Education for all in action: Measuring teachers’ competences for inclusive education

Table 3. Standardised CFA matrix for beliefs in handling diversity. Beliefs on different types of diversity Schools’ responsibility for EfA To what extent do you agree with . . .? Ethnic minorities Gender Disability SES Ethnic minorities Disability General policy C2.01 Ethnic and cultural diversity is a valuable resource in education. 0.622 C2.03 If there are more “native-born” pupils in a school, it means that academic achievement will be higher across the board. 0.451 C2.04 If an additional language is spoken at home, the student will fall behind in their learning. 0.608 C2.06 Immigrant students are not as good at mathematics as native students. 0.635 C2.07 Students who speak a different language at home will never speak Dutch properly. 0.647 C2.08 The more immigrant students in a school, the more discipline problems the school will face. 0.725 C2.11 Many students experiment with their sexuality just to get noticed. 0.557 C2.14 LGB teachers (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), have the right to be open with parents about their sexual orientation. 0.421 C2.15 In order for their time in school to go smoothly, it is better for LGB students not to openly display their sexual orientation. 0.709 C2.16 I feel sorry for students who grow up in an LGB family because it is not easy for them. 0.657 C2.25 Boys shouldn’t wear earrings or nail varnish when in school. 0.573 C2.27 Two boys should be able to dance together for the entire evening at the school dance without attracting undue attention. 0.477 C2.28 I find it difficult to understand transgender students. 0.675

C2.29 I think it’s good that girls are not asked to help out with jobs in school that involve heavy lifting. 0.479 C2.20 Students with a disability always score worse on tests than other students. 0.618 C2.21 Students with a disability reduce the learning opportunities for the other students in the class. 0.681 C2.22 Students with a disability often abuse the support that they receive. 0.756 C2.24 I think that many teachers show too much understanding for the behaviour of students with a disability. 0.677 C2.33 Underprivileged parents are often less interested in their children’s progress in school than other parents. 0.669 C2.34 It is difficult to be sympathetic towards poorer students if they or their parents always have the latest mobile phones or gadgets. 0.618 C2.35 Schools that educate many underprivileged students have lower standards. 0.697 C2.36 Underprivileged students rarely succeed in difficult subjects because they do not have supportive parents. 0.590 C2.37 It is acceptable for teachers to have higher expectations of students from well-off backgrounds. 0.545 C6.01 The school should provide specific services for students who want to follow religious practices (e.g., prayer room, halal/kosher food). 0.508 C6.02 The school must allow students with a migration background to speak a language other than Dutch at school. 0.738 C6.04 The school library should have books in the different home languages of the students. 0.676 C6.05 It is important to encourage students of immigrant origin to be proud of their ethnic and cultural background. 0.513

C6.07 It is time that we give children with a disability a full place in mainstream education. It is their right. 0.765 (Continued) PLOS ONE Measuring teachers’ competences for inclusive education PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291033 November 8, 2023 15 / 22