While surveys/inventories can be very informative for researchers to better understand latent constructs within social science research, critical analysis of these instruments is essential when they are used outside of their initial contexts. This complete research paper reports on an exploratory factor analysis of the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) as adapted for use in measuring relational change of engineering faculty’s (N=65) instructional intent and teaching strategies in their undergraduate engineering classes. Parallel analysis of data collected during the JTFD professional development program, a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project, suggested an underlying structure of two or three factors. While the survey creators, Trigwell and Prosser [1], claim a two-factor structure, each with two underlying subscales, in the ATI, exploratory factor analyses global model fit suggested a three-factor model to be a better fit. Interpretation of loading patterns and magnitudes indicated concerns with both two- and three- factor models. Although the small sample size presents a limitation to the findings, critical analysis of the ATI’s use in other disciplines should be considered.
Kristi Glassmeyer is a PhD student in Educational Policy and Evaluation at Arizona State University. Her research interests engage the intersection of organizational resources and processes with science and engineering education for the purposes of policy implementation and educational change.
Dr. Lydia Ross is a clinical assistant professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. She also serves as the executive director of the Association for Education Finance & Policy. She holds a PhD in Educational Policy and Evaluation from Arizona State University. Her research focuses on equity and access and in higher education, with a focus on STEM.
Eugene Judson is an Associate Professor of for the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. He also serves as an Extension Services Consultant for the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). His past experiences include having been a middle school science teacher, Director of Academic and Instructional Support for the Arizona Department of Education, a research scientist for the Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (CRESMET), and an evaluator for several NSF projects. His first research strand concentrates on the relationship between educational policy and STEM education. His second research strand focuses on studying STEM classroom interactions and subsequent effects on student understanding. He is a co-developer of the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) and his work has been cited more than 2200 times and he has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals such as Science Education and the Journal of Research in Science Teaching.
Stephen Krause is professor in the Materials Science Program in the Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University. He teaches in the areas of introductory materials engineering, polymers and composites, and capstone design. His research interests include faculty development and evaluating conceptual knowledge and strategies to promote conceptual change. He has co-developed a Materials Concept Inventory and a Chemistry Concept Inventory for assessing conceptual knowledge and change for materials science and chemistry classes. He is currently conducting research in two areas. One is studying how strategies of engagement and feedback and internet tool use affect conceptual change and impact on students' attitude, achievement, and persistence. The other is on a large-scale NSF faculty development program and its effect on change in faculty teaching beliefs, engagement strategies, and classroom practice. Recent honors include coauthoring the ASEE Best Paper Award in the Journal of Engineering Education in 2013 and the ASEE Mike Ashby Outstanding Materials Educator Award in 2018.
Lindy Hamilton Mayled is the Director of Instructional Effectiveness for the Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. She has a PhD in Psychology of Learning, Education, and Technology and her research and areas of interest are in improving educational outcomes for STEM students through the integration of active learning and technology-enabled frequent feedback.
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