A Multidimensional Scale for Assessing UDL Incorporation in Preservice Teacher Preparation: Preliminary Psychometric Evidence from Ghanaian Teacher Educators

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is increasingly recognised as an evidence-based framework for promoting inclusive education through flexible curriculum design. In 2015, Ghana adopted UDL in its inclusive education policy to address the diverse educational needs of all children. However, existing research has not developed instruments to assess teacher educators’ incorporation of UDL-aligned practices in preservice teacher preparation, particularly true in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, we developed and explored the factor structure of the UDL Incorporation Scale (UDL-IS) and examined teacher educators’ self-reported incorporation of UDL-aligned practices in their preparation of preservice teachers in Ghanaian colleges of education for future teaching. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 156 teacher educators from three public colleges of education in Ghana. The 36-item UDL-IS, which was developed using the Centre for Applied Special Technology (CAST) UDL Guidelines, was derived from considerations/checkpoints across the three core UDL principles of representation, engagement, and action and expression. We used descriptive statistics to summarise the data, reliability analysis to assess internal consistency, and exploratory factor analysis to examine the scale’s factor structure. The exploratory factor analysis provided preliminary evidence of a multidimensional structure comprising three empirically derived and conceptually interconnected dimensions: Engagement, Relevance and Meaningful Learning; Action, Expression and Strategic Learner Support; and Reflective and Socially Responsive Learning. These dimensions drew on practices across the original CAST principles rather than reproducing the theoretical three-domain structure. The three empirical dimensions demonstrated acceptable to excellent internal consistency. Among the 132 participants with complete data across the 35 retained items, teacher educators generally reported high incorporation of UDL-aligned practices. Reflective and Socially Responsive Learning recorded the highest mean, followed by Action, Expression, and Strategic Learner Support, while Engagement, Relevance, and Meaningful Learning recorded the lowest mean. Regression analyses showed distinct associations between selected demographic and professional characteristics and reported UDL incorporation across the empirical dimensions; however, most models were not statistically significant, and individual coefficients were therefore interpreted with caution. This study provides preliminary psychometric evidence for the UDL-IS as a measure of teacher educators’ reported incorporation of UDL-aligned practices in preservice teacher preparation and suggests that these practices may be organised around interconnected pedagogical dimensions within the Ghanaian teacher education context. Further research using larger, independent samples is needed to examine the factor structure through confirmatory factor analysis and provide additional evidence of the scale’s psychometric properties.