Translation and validation of a questionnaire for measuring teachers’ views on nature of science

Abstract

Background: Teachers’ views of nature of science (NOS) play a key-role in how they teach science and can significantly impact their students’ understanding of and achievement in science. NOS has been a curriculum goal in science education for several decades. Therefore, there is a need for assessment tools that can examine views of NOS in the language spoken by teachers and used in their teaching. Purpose: This paper reports the development, through translation and validation of a measure for assessing NOS understanding in the Arabic language, specifically, the Reconceptualised Family Resemblance Approach to Nature of Science Questionnaire (RFNQ). The RFNQ has already been validated for use in English and Turkish languages; however, a validated version of the questionnaire in Arabic is lacking. Method: The RFNQ was adapted to Arabic and validated according to widely accepted guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of questionnaires for different languages. These incorporated forward translation, critical assessment by a panel of Arabic native experts and experienced teachers, and back-translation. Sample: Subsequently, a total of 130 pre-service teachers completed the questionnaire to assess the internal consistency of the constructed Arabic version (RFNQ-AR). Results: The RNFQ-AR was developed through a comprehensive procedure to ensure accurate translation and meaning. Further, the RFNQ-AR questionnaire reliability coefficient for the whole items found to be acceptable (α = 0.89) and varied per scale between 0.72 and 0.74, which is standard for internal consistency reliability. Conclusions: Current estimates of 422 million Arabic speakers worldwide indicate the need for assessment tools to be available in Arabic. Questionnaires such as the RFNQ-AR will facilitate research into teacher understanding of NOS and enable evidence-based training in this area to ensure optimal student performance.