Development and Validation of a Blended Teaching Design and Teaching Strategy Scale for Technology Education

Abstract

Blended teaching has become an important instructional approach in higher education, particularly in technology-related programs where students need to develop both theoretical understanding and practical skills. However, there is a lack of specialized instruments for assessing teachers' competencies in designing and implementing blended teaching in the technology education context. This study aimed to develop and validate a Blended Teaching Design and Strategy Scale based on an integrated theoretical framework combining the Practical Inquiry Model (PIM) and Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge with Collaborative Learning (TPACK-CL). An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. First, qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 technology program teachers to inform item generation. Then, a quantitative survey involving 224 teachers from three polytechnics in Guangdong Province, China was conducted to test the instrument's psychometric properties. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to examine the scale's reliability and validity. The final scale consists of 48 items across two subscales: the teaching design subscale includes four dimensions (triggering event, exploration, integration, resolution) with 20 items, and the teaching strategy subscale includes eight dimensions (technological knowledge, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, technological content knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, technological pedagogical and content knowledge, and collaborative learning) with 28 items. Reliability analysis showed strong internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha of 0.899 for the design subscale and 0.889 for the strategy subscale. Validity analysis confirmed good construct validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The findings demonstrate that the developed scale is a reliable and theoretically grounded instrument for assessing blended teaching practices in technology education. This instrument can support teacher professional development, inform institutional training initiatives, and contribute to research on effective blended teaching implementation.