Teacher-Perceived Work Autonomy: The Concept and Its Measurement

Abstract

A scale to measure teacher sense of work autonomy, Teacher Work-Autonomy (TWA), is presented in this article. Replicability analyses of scores on the TWA —cross validation and validity generalization—were conducted and results reported in two studies. The purpose of the first study was to conceptualize the notion of teacher work autonomy, and the purpose of the second was to provide empirical evidence for the validity of scores on a scale derived from the results of the first study. The first study was based on a sample of 156 Israeli elementary school teachers, and in the second, a total of 650 elementary and secondary school teachers in Israel served as participants. Facet theory analytic techniques and factor analysis were used. Results indicated that four areas of functioning were pertinent to teachers’ sense of autonomy at work: (a) class teaching, (b) school mode of operating, (c) staff development, and (d) curriculum development.