Home-Based Learning (HBL) Teacher Readiness Scale: Instrument Development and Demographic Analysis

Abstract

The unprecedented disruption in education due to the COVID-19 pandemic has forced teachers worldwide to adapt to online teaching and the immediate implementation of home-based learning (HBL). However, little is known regarding teacher readiness for HBL. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop an instrument to measure teachers’ readiness for online teaching, which can provide feedback to guide policymakers and school leaders in planning strategic interventions and support for implementing HBL. This study aimed to refine and validate the HBL Teacher Readiness Scale and to ascertain the view of secondary school teachers on aspects of their readiness to implement HBL. A total of 931 from a population of 3826 secondary school teachers were selected using random sampling, from the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The validity and reliability of the HBL Teacher Readiness instrument were tested using exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis. As a result of the analysis, the scale remained at 26 items across four factors, namely efficacy in technology, attitude, perceived behaviour control, and subjective norms. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient for the entire scale was 0.94. Demographic analysis revealed that, overall, the in-service teachers’ level of readiness was at a high level across all dimensions, although the highest was in attitude and the lowest was in subjective norms. Based on this initial sample, the HBL Teacher Readiness Scale was shown to be a suitable instrument to measure teacher readiness for change in the context of the implementation of HBL, although further testing should be conducted on more diverse groups.