A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Teacher’s Competence in Action Research (Tcar) Questionnaire

Abstract

The instrument that assesses teachers’ competence on AR methodology is limited. Thus, it is one of the issues concerning evaluating the effectiveness of a professional development program on designing AR projects. It is difficult to determine how much and what teachers have learned in a course or training. Thus, this cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate further the validity and reliability of the Teacher’s Competence in Action Research Questionnaire, a seven-factor instrument previously proposed by Cortes, Pineda, and Geverola (2020). This self-report scale was not subjected to confirmatory factor analysis, had less sample size, and had homogenous participants. In the present study, 450 participants, both pre- and in-service teachers and from different teaching specializations, answered the survey. The data were analyzed using the confirmatory factor analysis method through the Maximum Likelihood approach. Four model fit indices recorded satisfactory results (CFI = 0.890; TLI = 0.884; RMSEA = 0.072; SRMR = 0.039), thus, supporting the seven-factor scale. The standardized factor loading, composite reliability, average variance extracted, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient/s of the entire scale and within subscales also provide evidence of the convergent validity and reliability of the scale. There may be an issue in the discriminant validity of the scale, but the conceptual distinctions of each factor as supported by theoretical foundation and arguments provide a principal reason for retaining all the items and factors.

A teacher training program on designing participatory educational action research proposal

“…This is in relation to Morales (2016), who made clear the common underlying concept of action research and participatory action research involve active participation, open-ended objective,s and high levels of commitment from the researcher and the participants to the research problem with emphasis on active learning. As research approaches, individual teacher employees and not only researchers or leaders of an organization are important in designing collaboratively and participating actively in the research process (Morales, 2016;Cortes et al, 2021a;Cortes et al, 2021b).…”

Development and Evaluation of a Professional Development Program on Designing Participatory Action Research Projects for Basic Education Teachers

“…These represent respectively the behavioural, attitudinal, and intellectual needs in AR of which different scales were adopted. First, the Teacher's Competence in Action Research (TCAR) scale was adopted from Cortes, Pineda, and Geverola (2021a) to evaluate the initial competence in AR. This is a 54-item scale Advanced Education ISNN 2409-3351 (Print) ISNN 2410-8286 (Online) evaluating six competences, namely: selecting a topic for professional growth (4 items), planning an AR project (11 items), analyzing and presenting AR data (13 items), integrating ethics (8 items), integrating technology in writing literature and analyzing data (5 items), and reflecting on and communicating results (13 items).…”

“…Although the program ended with designing PAR proposal only, meaning there are still PAR skills yet untrained to the teacher-participants, the evaluation of competence, perception, and knowledge structure about AR was still done to respectively document behavioural, attitudinal, and intellectual changes or development of teachers at the end of the phase of the PD program. The same scales in the pre-test were used, namely: TCAR (Cortes et al, 2021a), TPAR (Cortes et al, 2021a), and the researchers-made TEAR. Interview guides containing open-ended questions were also prepared to elaborate and clarify teachers' responses to the aforementioned quantitative scales.…”