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

The study investigates how elementary school teachers’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge integrates with their use of the Internet (UotI) in teaching. Building on the TPACK framework (technology, pedagogy, content), the authors aim to validate an extended self-report instrument (TPACK-UotI) tailored to Indonesian elementary education and to examine internal relationships among TPACK components and Internet use. The purpose is to provide a valid, reliable measure that reflects a transformative perspective on how these knowledge domains interact, addressing the need to understand teachers’ media and information literacy and practical Internet use in classrooms, which are increasingly vital for effective 21st-century teaching and learning.

Multiple TPACK instruments exist, yet findings on their factor structures vary across contexts. Schmidt et al. (2009b) proposed seven TPACK components (TK, PK, CK, PCK, TCK, TPK, TPACK), frequently adapted but not always replicated. Studies using EFA/CFA across countries and subjects (e.g., 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; Cetin-Dindar et al., 2018; Schmid et al., 2020) reported differing factor solutions, reinforcing that no single TPACK scale fits all contexts. Concurrently, Internet use (UotI) has become central to education, with platforms like YouTube EDU and iTunes U supporting on-demand learning. In elementary settings, the Internet supplements teacher- and text-based resources, but teachers’ beliefs and competencies can enable or constrain integration. Understanding teachers’ perceptions and use of the Internet is thus important. This study extends TPACK measurement by incorporating UotI to address contextual needs in Indonesian elementary schools.

Design: Instrument development and validation of a self-report scale assessing seven TPACK domains (TK, CK, PK, PCK, TCK, TPK, TPACK) plus Use of the Internet (UotI), followed by examination of internal relationships using PLS-SEM. Item development and validity: Items were adapted from prior TPACK and Internet use instruments (e.g., Schmidt et al., 2009b; Habibi et al., 2020a; Aslan & Zhu, 2017) and translated. Face validity involved a discussion with four elementary teachers and one principal to ensure clarity and simplicity, leading to revisions. Content validity involved five experts for qualitative review; two items were removed as contextually irrelevant. A content validity index (CVI) was then conducted with 10 educational technology experts, rating relevance, clarity, and simplicity on a 4-point scale. Item-level CVI (I-CVI) scores exceeded 0.78 and scale-level CVI (S-CVI) exceeded 0.80, establishing initial validity. Ethics: Informed consent was obtained. The institutional IRB waived ethics approval; procedures followed relevant guidelines. Pilot study: Administered to 69 elementary teachers (47 female; 22 male). Cronbach’s alpha indicated good reliability across scales (all >0.700), ranging 0.848–0.921 (TK=0.916; PK=0.920; CK=0.848; PCK=0.899; TCK=0.827; TPK=0.877; TPACK=0.921; UotI=0.873). Main study sample and data screening: The 40-item instrument was distributed to 1100 teachers; 1001 complete responses were analyzed after removing ~10% for missing/incomplete data. Descriptive statistics indicated normality within acceptable skewness (−0.367 to 1.219) and kurtosis (−0.614 to 0.547) ranges. Measurement model (PLS-SEM, SmartPLS 3.3): Reliability assessed via Cronbach’s alpha (α) and composite reliability (CR), both >0.70 for all constructs (α, CR approximately 0.83–0.95). Convergent validity assessed via AVE (>0.50) and indicator loadings (0.697–0.928). Discriminant validity assessed using HTMT (<0.90). During refinement, UotI11 was removed for low loading, and TPK1 and TPK4 were removed due to elevated HTMT between TPK-TPACK and TPK-TCK (>0.90). The final model demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity (see Table 3 for representative loadings, α, CR, AVE). Correlations among constructs were examined using Pearson’s r with adjusted significance threshold p<0.001 for multiple comparisons.

• Validated instrument: From an initial 43 items, a 40-item TPACK-UotI scale was validated for Indonesian elementary teachers; three items (UotI11, TPK1, TPK4) were removed during measurement model refinement.
• Reliability: All constructs showed strong internal consistency and composite reliability (e.g., TK α=0.918, CR=0.935; PK α=0.915, CR=0.932; CK α=0.878, CR=0.925; PCK α=0.901, CR=0.938; TCK α=0.880, CR=0.926; TPK α=0.812, CR=0.914; TPACK α=0.929, CR=0.946; UotI α=0.941, CR=0.950).
• Convergent validity: AVE values exceeded 0.50 (e.g., TK 0.672; PK 0.664; CK 0.803; PCK 0.835; TCK 0.806; TPK 0.842; TPACK 0.779; UotI 0.654). Indicator loadings ranged ~0.697–0.928.
• Discriminant validity: HTMT values were below 0.90 across constructs, supporting discriminant validity.
• Descriptives: Among subscales, CK had the highest mean (M=4.2408, SD=0.5673) and PCK the lowest (M=3.6310, SD=0.7972). Overall item distributions showed acceptable skewness and kurtosis.
• Correlations: All inter-construct correlations were positive and significant at p<0.001. Strong associations included TCK–TPACK (r=0.798), TCK–TPK (r=0.781), CK–PK (r=0.759), and TPACK–UotI (r=0.723), indicating coherent relationships consistent with a transformative view of TPACK-UotI interaction.

The validated 40-item TPACK-UotI instrument reliably measures elementary teachers’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge alongside their Internet use in teaching. The strong reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and coherent inter-construct correlations support a transformative perspective in which technology, pedagogy, content, and Internet use interact synergistically rather than as isolated domains. The positive and substantial correlations between TPACK with both TCK/TPK, and between TPACK and UotI, suggest that broader integrative knowledge aligns with teachers’ self-reported Internet use, underscoring the role of Internet-mediated resources in effective technology integration. The instrument provides a context-sensitive tool for assessing teachers’ readiness and guiding professional development in technology-enhanced pedagogy within elementary education.

This study contributes a validated, reliable 40-item TPACK-UotI scale tailored to Indonesian elementary education, extending TPACK assessment by integrating Internet use. Measurement results (high reliability, adequate AVE, satisfactory HTMT) and meaningful correlations among constructs support a transformative model of domain interaction. The instrument can inform teacher education programs, school decision-makers, and researchers in monitoring and fostering technology integration. Future research could apply and adapt the instrument across different subjects, educational levels, and cultural contexts, and link TPACK-UotI scores to classroom practices and student outcomes over time.