Staff Attitudes Towards Data Collection in Behavioural Programming for the Intellectually Disabled

Abstract

Attitudes of staff responsible for the implementation of behavioural programs toward the collection of data were assessed. A questionnaire was devised to evaluate three aspects of attitude towards data collection: perceived importance and/or usefulness of information gained, practical feasibility of data collection and professional support aspects of data collection. Seven items were pooled to generate an Attitude Score which was found to have high reliability and internal consistency. The remaining individually considered items were also reliable. Responses from 191 subjects indicated an overall positive attitude towards data collection. Theoretical and methodological problems are addressed and suggestions for further study are made.