TPACK-Uotl: the validation of an assessment instrument for elementary school teachers

Effective teaching in the modern era requires teachers to possess a strong understanding of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), which encompasses the intricate interplay of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. Mishra and Koehler (2006) initially introduced the framework as TPCK, later simplified to TPACK. This study acknowledges the crucial role of TPACK in facilitating successful teaching and learning, particularly when integrated with the Use of the Internet (UotI) in elementary education. UotI, encompassing skills like using search engines and various software, is vital for contemporary teaching practices. Existing TPACK assessment instruments show inconsistencies in identifying TPACK components, highlighting a need for context-specific assessments. This research addresses this gap by developing and validating a TPACK-UotI scale tailored for Indonesian elementary school teachers, exploring the internal relationships between TPACK and UotI to understand their transformative interaction.

Several studies have attempted to develop and validate instruments to measure TPACK. Schmidt et al. (2009b) created a widely cited instrument, identifying seven TPACK factors (TK, PK, CK, PCK, TCK, TPK, and TPACK). However, many subsequent studies using this instrument failed to replicate the seven-factor structure. Koh et al. (2010), Chai et al. (2012), Shinas et al. (2013), Valtonen et al. (2015), Sang et al. (2011), Baser et al. (2016), Luik et al. (2018), and Cetin-Dindar et al. (2018) reported varying numbers of TPACK constructs, indicating that a universally applicable TPACK scale is lacking. The use of the Internet (UotI) in education is also significant, with various internet-based learning resources (e.g., YouTube EDU, iTunes U) becoming increasingly prevalent. Teachers' perceptions and utilization of UotI play a significant role in improving teaching and learning. This existing research lays the foundation for this study, which aims to create a comprehensive and context-specific instrument that integrates TPACK and UotI.

This study employed a quantitative approach to develop and validate a TPACK-UotI instrument for Indonesian elementary school teachers. The instrument incorporated seven TPACK domains (TK, CK, PK, PCK, TCK, TPK, and TPACK) and UotI. The initial 43 items were adapted from existing TPACK (Habibi et al., 2020a; Schmidt et al., 2009b) and Uotl (Aslan and Zhu, 2017; Habibi et al., 2020a) instruments, then translated and refined for face and content validity. Face validity was established through discussions with teachers and a principal, leading to revisions. Content validity was assessed using a 4-point scale by ten experts in educational technology, calculating Item-level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) and Scale-level Content Validity Index (S-CVI). The I-CVI scores were above 0.78, and S-CVI scores were above 0.80, indicating satisfactory content validity. A pilot study with 69 elementary school teachers tested reliability using Cronbach's alpha, with all alpha values exceeding 0.700 (ranging from 0.848 to 0.921). The main data collection involved distributing the instrument to 1100 teachers, with 1001 usable responses. Data analysis used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 3.3 to assess the measurement model's construct reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Construct reliability was examined using Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability (CR), convergent validity with Average Variance Extracted (AVE), and discriminant validity with the Heterotrait-Monotrait (HTMT) ratio. Items were dropped based on loading and HTMT values. Finally, Pearson correlations were computed to examine relationships among TPACK-UotI subscales.

The final 40-item TPACK-UotI instrument demonstrated strong reliability and validity. Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability (CR) values ranged from 0.83 to 0.94 for all constructs, exceeding the 0.70 threshold. Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values ranged from 0.550 to 0.680, exceeding the 0.50 threshold indicating satisfactory convergent validity. Heterotrait-Monotrait (HTMT) ratios were all below 0.85, demonstrating discriminant validity and the independence of the constructs. Descriptive statistics showed the highest mean score for Content Knowledge (CK) and the lowest for Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). All eight subscales (TK, PK, CK, PCK, TCK, TPK, TPACK, and Uotl) showed significant positive correlations at the p<0.001 level. The strongest positive correlations were observed between TPACK and TPK, TPACK and TCK, CK and PK, and TPACK and UotI.

The findings confirm the development of a valid and reliable instrument for assessing TPACK and UotI among Indonesian elementary school teachers. The strong correlations among the TPACK components and between TPACK and UotI support the integrated nature of these constructs in effective teaching. The instrument's successful validation provides a valuable tool for evaluating teacher competence and informing teacher development programs. The high correlation between TPACK and UotI emphasizes the significance of integrating internet usage into pedagogical practices. The results are particularly relevant for the Indonesian context, providing valuable insights into the specific needs and challenges of elementary school teachers in this region. Future research can explore the impact of TPACK-UotI on student learning outcomes and investigate potential cultural nuances that may influence TPACK development.

This study successfully developed and validated a 40-item TPACK-UotI instrument for assessing elementary school teachers' technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge in conjunction with their use of the internet. The instrument's strong psychometric properties make it a valuable tool for teacher education and evaluation. Future studies could investigate the instrument's applicability in other educational contexts and explore the longitudinal impact of TPACK and UotI on teacher practice and student learning.

This study focused on Indonesian elementary school teachers, limiting the generalizability of the findings to other contexts. The cross-sectional design does not allow for causal inferences between TPACK-UotI and teaching practices. Further research is needed to examine the instrument's validity and reliability across diverse populations and contexts. The reliance on self-reported data could introduce bias, and future research could benefit from incorporating observational measures to triangulate findings.