Exploring the suitability of self-reports to gain insights into teachers’ technological pedagogical knowledge

Teachers need high technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) to integrate digital technology effectively into their teaching. The valid assessment of teachers’ TPK is important so that researchers can investigate its development and impact on student outcomes. However, providing validity evidence for frequently used TPK self-report scales is challenging. Previous studies have indicated only weak correlations between these scales and tests. It remains open whether low correlations are due to method-specific biases of the self-reports or the fact that self-reports and tests measure different constructs (generalized knowledge/self-efficacy vs. specific knowledge). We investigated the relationship between self-report scales and tests of two aspects of teachers’ TPK – TPK-teaching and learning and TPK-classroom management – in a sample of 238 in-service teachers. Results showed that the TPK self-report scales seemed to measure a different construct (more generalized knowledge) than the tests and that low correlations cannot simply be explained by self-report method-specific biases. • Self-reported and tested aspects of TPK show low convergence. • Various explanations for low convergence of self-reports and tests are investigated. • Low convergence does not seem to be simply due to self-report method-inherent bias. • Existing self-report scales seem to measure more generalized knowledge. • Existing tests seem to measure very specific aspects of knowledge.