This study applied structural equation modeling to investigate perceived level of involvement in transition services among secondary school special educators, in relation to their perceptions of interagency collaboration, as well as special educators’ personal and school characteristics. Fifty-three percent of recipients who responded to the survey were special education teachers and transition coordinators/specialists in the United States. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to refine and validate the measurement scales applied. The evidence of reliability and validity of four measurement scales were provided first, followed by an analysis of structural relationships among four latent constructs. Results of the study distinguished the effects of personal characteristics of secondary special educators from the effects of school characteristics and educators’ perceptions of interagency collaboration. Personal characteristics of secondary school special educators are the key to educators’ perceptions of interagency collaboration and their transition involvement, and also overshadow the relationships among other factors in the model. Secondary school special educators with higher levels of professional preparation perceive a greater importance in interagency collaboration, and are more likely to be involved in interagency collaboration activities in their transition practices. Accordingly, the author of this paper provides suggestions for teacher training and preparation as well as recommendations for future studies.
本研究以結構方程模式探討高中特殊教育教師參與轉銜服務的程度,以及此參與程度與教師對機構間合作認知、教師個人背景及學校特性之間的關聯性。在此問卷研究中,回應者中有53%是特殊教育教師和轉銜專業人員。探索和驗證的因素分析被運用來考驗測驗量表的信度和效度。在本文中,研究者先提供測驗工具四個測驗量表的信度與效度證據,然後以結構方程模式考驗四個潛在變項之間的關係。本研究結果區分了特殊教育教師個人特質的作用不同於學校特質和教師本身對跨機構合作的認知的作用,肯定了特殊教育教師專業訓練背景的重要性遠大於模式中的其他因素。高中特殊教育教師有愈完整的專業訓練背景,愈會認同跨機構間合作的重要性,也愈願意參與轉銜服務相關活動。根據本研究結果,提出高中特殊教育教師專業培訓規劃及對於進一步研究之建議。