title: Psychometric characteristics of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Inventory in South Africa.
abstract: The psychometric properties of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Inventory are reported, based on responses of 200 (88 men and 112 women) elementary science teachers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Previous factor analytic studies of this inventory have identified a two-factor solution but this has not been investigated in a South African context. The reliability estimated as internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) was .87. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation indicated a two-factor solution accounting for 38.1% of variance, with Cronbach alphas of .92 and .73 for the Personal Science Teaching Efficacy Belief subscale (Factor 1) and the Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy subscale (Factor 2), respectively. Principal components analysis of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Inventory yielded two conceptually meaningful components, similar to those reported in literature. Although one item did not meet the conditions for acceptance, this inventory may be useful in understanding science teachers' efficacy beliefs in South Africa. These particular findings are preliminary but hopeful. Studies using confirmatory analysis to address the cross-national invariance of this inventory are needed.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Improvement of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, Faculty of Science, University of South Africa, Gauteng. mjia@unisa.ac.za
authors.forename: Andile
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mji
authors.forename: Agnes M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kiviet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012586:Science / Q000193:education*; D013019:South Africa; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*