Exploring Factors of Middle School Teachers’ Satisfaction with Online Training for Sustainable Professional Development under the Impact of COVID-19

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Well described and structured

They present us with an interesting work, well elaborated and structured. Some modifications are

recommended to increase the final quality:

The theme of the work is relevant.

The abstract indicates the objective of the work.

The method section is well structured.  Reliability Analysis of the Questionnaires were given as cronbah alpha reliability index. In line 283 it was stated that ‘confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the  internal validity of each structure, and items with high residual values (> 0.5)  and low normalized factor loadings (< 0.5) needed to be removed’ It is better to report factor loadings of the items and sub dimensions

The discussion and conclusions section needs to be improved.

In line 327 it was writing that Error! Reference source not found., according to the correla- 327

Author Response

Dear Editors and Reviewers,

We would like to thank the editor for handling our paper and the reviewers for their hard work and constructive comments. We found the reviews to be helpful in further improving the quality of our manuscript. We have replied to the reviewers' comments, and we have updated the revised manuscript with yellow highlighting that indicates the changes. Finally, we have improved the language with the help of a professional language editor to make it more logical and flow better.

Many thanks and best regards.

Yours sincerely,

Wentao Wu, Ran Hu, Ruxuan Tan, Hehai Liu

 

Reviewer 1:

Well described and structured

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

 

They present us with an interesting work, well elaborated and structured. Some modifications are

recommended to increase the final quality:

The theme of the work is relevant.

The abstract indicates the objective of the work.

The method section is well structured.  

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

 

Reliability Analysis of the Questionnaires were given as cronbah alpha reliability index. In line 283 it was stated that ‘confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the  internal validity of each structure, and items with high residual values (> 0.5)  and low normalized factor loadings (< 0.5) needed to be removed’ It is better to report factor loadings of the items and sub dimensions.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

We have added the factors loading of each factor in Tables 1 and 2, along with the combined reliability values and average variance extracted of each dimension. Please see the details in Section 3.3 (P. 8-10, lines 353-360).

1. 8-10, lines 353-360:

The factor loadings of the formal questionnaire items were all greater than 0.5, and the combined reliability (CR > 0.7) and average variance extracted (AVE > 0.5) all met the requirements, which indicated that the questionnaire had good reliability and validity (see Table 1 and Table 2).

Table 1. Reliability and Validity Analysis of the Prediction Questionnaire.

Table 2. Reliability and Validity Analysis of the Revised Questionnaire.

 

The discussion and conclusion section needs to be improved.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

The discussion and conclusion sections have been improved (P. 14, lines 456-465; P. 14, lines 472-481; P. 15, lines 488-499; P. 15, lines 508-513; P. 15, lines 523-529; P. 16, lines 541-549; P. 16, lines 553-558).

1. 14, lines 456-465:

The current network training resources are relatively rich, and they tend to be more practical for teaching [4]. Compared with the single and limited training resources of traditional offline teacher training, these useful network training resources can allow teachers to obtain the required resources more conveniently, which greatly improved teachers' expectations for online training.

Therefore, in order to properly improve EX, it is possible to enrich the types and quantities of resources of the training platform, and make tutorials for the trained teachers, so as to help them understand the richness and convenience of platform resources.

 

1. 14, lines 472-481:

After daily communication with the front-line teachers, I learned that when they did not use the online training, they were very much looking forward to the teaching examples and teaching skills in the online training. If the gap between the high expected quality and the perceived actual value is too large, the teacher's perceived value will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, the platform can hire professional teachers to review the training resources, and ensure the quality of resources while having abundant resources, thereby reducing the gap between teachers' expected quality and perceived quality.

 

1. 15, lines 488-499:

The quality of resources, functions, and services that teachers perceive when using the platform will directly affect the overall perceived value of teachers after using the platform. The better the quality of the resource, the higher the value perceived by teachers. Only when the online training platform really starts from the actual needs of teachers, solves the difficulties of teachers, and focuses on teachers, will teachers' perceived quality and perceived value of online training continue to improve.

Therefore, an important way to improve the perceived value of teachers' online training is to review the quality of online training resources by experts, design the platform and maintain the daily operation of the platform by professionals, and ensure timely service to teachers with problems.

 

1. 15, lines 508-513:

The path data obtained in this study show that in the process of using online training, teachers will not preconceive the degree of satisfaction of the training based on their own expectations of the quality of resources, but will perceive the specific experience after actual use. Therefore, online training quality expectations have no significant impact on teachers' online training satisfaction.

 

1. 15, lines 523-529:

The path data obtained in this study, it can be known that teachers need to comprehensively consider the expected quality and perceived quality, and only after the perceived online training value can be obtained, will the final satisfaction be affected by the perceived value. This shows that online training for teachers needs to be promoted in advance to help teachers understand and use this platform, instead of directly plugging the training platform to teachers, allowing teachers to conduct online training without expectations.

 

1. 16, lines 541-549:

Based on the needs of front-line teachers, the expected quality of online training for teachers should be improved by publicizing the richness of the platform's resources before training, and issuing manuals to guide teachers on how to use the platform. The quality of resources, the completeness of functions and the timeliness of services for teachers when using the platform are also an important part of improving the perceived quality of teachers' online training. Combining the above practices can truly provide front-line teachers with the resources they need, and ultimately improve teachers' satisfaction with online training.

1. 16, lines 553-558:

Many scholars have also conducted research on the impact of the new corona virus epidemic on the field of education and teaching. Liu et al. (2022) also similarly confirmed that improving the resources, functions, and services of online training platforms is very effective in terms of improving teachers' online training, which is a direct factor affecting the effect of online training [57].

 

In line 327 it was writing that Error! Reference source not found., according to the correla- 327

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. There was a hyperlink error with Table 4 which has been linked (P.11, line 405).

 

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

It would be helpful to correct some sentences. 

It is useful to increase references for the last 5 years

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear Editors and Reviewers,

We would like to thank the editor for handling our paper and the reviewers for their hard work and constructive comments. We found the reviews to be helpful in further improving the quality of our manuscript. We have replied to the reviewers' comments, and we have updated the revised manuscript with yellow highlighting that indicates the changes. Finally, we have improved the language with the help of a professional language editor to make it more logical and flow better.

Many thanks and best regards.

Yours sincerely,

Wentao Wu, Ran Hu, Ruxuan Tan, Hehai Liu

 

 

Reviewer 2:

Some items are useful to see the original

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. Appendix A was added to show the original items (P. 18-20, lines 645-647).

1. 18-20, lines645-647:

Appendix A

Table A1. Original items of the questionnaire

 

 

It would be helpful to correct some sentences (line 316). 

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. The table hyperlink has been added (P.10, line 385).

 

It would be helpful to correct some sentences (line 327).

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. The table hyperlink has been added (P.12, line 405).

 

It would be helpful to correct some sentences (line 340).

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. The table hyperlink has been added (P.12, line 411).

 

It would be helpful to correct some sentences (line 352).

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. The table hyperlink has been added (P.12, line 418).

 

It would be helpful to correct some sentences (lines 361-363).

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. The table hyperlink has been added (P.13, lines 438-439).

 

It is useful to explain.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

The title of Figure 2 has been revised.

P.13, line 444:

Figure 2. The Verification of the Research Model.

 

It is useful to increase references for the last 5 years

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. More references of the last 5 years have been added in the references as follows.

2. Thuy, N.T.T.; Bien, N.V.; Quy, D.X. Fostering teachers' competence of the integrated STEM education. JPPI. 2020, 6, 166-179, https://doi.org/10.30870/jppi.v6i2.6441
3. Zhu, Y.H.; Xu, Y.Y.; Wang, X.Y.; Yan, S.Y.; Zhao, L. The Selectivity and Suitability of Online Learning Resources as Predictor of the Effects of Self-Efficacy on Teacher Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Lockdown. Front. Educ. 2022, 13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.765832
4. Ahmed, S.; Ambreen, M.; Ahmad, M.; Alaboudi, A.A.; Alroobaea, R.; Jhanjhi, N.Z. An effective online collaborative training in developing listening comprehension skills. CSSE.  2021, 38, 131-140, https://doi.org/10.32604/csse.2021.016504
5. Hofmeister, C.; Pilz, M. Using e-learning to deliver in-service teacher training in the vocational education sector: Perception and acceptance in Poland, Italy and Germany. Educ. Sci. 2020, 10, 182. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10070182
6. 17. Zhong, L.B.; Craig, C.A. Narrative inquiry into the cultivation of self and identity of three novice teachers in Chinese colleges---through the evolution of an online knowledge community. J EDUC TEACHING. 2020, 46, 646-663, https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1775054
7. 18. Lay, C.D., Allman, B., Cutri, R.M., Kimmons, R. Examining a decade of research in online teacher professional development. Educ. 2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.573129
8. Liu, D.; Zhang, H. Developing a new model for understanding teacher satisfaction with online learning. Sage. Open. 2021, 11, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211036440
9. 22. Ji, Y. Use of virtual reality technology in animation course teaching. iJET. 2021, 16, 191-208. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i17.25337
10. 23. Hult, G.T.M., Morgeson, F.V., Morgan, N.A. Do managers know what their customers think and why?. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 2017, 45, 37–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0487-4
11. 56. Yalalova, J.; Li, Z.; Durrani, D.K. Emotional intelligence could forge self-efficacy, work effort and career satisfaction. Hum Syst Manage. 2017, 36, 141-149, https://doi.org/10.3233/HSM-171759
12. Liu, Y.; Zhao, L.; Su, Y.-S. The impact of teacher competence in online teaching on perceived online learning outcomes during the COVID-19 outbreak: a moderated-mediation model of teacher resilience and age. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health.2022, 19, 6282. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106282

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

The research study is very appreciated as the authors have contributed significant knowledge about the use of Exploring Factors of Middle School Teachers’ Satisfaction with Online Training for Sustainable Professional Development under the Impact of COVID-19, however, I have the following minor reservations that may enhance the quality of the manuscript if addressed properly:

1.            Objectives and hypotheses are missing in the abstract. Further, authors should add methodology sections like a detailed account of samples, data collection and analysis tools should be elaborated in detail in the abstract section.

2.            Introduction and review of the literature section are very well written

3.            A very good theoretical background is presented but authors are suggested to add concrete justification for using the ACSI Model.

4.            A good rationale is developed by the authors and has justified their study very logically.

5.            Methodology section is very well written

6.            Data analysis is very good and results are appropriately tabulated and presented.

 

To sum up, the study addressed an important topic; and outstanding contribution to the relevant field.

Author Response

Dear Editors and Reviewers,

 

We would like to thank the editor for handling our paper and the reviewers for their hard work and constructive comments. We found the reviews to be helpful in further improving the quality of our manuscript. We have replied to the reviewers' comments, and we have updated the revised manuscript with yellow highlighting that indicates the changes. Finally, we have improved the language with the help of a professional language editor to make it more logical and flow better.

 

Many thanks and best regards.

 

Yours sincerely,

Wentao Wu, Ran Hu, Ruxuan Tan, Hehai Liu

 

 

Reviewer 3:

The research study is very appreciated as the authors have contributed significant knowledge about the use of Exploring Factors of Middle School Teachers’ Satisfaction with Online Training for Sustainable Professional Development under the Impact of COVID-19, however, I have the following minor reservations that may enhance the quality of the manuscript if addressed properly:

1. Objectives and hypotheses are missing in the abstract. Further, authors should add methodology sections like a detailed account of samples, data collection and analysis tools should be elaborated in detail in the abstract section.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

Objectives, hypotheses, a detailed account of samples, data collection, and analysis tools have been added in the Abstract (P.1, lines 12-18).

P.1, lines 12-18:

To address this gap, based on the American User Satisfaction Theory Model (ACSI), this study established the factors, expectation of online training quality, perceived online training quality, perceived online training value, and teacher satisfaction with online learning, and aimed to explore their relationships with 6 hypotheses. A total of 397 middle school teachers who had online training experience participated in the survey through an online questionnaire. SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 23.0 were used to analyze the data.

 

2. Introduction and review of the literature section are very well written

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

 

3. A very good theoretical background is presented but authors are suggested to add concrete justification for using the ACSI Model.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

Concrete justification for using the ACSI Model has been enhanced in Section 2.1 (P.3, lines 104-119), and we have optimized the explanation for removing variables from the ACSI model in Section 2.1 (P.3, lines 123-129)

P.3, lines 104-119:

The American User Satisfaction Model (ACSI) as the most complete and widely used system, was applied as the foundation of this study. Especially, in European and American countries, it is widely used in higher education, and it has also become an important reference index for evaluation and supervision of education quality [21] [22]. This model was proposed in 1994 and includes six variables and nine relationships: user expectations, user perception of quality, user perception of value, user satisfaction, user complaints, and user loyalty. The biggest advantage of ACSI is that fewer samples can be used to get a more accurate result of a company’s user satisfaction, and it can be used to make cross-industry comparisons, as well as longitudinal comparisons across time. According to previous studies, user expectations, user perceptions of quality, and users' perceptions of value all directly and positively affect user satisfaction. Among them, user expectations and user perceptions of quality will indirectly affect users' perceptions of value, and ultimately affect their satisfaction, while user expectations positively affect user perceptions of quality [23].

P.3, lines 123-129:

Specifically, two variables were removed: user loyalty and user complaints. The reason is that the main question of this study is what factors affect teachers' satisfaction with online training, rather than how their satisfaction ultimately affects whether they choose or complain about training content. Since the researchers of this study invited the specific participants who were trained with the same programs which included the basic online teaching strategies or skills, they did not need to choose certain training content.

 

 

4. A good rationale is developed by the authors and has justified their study very logically.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

 

5. Methodology section is very well written

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

 

6. Data analysis is very good and results are appropriately tabulated and presented.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

 

 

To sum up, the study addressed an important topic; and outstanding contribution to the relevant field.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear Editors and Reviewers,

 

We would like to thank the editor for handling our paper and the reviewers for their hard work and constructive comments. We found the reviews to be helpful in further improving the quality of our manuscript. We have replied to the reviewers' comments, and we have updated the revised manuscript with yellow highlighting that indicates the changes. Finally, we have improved the language with the help of a professional language editor to make it more logical and flow better.

 

Many thanks and best regards.

 

Yours sincerely,

Wentao Wu, Ran Hu, Ruxuan Tan, Hehai Liu

 

 

Reviewer 4:

1. This manuscript explores the factors affecting teachers’ online training satisfaction and

their relationships. The sample are middle school teachers. The main contribution of the

manuscript is understanding teachers' satisfaction with online teaching and suggestions on

how to improve it.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

 

2. The article is generally well-written. However, I observed several areas for improvement

in the following aspects:

Introduction

• There is a need to elaborate more regarding problems in online training. For example, the author states, "For example, when teachers use online learning media (such as blogs), they might encounter problems such as a low level of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, technical problems, and a lack of real-time and synchronous interactions…." [Page 2, L55-58]. Perhaps it is good to offer some explanations - for example, why the low level of perceived usefulness? Note that reference 11 was published in 2015, in which online training might be considered new, especially for in-service teachers.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

The problems have been re-explained in the second paragraph of the Introduction section. The inappropriate reference has also been replaced (P.2, lines 58-66) .

P.2, lines 58-66:

For example, when teachers use online learning media, they might encounter problems such as a low level of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, technical problems, and a lack of real-time and synchronous interactions [14]. There are two main reasons for this situation. Firstly, it was the first time for teachers at that time to receive online training, and the lack of experience made teachers prone to technical problems in use, which in turn negatively influenced their perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Secondly, online training had just been launched, and the functions and services had not yet been perfected [4].

 

• There is a need to define/conceptualize the term 'sustainable professional development. Also, in what way is online training considered 'sustainable'?

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

The definition of "sustainable professional development" and how the sustainable approach to online training is used have been added in the second paragraph of the Introduction section (P. 2, lines 68-76).

P.2, lines 68-76:

In this study, teachers' sustainable professional development refers to teachers' use of various forms in their work to improve their individual and collective professional abilities [17]. Since being affected by the epidemic, the sustainable professional development of teachers around the world has increasingly been carried out in the form of online training. At the same time, the technology platform for online training is becoming ever more mature, providing more support for teachers' online training. Therefore, online teacher training will become one of the important forms of sustainable professional development of teachers in the future.

 

Theoretical Background

• I am still unclear on how ACSI helps explain users' satisfaction. How are the variables related? Kindly provide brief descriptions. For example, user expectations influence user perception of quality, that in turn influences user loyalty.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

Brief descriptions have been added in Section 2.1 (P.3, lines 114-119), and we have also revised the reasons for removing some variables from ACSI in Section 2.1 (P.3, lines 122-128).

P.3, lines 114-119:

According to previous studies, user expectations, user perceptions of quality, and users' perceptions of value all directly and positively affect user satisfaction. Among them, user expectations and user perceptions of quality will indirectly affect users' perceptions of value, and ultimately affect their satisfaction, while user expectations positively affect user perceptions of quality [23].

P.3, lines 123-129:

Specifically, two variables were removed: user loyalty and user complaints. The reason is that the main question of this study is what factors affect teachers' satisfaction with online training, rather than how their satisfaction ultimately affects whether they choose or complain about training content. Since the researchers of this study invited the specific participants who were trained with the same programs which included the basic online teaching strategies or skills, they did not need to choose certain training content.

 

• With regards to the hypotheses development, it seems that findings from past studies draw inconclusive results [e.g., Xu et al. (2017) vs. Liu and Zhang (2021). As such, kindly explain why H1 was proposed despite these inconclusive findings. The same goes for H4.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

The explanation of why H1 was proposed has been added in Section 2.3. (P.4, lines 155-162), and the explanation of why H4 was proposed has been added in Section 2.5 (P.5, lines 214-216).

P.4, lines 155-162:

Obviously, the above-mentioned research has generated controversy regarding whether quality expectations have a positive or negative impact on perceived quality. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out further scientific empirical confirmation of this issue. It is worth asking, in the context of online teaching training, does the positive relationship between teacher expectation and teacher perceived quality still hold true? To answer this question, combined with the belief that quality expectations in the ACSI model have a positive impact on perceived quality [28], hypothesis 1 (H1) was proposed.

P.5, lines 214-216:

Considering that the quality expectations in the ACSI model have a positive impact on user satisfaction [28], and the ACSI model has good general explanatory power, hypothesis 4 (H4) was proposed.

 

• Justifications for proposing H2 and H3 were considered weak because of the scarcity of research in the area. Perhaps the author can revisit the ACSI model to explain the proposed relationships. The same goes for H6.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

More explanation of why H2 and H3 were proposed has been added in Section 2.4. (P.3-4, lines 184-190), and more explanation of why H6 was proposed has been added in Section 2.5. (P.5, lines 231-236).

P.3-4, lines 184-190:

Through the analysis of relevant research, it can be known that the ACSI model has relevant application research in the fields of economics, management, and education, so this model has good general explanatory power. In the ACSI model, user expectations and user perceptions of quality positively affect user perception of value [28], so combining the issues raised in the literature and the ACSI model, Hypothesis 2 (H2) and Hypothesis 3 (H3) were proposed.

P.5, lines 231-236:

According to previous studies, in the fields of economy, management, and education, both perceived quality and perceived value have a positive impact on user satisfaction, and this situation is consistent with the variable relationship in the ACSI model; hypothesis 5 (H5) and hypothesis 6 (H6) were therefore proposed.

 

• The development of H5 is more reasonable based on the past studies cited.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

 

 

• The author wrote, "Thus, hypothesis 4 (H4), hypothesis 5 (H5), and hypothesis 6 (H6) were proposed. [Page 5, L193-194]. I believe only H5 and H6, not H4].

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

The explanation of why H4 was proposed has been added in Section 2.5 (P.5, lines 214-216).

P.5, lines 214-216:

Considering that the quality expectations in the ACSI model have a positive impact on user satisfaction [28], and the ACSI model has good general explanatory power, hypothesis 4 (H4) was proposed.

 

Methods

• More descriptions of the selection of the teachers are needed. The author mentioned, "Teachers covered a wide range of subjects, grades, ages, and genders [Page 5, L212-213]. Perhaps it is good to provide some statistics regarding these demographic variables so that readers can understand the setting of the research.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

Demographic information has been added to provide some statistics so that readers can understand the setting of the study (P.6-7, lines 265-280).

P.6-7, lines 265-280:

In this study, there were 155 male teachers and 242 female teachers. From the perspective of age, the sample over 46 years old was the largest, with 160 teachers, followed by 36-45 years old, with 125, which is in line with the characteristics of the brain drain in county-level schools and the general age of teachers. Judging from the teaching period, primary school teachers answered the most questionnaires, with 194, comprising nearly half, followed by high school teachers, with 114. In terms of the subjects taught, Chinese, mathematics, and English had the largest number of teachers, with 111, 100, and 52 respectively, which is related to the curriculum structure of primary and secondary schools. The number of teachers in these subjects will also be correspondingly higher than the number of teachers in other disciplines.

 

 

• The instrument section is also in need of more descriptions. For example, what is the rating scale used (strongly disagree strongly agree? Do they have a midpoint rating (neutral, NA, etc.)? Since the questionnaires were adapted into the Chinese language, brief descriptions of the translation process will be helpful. To be consistent, a sample of items for the Expectation of Online Training Quality should be included.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

More detail has been added to the rating scale, and an explanation of the questionnaire translation process has been added (P.7, lines 284-292).

P.7, lines 284-292:

They are all on a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 to 5 representing “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” The larger the number chosen by the respondents, the higher their satisfaction, with 3 representing a neutral attitude. When using the questionnaire, we first translated it directly according to Chinese language habits, and then invited some scholars and middle school teachers to review it, further optimizing the language expression of the questionnaire items. Then, we conducted a pre-test on 51 people, and the data collected in the pre-test proved that the questionnaire could be used for the next step of the actual test.

 

Results

• Kindly be informed that in my edition, there are a lot of missing references marked by the comments Error! Reference source not found. Please check your reference manager.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. We checked all the references in the manuscript and corrected them. The table hyperlink errors in the manuscript have also been fixed.

 

• Table 3 kindly indicate what is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Strongly Disagree? etc.). Also, what does the number 4.61 represents? Mean for EX? If so, kindly mention it in the text. The same goes for other values. Note: Values of the standard deviation are quite small, indicating a lack of variability in the responses.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

The explanation for EX, the value of 4.61 and SD were added in Section 4.1 (P.10, lines 385-396).

P.10, lines 385-396:

Table 3 shows the general responses to the data collected from the questionnaire, with 1 to 5 representing “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Taking EX1 as an example, nine teachers indicated that they were very dissatisfied, while 292 teachers were very satisfied. The mean value of EX was 4.61, which was close to 5, representing that for the variable EX (Expectation of online training quality), the respondents' expected quality was very high. The standard deviation is a measure of the spread of the mean of a set of data, where a smaller standard deviation means that the values are closer to the mean [55]. In this study, the standard deviation is less than 1, which indicates that the choice of the respondents was relatively concentrated, and the fluctuations above and below the mean were small.

 

• Table 4  perhaps it is better to provide evidence of the reliability of the measurement and validity of the interpretation using statistics such as the factor loadings, the average variance explained, composite reliability, or the FornellLarcker criterion. Correlation analysis is considered weak for the purpose. Kindly refer to APA 7 for writing the fit indices.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

To demonstrate the reliability of the measurement and the validity of the interpretation, we have added the factor loadings for each factor in Tables 1 and 2, along with the combined reliability values and average variance extracted of each dimension. Please see details in Section 3.3 (P.8, lines 353-357). For factor loading, we used correlation analysis here to further verify the correlation between variables, and added a reference to prove its validity in Section 4.2 (P.11, lines 399-402).

1. 8, lines 353-357:

The factor loadings of the formal questionnaire items were all greater than 0.5, and the combined reliability (CR > 0.7) and average variance extracted (AVE > 0.5) all met the requirements, which indicated that the questionnaire had good reliability and validity (see Table 1 and Table 2).

P.11, lines 399-402:

Correlation analysis is the study of the correlation between variables. It can be used to study the direction and degree of the relationship between two or more random variables. It is one of the basic statistical analysis methods. The measurement standard is the correlation coefficient [56].

 

• Table 5 normally, we also provide values for significant results such as p<.001*** rather than leaving it blank. Kindly refer to APA 7 for writing p values.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. Blank data in Table 5 has been filled in (P. 12, line 426).

 

Discussion

The discussion section mainly consists of references to past studies and interpretations of the results. I would love to see the author making arguments in support of the finding. For example, the author may need to describe how to increase the expectations on the quality and service of the online training resources. How should the materials be presented to get higher expectations of the quality?

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. More explanation and suggestions were added in the Discussion section, marked in yellow (P. 14, lines 456-465; P. 14, lines 472-481; P. 15, lines 488-499; P. 15, lines 508-513; P. 15, lines 523-529; P. 16, lines 541-549).

1. 14, lines 456-465:

The current network training resources are relatively rich, and they tend to be more practical for teaching [4]. Compared with the single and limited training resources of traditional offline teacher training, these useful network training resources can allow teachers to obtain the required resources more conveniently, which greatly improved teachers' expectations for online training.

Therefore, in order to properly improve EX, it is possible to enrich the types and quantities of resources of the training platform, and make tutorials for the trained teachers, so as to help them understand the richness and convenience of platform resources.

1. 14, lines 472-481:

After daily communication with the front-line teachers, I learned that when they did not use the online training, they were very much looking forward to the teaching examples and teaching skills in the online training. If the gap between the high expected quality and the perceived actual value is too large, the teacher's perceived value will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, the platform can hire professional teachers to review the training resources, and ensure the quality of resources while having abundant resources, thereby reducing the gap between teachers' expected quality and perceived quality.

1. 15, lines 488-499:

The quality of resources, functions, and services that teachers perceive when using the platform will directly affect the overall perceived value of teachers after using the platform. The better the quality of the resource, the higher the value perceived by teachers. Only when the online training platform really starts from the actual needs of teachers, solves the difficulties of teachers, and focuses on teachers, will teachers' perceived quality and perceived value of online training continue to improve.

Therefore, an important way to improve the perceived value of teachers' online training is to review the quality of online training resources by experts, design the platform and maintain the daily operation of the platform by professionals, and ensure timely service to teachers with problems.

1. 15, lines 508-513:

The path data obtained in this study show that in the process of using online training, teachers will not preconceive the degree of satisfaction of the training based on their own expectations of the quality of resources, but will perceive the specific experience after actual use. Therefore, online training quality expectations have no significant impact on teachers' online training satisfaction.

1. 15, lines 523-529:

The path data obtained in this study, it can be known that teachers need to comprehensively consider the expected quality and perceived quality, and only after the perceived online training value can be obtained, will the final satisfaction be affected by the perceived value. This shows that online training for teachers needs to be promoted in advance to help teachers understand and use this platform, instead of directly plugging the training platform to teachers, allowing teachers to conduct online training without expectations.

1. 16, lines 541-549:

Based on the needs of front-line teachers, the expected quality of online training for teachers should be improved by publicizing the richness of the platform's resources before training, and issuing manuals to guide teachers on how to use the platform. The quality of resources, the completeness of functions and the timeliness of services for teachers when using the platform are also an important part of improving the perceived quality of teachers' online training. Combining the above practices can truly provide front-line teachers with the resources they need, and ultimately improve teachers' satisfaction with online training.

 

 

Reference

• Kindly cite more recent articles.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. More references of the last 5 years have been added as follows.

2. Thuy, N.T.T.; Bien, N.V.; Quy, D.X. Fostering teachers' competence of the integrated  STEM education. JPPI. 2020, 6, 166-179, https://doi.org/10.30870/jppi.v6i2.6441
3. Zhu, Y.H.; Xu, Y.Y.; Wang, X.Y.; Yan, S.Y.; Zhao, L. The Selectivity and Suitability of Online Learning Resources as Predictor of the Effects of Self-Efficacy on Teacher Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Lockdown. Front. Educ. 2022, 13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.765832
4. Ahmed, S.; Ambreen, M.; Ahmad, M.; Alaboudi, A.A.; Alroobaea, R.; Jhanjhi, N.Z. An effective online collaborative training in developing listening comprehension skills. CSSE.  2021, 38, 131-140, https://doi.org/10.32604/csse.2021.016504
5. Hofmeister, C.; Pilz, M. Using e-learning to deliver in-service teacher training in the vocational education sector: Perception and acceptance in Poland, Italy and Germany. Educ. Sci. 2020, 10, 182. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10070182
6. Zhong, L.B.; Craig, C.A. Narrative inquiry into the cultivation of self and identity of three novice teachers in Chinese colleges---through the evolution of an online knowledge community. J EDUC TEACHING. 2020, 46, 646-663, https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1775054
7. Lay, C.D., Allman, B., Cutri, R.M., Kimmons, R. Examining a decade of research in online teacher professional development. Front. Educ. 2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.573129
8. Liu, D.; Zhang, H. Developing a new model for understanding teacher satisfaction with online learning. Sage. Open. 2021, 11, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211036440
9. Ji, Y. Use of virtual reality technology in animation course teaching. iJET. 2021, 16, 191-208. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i17.25337
10. 23. Hult, G.T.M., Morgeson, F.V., Morgan, N.A. Do managers know what their customers think and why?. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 2017, 45, 37–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0487-4
11. Yalalova, J.; Li, Z.; Durrani, D.K. Emotional intelligence could forge self-efficacy, work effort and career satisfaction. Hum Syst Manage. 2017, 36, 141-149, https://doi.org/10.3233/HSM-171759
12. Liu, Y.; Zhao, L.; Su, Y.-S. The impact of teacher competence in online teaching on perceived online learning outcomes during the COVID-19 outbreak: a moderated-mediation model of teacher resilience and age. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health.2022, 19, 6282. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106282

 

 

• Kindly revisit the reference section. Be consistent small caps vs. large caps.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments.

Capitalization of the references has been checked and revised.

 

 

Round 2

Reviewer 4 Report

Few more minor observations

1. Kindly refer to APA 7 for RMSE - IFI in Table 5, as well as estimates and p values in Table 6 and Table 8. Note that, some values should be written in the form of 0.23 while some as .23.

2. For Table 1 and Table please check whether the values are Mean of factor Loadings.

Author Response

1. Kindly refer to APA 7 for RMSE - IFI in Table 5, as well as estimates and p values in Table 6 and Table 8. Note that, some values should be written in the form of 0.23 while some as .23.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. We have checked and revised the format of all the tables according to APA 7. When the number in the table cannot be greater than 1, the 0 before the decimal point should be deleted. We revised them. Please see Tables 1-8 and Table A1 for details.

 

2. For Table 1 and Table please check whether the values are Mean of factor Loadings.

Reply:

Thank you very much for your comments. We have checked the values in Table 1 and 2, modifying “Mean” into “Factor loading”. For details, please see the yellow part in Section 3.3 (P. 8-9, lines 358 and 359).