Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Chinese Chemistry Teachers’ Perceived Self-Efficacy Towards Chemistry Core Competencies

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate an instrument for measuring Chinese Chemistry Teachers’ Perceived Self-Efficacy towards Chemistry Core Competencies. Based on the notion of the 2017 Senior High School Chemistry Curriculum Standards, the initial instrument consisted of 20 items in five CCCs as the distinct constructs were developed. An expert panel conducted content and face validity during the developmental phase. During the measurement phase, data were collected and analyzed from 210 chemistry teachers, including pre-service and in-service teachers at a university-government-school (UGS) initiative, to provide the construct validity of the initial instrument. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were employed to confirm the convergent and discriminant validity and reliability of the final instrument with 15 items evenly allocating in the five CCCs (macroscopic identification and microscopic analysis, changes and equilibrium, evidence-based reasoning and modeling, scientific inquiry and innovation, and scientific attitudes and social responsibility). Concurrent validity was further provided for the instrument by examining the mean differences among teacher demographic groups. The result showed that teachers’ self-efficacy varied with professional stages, years of teaching experiences, and school district types, but not with gender. This study provides a thorough process of developing and validating an instrument for teacher self-efficacy in a specific subject domain. The valid and reliable instrument could benefit global teacher education researchers and teacher professional learning programs.