Direct measures of digital information processing and communication skills in primary education: Using item response theory for the development and validation of an ICT competence scale

Large-scale Assess Educ

Scherer

2016

The role and use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education has changed profoundly over the last decade. This change is evident at many levels in Abstract Teachers' integration of information and communication technology (ICT) has been widely studied, given that digital competence is considered to be a crucial outcome of twenty first century education. In this context, research highlighted teachers' computer self-efficacy (CSE) as one of the most important determinants of their ICT integration into teaching practices. Whereas previous research mainly focused on the relation between CSE and ICT integration from a frequency-based point of view, recent research suggests to investigate this relation using more qualitative measures of ICT integration such as the degree to which teachers emphasize developing students' digital information and communication skills (TEDDICS). Consequently, the present study investigates the relations between these two constructs: teachers' emphasis on developing students' digital skills and their computer self-efficacy, taking into account the moderating roles of age and gender. We used a representative sample of 1071 Norwegian secondary school teachers who participated in the international computer and information literacy study (ICILS) in 2013. Our results provide evidence on the positive relation between CSE and TEDDICS. Furthermore, age positively moderated this relation between some factors of the two constructs, indicating that computer self-efficacy plays an even more important role for teachers of higher age in the context of emphasizing ICT skills in classrooms. The unique effect of gender was present for one correlation between CSE and TEDDICS, indicating that moderation by gender was apparent to a limited extent, and related to use of computers for instructional purposes. The interaction between age and gender did not reveal significant moderation effects. We discuss these results in light of the potential consequences for teacher training. Siddiq and Scherer Large-scale Assess Educ (2016) -scale Assess Educ (2016) 4:17 education, for instance, with respect to the availability of ICT resources at schools, the access to internet, and the transition from paper-and-pencil to computer-based exams (Scherer and Siddiq 2015a; Scheuermann and Pedró 2009). Furthermore, students' digital competence has gained substantial attention and is considered to be an important twenty first century skill (Griffin et al. 2012). As a consequence, a first line of research studied the determinants of teachers' integration of ICT into classroom activities (Tondeur et al. 2008), given that the teachers play a key role in developing students' digital skills (Schibeci et al. 2008). Specifically, teachers' computer self-efficacy (CSE) has been identified as one of the most important determinants for teachers' integration of ICT in teaching and learning practices (Kreijns et al. 2013;Mumtaz 2000). Existing research identified positive relations between teachers' CSE and their use ...

Section: Teachers' Computer Self-efficacy (Cse)mentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Teachers' Emphasis On Developing Students' Digital Informatimentioning

confidence: 99%

The relation between teachers’ emphasis on the development of students’ digital information and communication skills and computer self-efficacy: the moderating roles of age and gender

Large-scale Assess Educ

Scherer

2016

“…Nevertheless, testing data for fit to the Rasch model is rarely done for questionnaire scales on use of technology (cf. Aesaert, Van Nijlen, Vanderlinde, & van Braak, 2014) and, to our knowledge, no comprehensive instruments that assess support to prepare future teachers for technology integration have been described in the research literature.…”

Section: Purpose Of the Study: Measuring Strategies To Prepare Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

Time for a new approach to prepare future teachers for educational technology use: Its meaning and measurement

Tondeur

Braak

et al. 2016

Computers & Education

Self Cite

204

120

The main objective of this study is to develop a self-report instrument to measure preservice teachers' perceptions of the extent to which they experience the necessary support and training in order to integrate technology into classroom activities. The questionnaire items of this instrument were drawn up on the basis of a synthesis of 19 qualitative studies (Authors et al., 2012) and were reviewed by experts in the field. In order to study its reliability and aspects of validity, data were collected and analysed consisting of a sample of 688 pre-service teachers in Flanders (Belgium). The resulting scale showed highly satisfactory psychometric properties. Item response theory revealed a good fit of the measurement to a Rating Scale Model for 22 out of 24 items. The results also indicate that the items differ in their degree of difficulty. It seems that helping pre-service teachers to design ICT-rich lessons and providing adequate feedback can be considered more challenging for teacher training institutions.Recommendations are given regarding how the new scale can be useful for both teacher training institutions and schools in developing approaches to equip pre-service teachers with the competencies needed to integrate technology in teaching and learning processes.

“…Regarding this competence area, most of the frameworks distinguish between search, evaluation, and communication processes (Calvani, Cartelli, Fini, & Ranieri, 2009;Ferrari, 2013;Fraillon, Schulz, & Ainley, 2013;International ICT Literacy Panel, 2007). In addition, research on the operationalization of digital information skills tends to keep this distinction and indicates that students lack these skills and experience problems related to information retrieval and processing skills (e.g., defining proper search queries, evaluating information, presenting and communicating information in non-structured digital environments; Aesaert, Nijlen, Vanderlinde, & van Braak, 2014;Calvani, Fini, Ranieri, & Picci, 2012;Kuiper, Volman, & Terwel, 2005). In sum, distinguishing between the different skills involved in mastering digital information (i.e., accessing, evaluating, sharing and communicating; e.g., Ferrari, 2013) may provide a conceptual framework for describing teachers' emphasis on the development of these skills in their classrooms.…”

Section: Students' Digital Information and Communication Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers' emphasis on developing students' digital information and communication skills (TEDDICS): A new construct in 21st century education

Scherer

Tondeur

2016

Computers & Education

176

The main aim of this study is to validate an instrument to measure teachers' emphasis on the development of students' digital information and communication skills (TEDDICS), a construct that describes a qualitative aspect of ICT use beyond mere frequency reports.TEDDICS was conceptualized by focusing on digital skills such as accessing, evaluating, and sharing and communicating digital information. We validated TEDDICS with respect to its factorial structure, relations to further teacher-related variables (e.g., ICT self-efficacy), background characteristics (age and gender), and main subject differences. The Norwegian