Analyzing the Factorial Structure of English Language Teaching Aptitude Questionnaire: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach.

Abstract

Educational systems fundamentally rely on competent teachers who possess high levels of teaching aptitude. Yet, despite the significance of measuring teachers’ aptitude, few studies have tried to develop a valid/reliable instrument that could examine teaching aptitude. Contributing to the literature, this study which is a correlational survey, validated the English Language Teaching Aptitude questionnaire (ELTAQ). The participants of this study were selected through simple random sampling. ELTAQ included 54 items representing the eight components of the theoretical construct. The reliability of ELTAQ was measured via Cronbach’s alpha, which was 0.958 for the whole instrument. The factorial structure of this questionnaire was investigated in a two-stage process using the higher-order factor analysis method. Primarily, the factorial structure of each of the 8 components of the questionnaire was evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Next, the 8 components were validated through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and then CFA. With some modifications, the results of the study generally confirmed the validity of ELTAQ. According to the results, affective factors, creativity, moral factors, general intelligence, knowledge, communication, professional factors, and memory were the eight ELTAQ components that could measure English teachers’ teaching aptitude. The findings of this research will help future researchers and institutes in better evaluation of teaching aptitude. ELTAQ can be useful for both teachers and institutions. Teachers can assess themselves and find their strengths and weaknesses in teaching English Language.