Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

Initial Validation Study of a Scale for Itinerant Vision Professionals to Determine Workload

  • Rona L. Pogrund, Ph.D. (Author) Texas Tech University image/svg+xml
    Rona Pogrund, Ph.D. is a Professor and the Coordinator of the Visual Impairment Program at Texas Tech University. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. She has been a teacher of students with visual impairments, an orientation and mobility specialist, an administrator, and director of an O&M personnel preparation program. Dr. Pogrund has managed grants totaling over $12 million and has published numerous articles, book chapters, and three books. She is Associate Editor for Practice for the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness and is Chair of the subcommittees that developed the VISSIT, O&M VISSIT, and VISSPA.
  • Beth Jones, Ph.D. (Author) Texas A&M Commerce University image/svg+xml
    Beth Jones. Ph.D. earned her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, with a concentration in special education, from Louisiana State University. She also holds a Master of Education in Educational Psychology, with specializations in special education and school counseling, and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies (graduated Cum Laude), with a concentration in special education, both from Texas A&M University. Beth is currently a Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator at Texas A&M University-Commerce (TAMU-C). Her research interests and service focus on visual impairments, assistive technology, and collaboration with families.
  • Maria Carlson, Ph.D. (Author) Texas A&M Commerce University
    Maria Carlson, Ph.D. earned her doctorate in Quantitative Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently a Professor and Department Chair at Texas A&M University – Commerce. Her research interests are psychometrics, ROC analysis, and measurement error.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.581
Abstract
Teacher workload leading to burnout is a significant problem facing many teachers today. The "Visual Impairment Scale of Staffing Pattern Analysis (VISSPA)" was designed to address the workload of vision professionals, teachers of students with visual impairments, and orientation and mobility specialists who work itinerantly with students who are visually impaired. This study attempted to determine the validity and reliability of the "VISSPA" through a mixed methods design. The study results indicated a high degree of validity and reliability of the new scale, based on feedback from 45 participants on a Likert scale and open-ended questions. Construct validity, consequential validity, and social validity of the tool were measured and found to all be supported by the data. The "VISSPA" was also found to be a reliable tool with a Cronbach alpha of 0.983, indicating a high degree of internal consistency. Ninety-one percent (n=45) of participants said they would use the "VISSPA" in the future to determine their workload.
Keywords
Faculty Workload, Itinerant Teachers, Measures (Individuals), Specialists, Students with Disabilities, Test Reliability
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There are 16 references in total.
How to Cite
Pogrund, R. L., Jones, B., & Carlson, M. (2025). Initial Validation Study of a Scale for Itinerant Vision Professionals to Determine Workload. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 20(2), 161-174. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.581

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