Development of an instrument to measure medical students' attitudes toward people with disabilities.
A fresh 30-item scale reliably captures medical students’ attitudes toward people with disabilities and invites curriculum checks.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Symons et al. (2012) built a brand-new 30-item survey. It asks medical students how they feel about people with disabilities.
The team ran a factor analysis and found five clear attitude themes. They also checked internal consistency.
What they found
The new scale earned an alpha of 0.857. That means the items hang together well.
Five factors emerged, but the authors say more validation work is still needed before wide use.
How this fits with other research
Derguy et al. (2021) extends this idea downward. Their CATAQ measures elementary kids’ attitudes toward classmates with autism using a tidy three-factor model.
Bossaert et al. (2013) took the opposite path. They trimmed the existing CATCH scale to a single 7-item factor for middle-school students, showing simpler can be better.
Together the papers form a ladder: CATCH for teens, Andrew’s tool for young adult trainees, and CATAQ for children. Each rung uses factor analysis to fit the age group.
Why it matters
You now have age-appropriate attitude rulers. Use Andrew’s 30-item scale as a pre/post test in medical-school disability sessions. If you teach younger groups, switch to the CATAQ. Track attitude shifts the same way you track skill acquisition — with numbers you can trust.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
As curricula to improve medical students' attitudes toward people with disabilities are developed, instruments are needed to guide the process and evaluate effectiveness. The authors developed an instrument to measure medical students' attitudes toward people with disabilities. A pilot instrument with 30 items in four sections was administered to 342 medical students. Internal consistency reliability and factor analysis were conducted. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.857, indicating very good internal consistency. Five components were identified: comfort interacting with people with disabilities, working with people with disabilities in a clinical setting, negative impressions of self-concepts of people with disabilities, positive impressions of self-concepts of people with disabilities, and conditional comfort with people with disabilities. The instrument appears to have good psychometric properties and requires further validation.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-50.3.251