The Development of the STEM ICT Teaching Inventory (SITI) to Measure ICT integration in STEM Teaching among TVETMARA Educators

Fariedah, Lal Chan (2024) The Development of the STEM ICT Teaching Inventory (SITI) to Measure ICT integration in STEM Teaching among TVETMARA Educators. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

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Abstract

STEM education has garnered significant global attention due to its critical role in preparing students for future employment in an increasingly technological world. Recognizing this importance, Malaysia has made STEM education a national priority, focusing on integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into STEM teaching. This study aims to develop and validate the STEM ICT Teaching Inventory (SITI), an instrument designed to assess ICT integration in STEM teaching among educators at TVETMARA, a private Malaysian Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) provider. The study is grounded in the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and addresses contextual factors affecting ICT integration in STEM education. The development of SITI employed an exploratory sequential mixed-method approach (QUAL→quan) using three phases of instrument development. The first phase involved a qualitative study exploring ICT integration in STEM teaching through semi-structured interviews with 10 TVETMARA educators, complemented by classroom observations and lesson plan analysis. Thematic analysis using Quirkos software identified five key themes: ICT Selection, Organisation Support, Peer Collaboration, Pedagogical Practices, and Lesson Preparation. These themes informed the development of the SITI instrument, resulting in an initial pool of five constructs with 42 items in the second phase. The third phase of SITI development involved a quantitative study to validate SITI’s content and construct validity. Expert validation and descriptive analyses retained five constructs and 42 items. For construct validation, the SITI instrument was administered to TVETMARA educators in two stages: exploratory (n = 162) and confirmatory (n = 265). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using IBM SPSS 22 reduced the instrument to 32 items across five constructs, although the Lesson Preparation construct was excluded due to inter-factor correlations. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using IBM SPSS Amos 26 established convergent and discriminant validity, with the instrument showing strong internal consistency and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.8). The final SITI instrument consists of 32 items across five constructs—ICT Selection, Organisation Support, Peer Collaboration, Pedagogical Practices, and STEM Teaching—measured on a 7-point Likert scale. This validated instrument provides a reliable tool for measuring ICT integration in STEM teaching within the TPACK context. The study’s findings contribute to expanding STEM pedagogy by highlighting the role of contextual ICT integration. The SITI instrument offers educators and policymakers insights into designing technology interventions tailored to the specific needs of STEM educators.

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