The Construct Validity of the Arabic Version of the Chedoke-Mcmaster Attitudes towards Children with Handicaps Scale

This study aimed to examine the construct validity of the Arabic version of the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes towards Children with Handicaps (CATCH) scale in elementary school students. Data were collected from 672 elementary school students (357 boys and 315 girls). The included students ranged in age from 8 to 14 years. A statistical analysis was conducted using the following methods: confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, Rasch modeling, and internal consistency analysis. A good reliability coefficient was obtained for the scale. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the observed data failed to fit the hypothesized three-factor structure of the scale. However, the indices had a good fit after the negatively phrased items were excluded from the model. Confirmatory factor analysis did not support the construct validity of the 36-item Arabic version of the CATCH scale in elementary school students. The proposed 18-item Arabic version of the scale should be retested with different samples to confirm this study's findings.