried out. This research has been deemed ethically appropriate by the Research and Publication Ethics Committees of Bursa Uludag University, with the session date of 01.26.2024, session number 2024-01, and decision number 32.

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