Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control Inventory

Abstract

The Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control Inventory (ABCC) is a specialized 26-item psychological scale designed to measure secondary school teachers’ perceptions regarding their classroom management attitudes and behaviors. The inventory, originally known as the Inventory of Classroom Management Style, assesses the degree to which a teacher employs controlling (interventionist) versus non-controlling (non-interventionist) strategies across various domains of the classroom environment. The items were developed based on practical classroom observations, real-world experiences, and consultation with field experts, ensuring high ecological validity.

The scale utilizes a four-point Likert response format and generates scores across three distinct subscales: Instructional Management, People Management, and Behavior Management. Initial validation studies confirmed the instrument’s structural integrity and its relationship to established personality measures, providing a robust tool for educational research and teacher development.

Keywords

Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control, ABCC, classroom management, teacher attitudes, instructional management, behavior management, secondary education, psychological scale, teacher efficacy

Authors

N. K. Martin, Z. Yin, B. Baldwin

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control (ABCC) Inventory is to quantify teachers’ self-reported dispositions and approaches to maintaining order and facilitating learning within the classroom. It provides researchers and educators with data on the style of control—ranging from highly directive (interventionist) to highly permissive (non-interventionist)—that teachers prefer to employ.

This inventory is crucial for examining how demographic factors (such as gender or teaching location) influence classroom control philosophies and behaviors. The initial study utilizing the ABCC focused on differences in management styles among male and female, as well as urban and rural, secondary level teachers. The original research document referenced in this entry is available via the ERIC system (Document ED 404 738).

Construct

The ABCC measures the overarching construct of teacher classroom management style, operationalized through three distinct, yet related, sub-constructs:

• Instructional Management: Focuses on the teacher’s beliefs about directing learning activities, allocating resources, monitoring student work, and structuring daily routines.
• People Management: Measures attitudes concerning student autonomy, the development of responsibility, fostering free interaction, and allowing students input into classroom organization.
• Behavior Management: Assesses beliefs regarding the establishment and enforcement of rules, the use of rewards and penalties, and the process of handling student non-compliance.

Validity

The validity of the ABCC was established through rigorous psychometric procedures during its development. Structural validity was confirmed through factor analytic procedures, ensuring that the items grouped logically into the intended subscales (Instructional, People, and Behavior Management).

Furthermore, concurrent validity was assessed by correlating ABCC scores with scores obtained from the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) Form A. This comparison helped establish the psychological relevance of the ABCC dimensions by linking teacher management attitudes to broader, established personality traits.

Reliability

Internal consistency reliability was measured using alpha coefficients for the three derived subscales. The results indicated acceptable to good reliability across the dimensions:

• Instructional Management: Alpha = 0.82
• People Management: Alpha = 0.69
• Behavior Management: Alpha = 0.69

The coefficient for Instructional Management demonstrates strong internal consistency, while the coefficients for People Management and Behavior Management suggest adequate, though somewhat lower, internal consistency for use in research settings.

Factor Analysis

An orthogonal varimax factor analysis was performed on the 26 items, which successfully yielded the predicted three-factor structure. The factor loading results defined the final composition of the subscales:

• Instructional Management (14 items): Items 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 18, 21, 22, 24, and 26.
• People Management (8 items): Items 3, 4, 9, 12, 15, 17, 23, and 25.
• Behavior Management (4 items): Items 13, 16, 19, and 20.

This structure confirms that teacher attitudes toward classroom control are multidimensional, encompassing instructional organization, interpersonal dynamics, and disciplinary practices.

Scoring and Interpretation

Each of the 26 items is rated on a four-point scale:

• Describes me very well = 4
• Describes me usually = 3
• Describes me somewhat = 2
• Describes me not at all = 1

Scoring is reversed for the following statements, which reflect non-interventionist or student-centered approaches: Items 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 10, 13, and 25. After reversal, a higher total score across the subscales indicates a more controlling or interventionist classroom management style. Three separate scale scores are produced, corresponding to the Instructional, People, and Behavior Management factors. Data analysis typically includes scale means, standard deviations, and item analysis results.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Inventory

Format: 26-item Likert Scale

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Teachers

Age Group: Adult (Occupational)

Population Details: The initial validation sample consisted of 282 secondary level teachers drawn from three school districts in the southwestern United States.

Test Methodology: Pencil-and-paper or digital administration of a fixed-response inventory. Results are scored across three subscales, providing a measure of the teacher’s preferred control style.

Keywords

psychological assessment, teacher training, educational psychology, interventionist style, non-interventionist style, concurrent validity, 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire, reliability coefficient

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The initial research paper introducing the ABCC was presented in 1997. Specific details regarding current commercial permissions and associated fees are not provided in the source material, but the scale was introduced in an academic paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

The foundational document for this entry is the paper: Martin, N. K., Yin, Z., and Baldwin, B. (1997). Attitudes and beliefs regarding classroom management style: Differences between male and female, urban and rural secondary level teachers. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association. The ERIC document number is ED 404 738.

Reference’s

• Martin, N. K., and B. Baldwin. (1996). Helping beginning teachers foster healthy classroom management: Implications for elementary school counselors. Elementary School Guidance and Counseling 31:106–13.
• Martin, N. K., Yin, Z., and Baldwin, B. (1997). Attitudes and beliefs regarding classroom management style: Differences between male and female, urban and rural secondary level teachers. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association. ERIC ED 404 738.
• Martin, N. K., Yin, Z., and Mayall, H. (2007–2008). The Attitudes and Beliefs in Classroom Control Inventory—Revised and Re-Visited: A Continuation of Construct Validation. Journal of Classroom Intervention 42(2):11–20.
• Wolfgang, C. H., and Glickman, C. D. (1986). Solving discipline problems: Strategies for classroom teachers. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Items of the Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control Inventory

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I believe the teacher should direct the students’ transition from one learning activity to another.
2. I believe it’s important to continuously monitor students’ learning behavior during seatwork.
3. I believe students should create their own daily routines as this fosters development of responsibility.
4. I believe students will be successful in school if allowed the freedom to pursue their own interests.
5. I believe the teacher should decide what topics the students study and the tasks used to study them.
6. During the first week of class, I will announce the classroom rules and inform students of the penalties for disregarding the rules.
7. The teacher knows best how to allocate classroom materials and supplies to optimize learning.
8. When a student bothers other students, I will immediately tell the student to be quiet and stop it.
9. I believe class rules stifle the students’ ability to develop a personal moral code.
10. While teaching a lesson on library skills, a student begins to talk about the research she is doing for her book report. I would remind the student that the class has to finish the lesson before the end of the class period.
11. I believe teachers should require student compliance and respect for law and order.
12. When moving from one learning activity to another, I will allow students to progress at their own rate.
13. If students agree that a classroom rule is unfair, then I would replace it with one that students think is fair.
14. I believe students need the structure of a daily routine that is organized and implemented by the teacher.
15. I allow students to select their own seats.
16. When students behave appropriately, I will provide a reward of some kind such as points toward a party or free time.
17. I believe students should judge the quality of their own work rather than rely on what the teacher tells them.
18. I believe students will be successful in school if they listen to the adults who know what’s best for them.
19. I believe students should choose the learning topics and tasks.
20. During the first week of class, I will allow the students to come up with a set of classroom rules.
21. I believe the primary purpose of homework is to provide drill and practice of skills learned in the classroom.
22. I believe that students need direction in how to work together.
23. Students in my classroom are free to use any materials they wish during the learning process.
24. I specify a set time for each learning activity and try to stay within my plans.
25. I believe friendliness, courtesy, and respect for fellow students is something that students have to learn firsthand through free interaction.
26. I believe class rules are important because they shape the student’s behavior and development.