Initial Validation Study of a Scale for Itinerant Vision Professionals to Determine Workload

Abstract Teacher workload leading to burnout is a significant problem facing many teachers today. The Visual Impairment Scale of Staffing Pattern Analysis (VISSPA) was designed to address the workload of vision professionals, teachers of students with visual impairments, and orientation and mobility specialists who work itinerantly with students who are visually impaired. This study attempted to determine the validity and reliability of the VISSPA through a mixed methods design. The study results indicated a high degree of validity and reliability of the new scale, based on feedback from 45 participants on a Likert scale and open-ended questions. Construct validity, consequential validity, and social validity of the tool were measured and found to all be supported by the data. The VISSPA was also found to be a reliable tool with a Cronbach alpha of .983, indicating a high degree of internal consistency. Ninety-one percent (n=45) of participants said they would use the VISSPA in the future to determine their workload. Keywords: visual impairment, itinerant service delivery, vision professionals, workload, scale development.