THE PREDICTABILITY OF PRE- AND POST-UNIVERSITY MEASURES FOR PGAT PERFORMANCE OF TEACHERS OF STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

The purposes of this study were: (1) determine the current Post-Graduate Aptitude Test (PGAT) performance status of teachers of students with learning disabilities (LD), and (2) to investigate the relationship between teachers of students with LD’s performance in PGAT, and demographics variables (years since graduation, age, gender), pre-university measures (General Aptitude Test [GAT], Standard Achievement Admission Test [SAAT]), and post-university measures (Cumulative Grade-Point Average [CGPA], Teacher Licensure General Exam [TLGE] score, Teacher Licensure Specialization Exam [TLSE] score). The study sample included 2453 preservice and inservice teachers of students with LD, who have taken the PGAT. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between pre- and post-university measures and the PGAT performance of teachers of students with LD. The results revealed that the combined model of pre-university and post-university measures significantly predicted teachers of students with LD's performance in the PGAT. The overall regression model was statistically significant, F = 475.63, p < .001, explaining approximately 49.3% of the variance in PGAT scores (R² = .493). The findings also indicated that GAT was strongest predictor in the entire model (β = .42, p < .001). For every one-point increase in the GAT score, the PGAT score is predicted to increase by 0.56 points, highlighting the dominant role of general aptitude in this assessment. The implications for policy, research, and practice are highlighted and discussed.