Abstract
The purpose of this study is to validate the measure of student attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S-STEM). This study used the cross-sectional design to employ translation and cultural adaptation as well as providing evidence of the reliability and validity of the S-STEM. The instrument was administered to 748 pre-university students in Penang, Malaysia. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with AMOS 19.0. Results support S-STEM as a three-factor multidimensional construct, namely attitude towards science, attitude towards technology/engineering, and attitude towards mathematics. All statistics such as factor loadings, average variance explained, construct reliability, evidence of discriminant validity, and goodnessof-fit indices were found to be at acceptable values. These positive results are significant because although the instrument has undergone numerous modifications, such as translation and others, the generalizability of the instrument is still preserved in pre-university Malaysian students. Counselors may administer the instrument to facilitate the choice of courses to enroll at university. The research may utilize the instrument to gather data in providing measures to improve students’ participation in learning STEM. The practical implications, as well as the methodological limitations of the present study, are discussed.
Highlights
It is widely known and generally accepted that mathematics is a valuable subject that is useful in daily life that helps us to perform effectively in society
In addition to the psychometric aspects of the S-STEM, we investigate the difference in attitude towards STEM between male and female pre-university students
We found that the construct reliability of attitude towards science, attitude towards engineering/technology, and attitude towards mathematics are reasonably high at .91, .94, and .86, respectively
Summary
It is widely known and generally accepted that mathematics is a valuable subject that is useful in daily life that helps us to perform effectively in society. Mathematics is closely related to other subjects, especially science. Logical thinking and deductive reasoning are the two skills best nurtured in mathematics that are useful in science. Mathematics and science are irrefutably the most recognized fields of study and have been the driving force in education for a country to thrive. With the change of the world economy, knowledge and competencies in mathematics, as well as science, are no longer adequate to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Today’s technology and engineering encompass all aspects of life. It is the main reason that the concept of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education was
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