Statistical Validation of Remote Laboratory Perception Survey (RLPS) for University Students

Abstract

A hands-on laboratory course is one of the essentials in university STEM education. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has changed global STEM education practices into the non-face-to-face format, forcing university instructors to implement and students to take remote laboratory courses. Lee et al. (2023) developed the Remote Laboratory Perception Survey (RLPS) to investigate university students’ perception of remote laboratory courses they took in 2020 and elicit effective teaching strategies for remote labs. However, there is a need for the statistical validation of RLPS if it is to be used in future studies. This study statistically validated RLPS based on internal reliability (Cronbach’s α) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results based on 291 university student responses. The structure of RLPS, which consists of 10 factors with 30 items, was validated to have good internal reliability and fit indices in CFA. The result of this study suggests that the RLPS is a plausible instrument to investigate and report university students’ perceptions of remote labs.