Developing a short assessment instrument for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK.xs) and comparing the factor structure of an integrative and a transformative model

Abstract

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is regarded as one of the most important models describing teachers' competencies for successfully teaching with technology. TPACK is most frequently assessed by means of self-report questionnaires, which beside their inherent methodological limitations present constraints related either to the validity, reliability, or practical applicability of existing instruments. Furthermore, the internal structure of the TPACK framework is a topic of debate. The two goals of this study were (1) to develop a valid and reliable short questionnaire for measuring TPACK (TPACK.xs), and (2) to use this instrument to investigate TPACK's internal relations, assessing whether the framework reflects an integrative or a transformative view regarding how the TPACK knowledge domains interact. An initial questionnaire of 42 items was administered to 117 pre-service upper secondary school teachers. Reliability analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to reduce the number of items per subscale and fit the model. Structural equation modelling investigated the internal relations between components. Results show that the final TPACK.xs questionnaire, consisting of 28 items, can be considered a valid and reliable instrument for assessing pre-service teachers' TPACK. Furthermore, the internal relations of knowledge components support a transformative view of the TPACK model.