Development and validation of a STEM teaching capacity measurement tool for primary school teachers in Vietnam

Le Thi Xinh; Dang Ngoc Trung; Bui Van Hong; Le Thi Xinh; Dang Ngoc Trung; Bui Van Hong

doi:10.3934/steme.2026036

STEM Education

2026, Volume 6, Issue 5: 908-926. doi: 10.3934/steme.2026036

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Research article Topical Sections

Development and validation of a STEM teaching capacity measurement tool for primary school teachers in Vietnam

Institute of Technical Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering (HCM-UTE), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; xinhlt.ncs@hcmute.edu.vn, trungdn.ncs@hcmute.edu.vn, hongbv@hcmute.edu.vn

Academic Editor: Jun Shen

Received: 09 March 2026 Revised: 09 July 2026 Accepted: 16 July 2026 Published: 19 August 2026

The digital transformation era underscores the pivotal role of globalized STEM education in fostering a workforce capable of navigating contemporary and prospective societal challenges. In Vietnam, STEM education is oriented as a core strategy and is in the early stages of development. Concurrently, the instructional proficiency of educators in STEM disciplines emerges as a critical determinant for optimizing educational outcomes in this field. The lack of a reliable measurement tool for teachers' STEM teaching capacity is an important issue affecting the development of STEM teaching capacity and the effectiveness of STEM initiatives. Through a rigorous, reliable process of building and validating a scale, we developed a measurement tool to measure STEM teaching capacity among primary school teachers in Vietnam. This measurement tool ensures reliability and validity; it includes 37 items, representing 6 dimensions of STEM teaching capacity (teachers' knowledge of STEM education, STEM lesson design capacity, STEM teaching implementation capacity, STEM lesson assessment capacity, digital technology capacity, and teachers' attitudes toward STEM education). With these findings, we expect that this tool will help to make the assessment of STEM teaching capacity more comprehensive and realistic. At the same time, this could also be helpful in building strategies to develop STEM teaching capacity for teachers; it not only focuses on knowledge and teaching skills as before, but also needs to pay attention to digital technology competence and promote positive attitudes toward STEM teaching of teachers.
- scale validation,
- scale development,
- STEM teaching capacity,
- STEM education,
- confirmatory factor analysis,
- educational measurement,
- digital competence
Citation: Le Thi Xinh, Dang Ngoc Trung, Bui Van Hong. Development and validation of a STEM teaching capacity measurement tool for primary school teachers in Vietnam[J]. STEM Education, 2026, 6(5): 908-926. doi: 10.3934/steme.2026036

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Abstract

The digital transformation era underscores the pivotal role of globalized STEM education in fostering a workforce capable of navigating contemporary and prospective societal challenges. In Vietnam, STEM education is oriented as a core strategy and is in the early stages of development. Concurrently, the instructional proficiency of educators in STEM disciplines emerges as a critical determinant for optimizing educational outcomes in this field. The lack of a reliable measurement tool for teachers' STEM teaching capacity is an important issue affecting the development of STEM teaching capacity and the effectiveness of STEM initiatives. Through a rigorous, reliable process of building and validating a scale, we developed a measurement tool to measure STEM teaching capacity among primary school teachers in Vietnam. This measurement tool ensures reliability and validity; it includes 37 items, representing 6 dimensions of STEM teaching capacity (teachers' knowledge of STEM education, STEM lesson design capacity, STEM teaching implementation capacity, STEM lesson assessment capacity, digital technology capacity, and teachers' attitudes toward STEM education). With these findings, we expect that this tool will help to make the assessment of STEM teaching capacity more comprehensive and realistic. At the same time, this could also be helpful in building strategies to develop STEM teaching capacity for teachers; it not only focuses on knowledge and teaching skills as before, but also needs to pay attention to digital technology competence and promote positive attitudes toward STEM teaching of teachers.

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Authors' biographies Ms. Le Thi Xinh, is currently a doctoral candidate in Education at the Institute of Technical Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering (HCM-UTE), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Her research focuses on developing STEM teaching competencies for primary school teachers, aiming to enhance the effective implementation of STEM education within the primary curriculum. Email: xinhlt.ncs@hcmute.edu.vn; Mr. Dang Ngoc Trung, is currently a doctoral candidate in Education at the Institute of Technical Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering (HCM-UTE), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. His research focuses on collaborative learning strategies and methodologies aimed at enhancing students' mathematical competencies and their ability to apply knowledge to real-world problem-solving. Email: trungdn.ncs@hcmute.edu.vn; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Van Hong, works at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering, Viet Nam. He is the (co-)author of many journal papers and publications in both local and international conference proceedings. He has had teaching experience for many years. He has organized and managed many projects to improve the teaching quality at various levels, from primary to high school, and higher education. He is also the chair of the committee of many thesis defense sessions. His areas of interest include the application of the STEM approach, project-based learning, blended learning, and vocational education. Email: hongbv@hcmute.edu.vn

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