A Study on Developing a Self Efficacy Scale towards Science and Technology

Abstract

Problem Statement: On examining the renewed elementary education program, it was seen that the technology dimension has been added to elementary education science lessons. When the related literature was reviewed, it was observed that there were no measurement tools to determine the self-efficacy of elementary school students regarding science and technology in Turkey. Therefore, there is a need for a measurement tool which can establish students' self-efficacy in science and technology education. Purpose of Study: The aim of this study was to develop the "Science and Technology Self-Sufficiency Scale" (SESST) for the purpose of evaluating the self-efficacy in science and technology of elementary school students and to conduct a validity and reliability assessment of this scale and thus provide the scale for use in the field of education. Methods: The sample consisted of 10 primary schools with 400 students in grades 6, 7 and 8. In order to examine the construct validity of the SESST, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed. To ensure the validity of the SESST, corrected item-total correlations and t-tests between items' means of upper 27% and lower 27% points and Croanbach alpha correlation coefficients were used. Additionally, the means and standard deviations for the factors were examined; Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficients were calculated among these factors. Findings and Results: The EFA and DFA results showed that the factorial model of the scales consisted of three factors. To establish that each scale had satisfactory internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated. The internal consistency of "Confidence in Science and Technology Ability" was 0.93, "Coping with Difficulties in Science and Technology" was 0.75, and "Confidence in Performing Science and Technology Tasks" was 0.80. Each scale displayed satisfactory internal consistency reliability. The overall scale reliability was calculated as 0.93. Conclusions and Recommendations: The SESST may be a useful tool in identifying the self-efficacy of elementary school students in science. The scale presented in this study provides an instrument that can be used with students in elementary and middle school classrooms as well. Prospective studies may examine the relationships between the SESST and other variables, i.e. academic performance, development level of students, and gender. The scale, which has been tested for validity and reliability, is considered useful for research into science and technology training.