Creation and validation of the Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Disability in Higher Education (QAD-HE) in Latin America

Jul 6, 2026

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A Spanish-language instrument, QAD-HE, was developed to assess teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward physical and sensory disability within higher education in Latin America. The study also examined how attitudes relate to contact with people with disabilities and to related training. Data from 718 participants (563 students, 155 teachers) were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Results supported a bifactorial structure with two dimensions—egalitarian and prejudiced attitudes—and excellent internal consistency (α > .90). The questionnaire showed suitable psychometric properties and cross-country applicability through language and cultural adaptation, with positive attitudes among teachers who had prior contact and knowledge.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

Abstract

Introduction

Rationale for disability inclusion in higher education

Existing attitude measures and Spanish tools

Higher Education Research & Development ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: [https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cher20](https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cher20) Creation and validation of the Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Disability in Higher Education (QAD-HE) in Latin America Virginia Fuentes, Javier Pé rez-Padilla, Yolanda de la Fuente & Mar ía Aranda To cite this article: Virginia Fuentes, Javier Pérez-Padilla, Yolanda de la Fuente & María Aranda (2021): Creation and validation of the Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Disability in Higher Education (QAD-HE) in Latin America, Higher Education Research & Development, DOI: 10. 1080/07294360 .2021.1927997 To link to this article: [https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1927997](https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1927997) Published online: 25 May 2021. | Submit your article to this journal | | --- | | Article views: 40 | | View related articles | | View Crossmark data | Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at [https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=cher20](https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=cher20) Creation and validation of the Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Disability in Higher Education (QAD-HE) in Latin America Virginia Fuentes a*, Javier Pérez-Padilla a,b*, Yolanda de la Fuente a and María Aranda a aPsychology Department, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain; bResearch Group (HUM604), Development of Lifestyles in the Life Cycle and Health Promotion, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain ABSTRACT This study presents a tool developed in Spanish to measure teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards physical and sensory disability in the context of higher education in Latin America. Theeﬀects on attitudes towards contact with people with disabilities, and training on that topic, were also studied. The research involved 718 participants (563 students and 155 teachers) . Exploratory and conﬁrmatory factor analyses showed a bifactorial structure, with the 27 items grouped into two dimensions: egalitarian attitudes and prejudiced attitudes. Internal consistency was excellent (α > .90) . The Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Disability in Higher Education (QAD-HE) shows appropriate psychometric properties and can be applied in various Spanishspeaking countries due to the language and culture adaptation process carried out. The results demonstrated that teachers with previous contact with and knowledge about disabilities had positive attitudes towards students. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 25 January 2020 Accepted 19 April 2021 KEYWORDS Attitudes; physical disability; sensory disability; higher education; creation and validation of a questionnaire Introduction Progress made during the past few years has made it possible for people with disabilities to access the education system at all levels. This inclusion is mandatory for compulsory education; however, there are still certain barriers that hinder their full inclusion in higher education. Consequently, the rates of disabled people in higher education are low. In Latin America, a lack of recent data demonstrates how understudied this issue is. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientiﬁc and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2007), only 1.2% of all people with disabilities in Argentina in 2007 were university students. In Brazil, only 0.13% of people with disabilities were at university. As for Ecuador, 5.9% of the total disabled population entered university in 2007 . In Panama, only 1.5% of the population with disabilities holds a university degree, while in the Dominican Republic, 4.6% of people with disabilities have completed university studies (‘Consejo Nacional para la Integración de la Persona con Discapacidad’ [National CONTACT María Aranda [aranda@ujaen.es](aranda@ujaen.es)[ ](aranda@ujaen.es)*The ﬁrst two authors contributed equally.© 2021 HERDSA 2 V. FUENTES ET AL. Council for

FAQs

What does the QAD-HE questionnaire measure in higher education contexts?

QAD-HE measures teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward physical and sensory disability in higher education. It targets both egalitarian and prejudiced attitude dimensions.

How many participants took part in the validation study?

The study included 718 participants: 563 students and 155 teachers.

What evidence supported the questionnaire’s structure and reliability?

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated a bifactorial structure with 27 items grouped into egalitarian and prejudiced attitudes. Internal consistency was excellent (α > .90).

Why is the questionnaire applicable across Spanish-speaking Latin American countries?

Appropriate psychometric properties were demonstrated after a language and culture adaptation process, enabling use in multiple Spanish-speaking countries.

Jul 6, 2026

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