Development and Validation of an Assessment Tool for Measuring Innovative Thinking in STEM Students

Abstract

 The researchers conducted this study to develop and validate instrument an assessment tool for measuring innovative thinking in STEM students of Hilongos National Vocational School, Hilongos, Leyte, in 2024. It was done in three-phases: (1) Construct Specification and Item Creation; (2) Content Validation; and (3) Internal Consistency Assessment. Figure 1 shows the overview of the instrument development and validation process adopted from Bazhan et al. (2023) with modifications. As to content validity, the expert panel members evaluated the 150 items based on the four-point scale. Then, CVI for each item was calculated. Items are retained if they have a Content Validity Ratio (CVR) of 0.60 or higher and a Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.80 or higher, while items are eliminated if they fall below either criterion, with a CVR of less than 0.60 or a CVI of less than 0.80. The remaining items were revised to satisfy the recommendations of the experts in terms of the consistency of statements’ verb tenses as well as the points of view utilized. As to internal consistency, it revealed that the reliability of the five constructs is greater than 0.90, indicating that the reliability is acceptable. This implies that all items demonstrated a valid internal consistency. Cronbach’s α between 0.8 to 1 shows good reliability, between 0.6 to 0.79 indicates the reliability is acceptable, and less than 0.6 indicates poor reliability. The developed questionnaire for measuring innovative thinking in STEM students exhibited strong reliability and content validity. The instrument effectively captured the core dimensions of innovative thinking, such as observing, questioning, experimenting, idea networking, and associating. The factor analysis results supported the instrument's underlying structure, and Cronbach's alpha values indicated high internal consistency. These findings suggest that the questionnaire is a reliable and valid tool for assessing innovative thinking in STEM students.