International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop and validate a multidimensional Digital Literacy Scale (DLS) for Post Graduate (PG) teacher educators and evaluate their Digital Literacy (DL). A contextually relevant, updated scale needs to be developed for PG teacher educators in India. The scale focuses on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) DL Framework, which provides a holistic and standardized understanding through four key dimensions. Three-stage Scale development process followed; Item Development, Scale Refinement, and Scale Evaluation, resulting in 42 items across four dimensions. The expert validation yielded an average Content Validity Index (CVI) of 1.00, demonstrating excellent content validity. A crosssectional survey of 370 PG teacher educators using convenience sampling confirmed the construct validity of the 42-item scale through item analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), showing strong factor loadings and excellent model fit: Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.951, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.949, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.041, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) = 0.036, Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI) = 0.938). The overall scale, Cronbach’s Alpha (α) and Coefficient Omega (ω), was demonstrated to have excellent reliability (α = 0.901, ω = 0.903). The Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) correlation values, all below 0.85, demonstrate good discriminant validity. The level of DL showed a moderate to high, with the highest mean in safety measures of digital tools (M = 4.04) and the lowest mean in creating digital content (M = 3.60). Significant differences were observed in DL based on academic stream, family income, experience, and purposes of using e-resources, whereas no significant differences were found for the other demographic variables. The psychometric analysis shows that the scale is reliable and valid; thus, it can be used to evaluate teacher educators’ digital literacy.