Developing a digital competence scale for teachers: validity and reliability study

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Teacher Professional Development

Background:

• Digital competence is crucial for teachers integrating technology in education.
• Technological advancements necessitate continuous skill updates for educators.
• Existing assessment tools may not fully capture contemporary digital competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an up-to-date scale measuring teachers' digital competencies.
• To identify key digital skill areas required for effective technology integration in education.
• To provide a reliable instrument for assessing teacher digital skills in evolving technological landscapes.

Main Methods:

• Scale development involving 695 teachers.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses for construct validity.
• Reliability analysis using internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha) and item discrimination.

Main Results:

• A 46-item scale with six factors: Safety, Data Literacy, Problem Solving, Digital Content Creation, Communication and Collaboration, and Ethics.
• High internal consistency with a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.975.
• The 'Ethics' factor was identified distinctly compared to the EU's DigComp 2.1 framework.

Conclusions:

• The developed Digital Competency Scale for Teachers is a valid and reliable instrument.
• The scale effectively measures essential digital competencies for educators.
• The distinct 'Ethics' factor highlights a unique aspect of digital competence in teaching contexts.