Abstract
The instrument that assesses teachers’ competence on AR methodology is limited. Thus, it is one of the issues concerning evaluating the effectiveness of a professional development program on designing AR projects. It is difficult to determine how much and what teachers have learned in a course or training. Thus, this cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate further the validity and reliability of the Teacher’s Competence in Action Research Questionnaire, a seven-factor instrument previously proposed by Cortes, Pineda, and Geverola (2020). This self-report scale was not subjected to confirmatory factor analysis, had less sample size, and had homogenous participants. In the present study, 450 participants, both pre- and in-service teachers and from different teaching specializations, answered the survey. The data were analyzed using the confirmatory factor analysis method through the Maximum Likelihood approach. Four model fit indices recorded satisfactory results (CFI = 0.890; TLI = 0.884; RMSEA = 0.072; SRMR = 0.039), thus, supporting the seven-factor scale. The standardized factor loading, composite reliability, average variance extracted, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient/s of the entire scale and within subscales also provide evidence of the convergent validity and reliability of the scale. There may be an issue in the discriminant validity of the scale, but the conceptual distinctions of each factor as supported by theoretical foundation and arguments provide a principal reason for retaining all the items and factors.
Highlights
A growing interest in continuing professional development (CPD) programs in recent years has been evident in the educational context such as the following but not limited to vocational teaching (Andersson and Köpsén, 2015), language teaching (e.g., Novozhenina and Lopez-Pinzon, 2018), science teaching (e.g., Kartal et al, 2018), and mathematics teaching (e.g., Jacob, Hill, and Corey, 2017)
Bottom-up teacher-led professional development processes characterized by active, reflective, and transformative professionalism have been proposed by many researchers in lieu of top-down approaches (Dehghan, 2020)
Estimation Results An analysis of the factor load estimation results was done on each observed variable using a critical ratio or t-value and standardized factor loading (SFL) before the overall model-data fit was tested
Summary
A growing interest in continuing professional development (CPD) programs in recent years has been evident in the educational context such as the following but not limited to vocational teaching (Andersson and Köpsén, 2015), language teaching (e.g., Novozhenina and Lopez-Pinzon, 2018), science teaching (e.g., Kartal et al, 2018), and mathematics teaching (e.g., Jacob, Hill, and Corey, 2017). To become a lifelong learner, one should constantly and actively engage in professional learning experiences throughout his career for personal and professional reasons In this regard, bottom-up teacher-led professional development processes characterized by active, reflective, and transformative professionalism have been proposed by many researchers in lieu of top-down approaches (Dehghan, 2020). Long-term outcomes for teachers’ engagement in AR include learning how to conduct AR, developing reflective practice, a student-centred teaching approach, collaboration between peers, changing attitudes, and lasting effect on teaching (Kember, 2002). Recognizing these outcomes or significance, several efforts have been made even before and until recently to promote the culture of AR in pre-service and inservice teaching. When pre-service teachers conduct AR during practicum, it is argued that it allows them to link theory with their developing classroom practices
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