ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Special Educational Needs
This article is part of the Research TopicEducation To Enhance The Inclusion Of All LearnersView all 24 articles
From Mathematics & Science to Classroom Management: An IRT Validation of a Teaching Confidence Scale in a sample of Primary Special Education Teachers
Provisionally accepted
Stergiani Giaouri1
Alexandros-Stamatios Antoniou2
Garyfalia Charitaki3*Anastasia Alevriadoy4Georgia Andreou3Maria Charisi1- 1Panepistemio Dytikes Makedonias, Kozani, Greece
- 2Ethniko kai Kapodistriako Panepistemio Athenon, Athens, Greece
- 3Panepistemio Thessalias, Volos, Greece
- 4Aristoteleio Panepistemio Thessalonikes, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Teaching confidence is a critical determinant of instructional quality, teacher attitudes, and student outcomes, particularly in inclusive and special education contexts. This study validated a multidimensional Teaching Confidence Scale for primary special education teachers, encompassing Mathematics/Science Instruction, Instructional Innovation, and Classroom Management. Using an Item Response Theory (IRT) framework, we examined the scale's dimensional structure and psychometric properties in a sample of 305 primary special education teachers working in inclusive settings. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a robust three-factor model with excellent fit (RMSEA = .027, CFI = .994, TLI = .956). Standardized factor loadings ranged from .62 to .91 across domains, indicating strong item–factor relationships. Reliability was consistently high, with Cronbach's α values ranging from .83 to .97 and McDonald's ω from .92 to .98 (AVE = .50–.77). IRT analyses using the Generalized Partial Credit Model indicated satisfactory item fit (RMSEA < .05), moderate to high discrimination parameters particularly for Mathematics/Science Instruction and Instructional Innovation and minimal differential item functioning across teacher groups. Overall, the findings support the Teaching Confidence Scale as a reliable and valid instrument for assessing domain-specific teaching confidence in primary special education, with implications for teacher professional development, inclusive practice, and future research.
Keywords: Inclusive settings, Mathematics, Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities, Teachers' attitudes, Teaching confidence, Validation
Received: 25 Nov 2025; Accepted: 13 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Giaouri, Antoniou, Charitaki, Alevriadoy, Andreou and Charisi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Garyfalia Charitaki
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