The development and psychometric properties of the Learning Agility Scale for pre-service teachers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Learning agility is a relatively novel concept and has the potential to be considered an important characteristic of an effective teacher. Thus, a scale to measure it might be beneficial especially for selecting and recruiting teachers. Based on this notion, the purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure the learning agility of pre-service teachers. Two independent participant groups took part in the study: 311 pre-service teachers in the exploratory phase and 252 pre-service teachers in the confirmatory phase. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that 15 items had significant loadings under five factors explaining 54.64% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable fit. Convergent and divergent validity were also established. It was concluded that the Learning Agility Scale is a promising instrument to assess the learning agility of pre-service teachers, which paves the way to making more informed selections among teacher candidates during the recruitment process.