The Development of an Integrated Scale of Technology Use in Physics

Abstract

In this study, the Integrated Scale of Technology Use in Physics (ISTUP) was developed to determine students’ frequency of technology use, their perceptions about the effects of technology use on physics interest and achievement, and their preferences of technological tools and applications in learning physics. The scale was administered two different times to 670 high school students in total who took physics courses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to validate the scale. The results of the study suggest that the ISTUP is a valid and reliable scale. Students’ frequency of technology use in learning physics corresponded to ‘sometimes’. Students perceived that technology use had slightly positive effect on their interest and achievement. Findings regarding the interrelations between students’ preference for technological tools and applications were also discussed.