Abstract
Information and communication technology (ICT) is key to educational development. This study explores the mechanism influencing the use of ICT on students’ science literacy. We utilized two-level hierarchical linear models and structural equation models to analyze data collected from the 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in China. Results indicate that student-level and school-level ICT factors, in particular ICT interest, autonomy in using ICT, and ICT availability at school positively impact the development of students’ science literacy. Further, we found some notable interactions between school-level factors and student-level ICT variables. Moreover, there are structural relationships among ICT availability, ICT emotional perception, ICT learning usage behaviors, science self-efficacy, and science literacy. We also found that teacher-delivered science instruction has a negative moderating effect on ICT learning usage and science self-efficacy. These findings have important implications of how to integrate ICT in future science teaching practices.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: A summary of student- and school-level variables
Description | Label | Source in the questionnaire |
---|---|---|
Student-level | ||
Demographic background | ||
Students’ gender (female:0; male:1) | GENDER | ST004D01T (NEW) |
Parents' highest level of education | HISCED | HISCED in PISA database (CAL) |
Index of family economic, social and cultural status | ESCS | ESCS in PISA database (WLE) |
ICT factors | ||
Age of first use of electronics | AGEDIG | IC002Q01NA (NEW) |
Age of first use of the Internet | AGEINT | IC004Q01TA (NEW) |
ICT availability (number of ICT) at home | ICTHOME | ICTHOME in PISA database (CAL) |
ICT usage for learning at home | HOMESCH | HOMESCH in PISA database (WLE) |
ICT usage for recreation outside of school | ENTUSE | ENTUSE in PISA database (WLE) |
ICT usage for science learning outside of school | SCIACT | ST146Q(01\03\06\07\08\09) (NEW) |
Interest in ICT | INTICT | INTICT in PISA database (WLE) |
ICT competence perception | COMPICT | COMPICT in PISA database (WLE) |
Autonomy in using ICT | AUTICT | AUTICT in PISA database (WLE) |
Social interaction around ICT | SOIAICT | SOIAICT in PISA database (WLE) |
Science performance-related variables | ||
Performance on the PISA science literacy test | SCILIT | PV1SCIE-PV10SCIE in PISA database |
Science self-efficacy | SCIEFF | SCIEEFF in PISA database (WLE) |
Teacher lecture-based instruction | TDTEACH | TDTEACH in PISA database (WLE) |
School-level | ||
ICT factors | ||
ICT availability (number of ICT) at school | ICTSCH | ICTSCH in PISA database (CAL) |
ICT usage for learning at school | USESCH | USESCH in PISA database (WLE) |
Student-computer ratio | RATCMP | RATCMP in PISA database (CAL) |
School context factors | ||
School location (rural:0; city:1) | SCHLOCAT | SC001Q01TA (NEW) |
School type (private:0; public:1) | SCHTYPE | SC013Q01TA (NEW) |
Student–teacher ratio | STRATIO | STRATIO in PISA database (CAL) |
School size (total number of students and teachers) | SCHSIZE | SCHSIZE in PISA database (CAL) |
Class size (total number of students in the class) | CLSIZE | CLSIZE in PISA database (CAL) |
School educational facility shortage | EDUSHORT | EDUSHORT in PISA database (WLE) |
School teacher resource shortage | STAFFSHO | STAFFSHORT in PISA database (WLE) |
School science education resource shortage | SCEIERES | SC059Q01NA-SC059Q08NA (NEW) |
Appendix 2: Correlation coefficient matrices between the variables at student-level
GENDER | HISCED | ESCS | AGEDIG | AGEINT | ICTHOME | ENTUSE | HOMESCH | INTICT | COMPICT | AUTICT | SOIAICT | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GENDER | 1.000 | |||||||||||
HISCED | .007 | 1.000 | ||||||||||
ESCS | .001 | .847 | 1.000 | |||||||||
AGEDIG | −.104 | −.308 | −.427 | 1.000 | ||||||||
AGEINT | −.066 | −.353 | −.489 | .672 | 1.000 | |||||||
ICTHOME | .064 | .406 | .598 | −.360 | −.425 | 1.000 | ||||||
ENTUSE | .145 | .096 | .174 | −.188 | −.206 | .311 | 1.000 | |||||
HOMESCH | −.002 | .155 | .225 | −.134 | −.181 | .329 | .473 | 1.000 | ||||
INTICT | .114 | .171 | .241 | −.266 | −.281 | .227 | .362 | .235 | 1.000 | |||
COMPICT | .196 | .174 | .248 | −.240 | −.268 | .302 | .347 | .256 | .511 | 1.000 | ||
AUTICT | .186 | .195 | .272 | −.270 | −.299 | .283 | .351 | .258 | .494 | .621 | 1.000 | |
SOIAICT | .213 | .070 | .120 | −.129 | −.154 | .230 | .349 | .317 | .378 | .520 | .494 | 1.000 |
Appendix 3: Correlation coefficient matrices between the variables at school-level
ICTSCH | USESCH | SCHLOCAT | SCHTYPE | STRATIO | SCHSIZE | RATCMP | CLSIZE | EDUSHORT | STAFFSHOR | SCIERES | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ICTSCH | 1.000 | ||||||||||
USESCH | .058 | 1.000 | |||||||||
SCHLOCAT | .143 | .192 | 1.000 | ||||||||
SCHTYPE | .015 | −.100 | −.215 | 1.000 | |||||||
STRATIO | −.270 | .124 | .134 | −.415 | 1.000 | ||||||
SCHSIZE | −.221 | .221 | .144 | −.143 | .415 | 1.000 | |||||
RATCMP | .186 | .268 | .150 | .047 | −.075 | −.264 | 1.000 | ||||
CLSIZE | −.369 | .066 | −.009 | −.122 | .304 | .457 | −.400 | 1.000 | |||
EDUSHORT | −.299 | .177 | −.102 | −.108 | .093 | .067 | .080 | .102 | 1.000 | ||
STAFFSHOR | −.243 | .127 | −.148 | −.005 | .087 | −.001 | .077 | .053 | .690 | 1.000 | |
SCIERES | .403 | .153 | .275 | .021 | −.130 | −.011 | .200 | −.170 | −.265 | −.328 | 1.000 |
Appendix 4: Internal reliability of each construct
Construct | Observation | Estimate | Factor loading | CR | AVE | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unstd | S.E | t(sig) | Std | SMC | ||||
AUTICT | AUT1 | 1.000 | .804 | .646 | .896 | .633 | ||
AUT2 | .985 | .013 | 74.689*** | .793 | .629 | |||
AUT3 | .878 | .012 | 71.270*** | .764 | .584 | |||
AUT4 | .997 | .013 | 74.973*** | .796 | .634 | |||
AUT5 | .898 | .012 | 77.962*** | .821 | .674 | |||
COMPICT | ICO1 | 1.000 | .632 | .399 | .839 | .640 | ||
ICO2 | 1.376 | .024 | 56.564*** | .850 | .723 | |||
ICO3 | 1.493 | .027 | 55.777*** | .894 | .799 | |||
HOMESCH | HMS1 | 1.000 | .550 | .303 | .833 | .504 | ||
HMS2 | 1.368 | .033 | 42.069*** | .667 | .445 | |||
HMS3 | 1.558 | .033 | 47.298*** | .849 | .721 | |||
HMS4 | 1.268 | .028 | 45.420*** | .766 | .587 | |||
HMS5 | 1.175 | .028 | 42.682*** | .683 | .466 | |||
SCIACT | SAT1 | 1.000 | .627 | .393 | .898 | .693 | ||
SAT2 | 1.513 | .023 | 65.369*** | .945 | .893 | |||
SAT3 | 1.532 | .023 | 65.714*** | .959 | .920 | |||
SAT4 | 1.185 | .021 | 55.701*** | .751 | .564 | |||
SCIEFF | SEF1 | 1.000 | .686 | .471 | .867 | .522 | ||
SEF2 | 1.194 | .021 | 56.182*** | .735 | .540 | |||
SEF3 | 1.274 | .022 | 58.717*** | .775 | .601 | |||
SEF4 | 1.273 | .022 | 58.516*** | .771 | .594 | |||
SEF5 | 1.027 | .020 | 50.172*** | .647 | .419 | |||
SEF6 | 1.254 | .023 | 54.724*** | .713 | .508 |
Appendix 5: Discriminant validity between constructs
AVE | SCIACT | SCIEFF | HOMSCH | COMICT | AUTICT | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SCIACT | .693 | .832 | ||||
SCIEFF | .522 | .360 | .722 | |||
HOMSCH | .504 | .382 | .217 | .710 | ||
COMICT | .640 | .207 | .215 | .297 | .800 | |
AUTICT | .633 | .152 | .222 | .275 | .669 | .796 |
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Guo, Q., Qiao, C. & Ibrahim, B. The Mechanism of Influence Between ICT and Students’ Science Literacy: a Hierarchical and Structural Equation Modelling Study. J Sci Educ Technol 31, 272–288 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-021-09954-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-021-09954-9