Construct Validation of the Self-Efficacy Teaching and Knowledge Instrument for Science Teachers-Revised...

Area of Science:

• Science Education Research
• Educational Measurement

Background:

• Teacher self-efficacy is crucial for effective science instruction.
• Existing instruments require ongoing validation and refinement.
• The Self-Efficacy Teaching and Knowledge Instrument for Science Teachers-Revised (SETAKIST-R) was developed to assess science teacher self-efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an independent validation of the SETAKIST-R.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the SETAKIST-R using Rasch modeling.
• To identify specific areas for improvement in the SETAKIST-R instrument.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 334 K-12 science teachers.
• Application of Partial Credit Rasch models.
• Principal components analysis of person-item residuals.
• Examination of item-fit statistics and person-item maps.

Main Results:

• Two latent dimensions identified: Knowledge and Teaching Self-Efficacies.
• Low person and item separation (reliability) indices were observed.
• Disordered response patterns indicated problems with item content and scaling.
• Issues included verbal negatives, ambiguous modifiers, and counter-intuitive scaling.

Conclusions:

• The SETAKIST-R, in its current iteration, exhibits significant psychometric limitations.
• The instrument's content and scaling require substantial revision.
• The SETAKIST-R cannot be recommended as a valid measure of science teacher self-efficacy at this time.