Examining the Validity of Hungarian Version of the Internet Skills Scale Among University Students

Internet skills are essential for taking advantage of new digital developments and avoiding the dangers that the internet holds. Studies indicate that practical knowledge gained through daily use of digital devices is not sufficient to build comprehensive digital skills. This emphasizes the need to evaluate the digital skills of the youth. This study aims to examine the validity of the Hungarian version of the Internet Skills Scale (ISS) among university students. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to validate the four-structure model of ISS on a sample of 427 university students. To assess the test-retest reliability of ISS, we calculated the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) using a two-way mixed-effects model among those respondents who filled in the questionnaire in both rounds (n=70). CFA results supported the four-factor model, with all items loading closer to the predefined criteria for all four indicators than for the one structured model. Additionally, Cronbach's alpha values for the subscales ranged from 0.79 to 0.95, demonstrating good internal consistency. The ICC for the four dimensions of ISS ranged from 0.15 to 0.78, indicating poor test-retest reliability for three of the four domains of ISS. While psychometrics tests demonstrated good results for construct validity and internal consistency of the ISS, the poor test-retest reliability requires further investigation in larger and less homogenous samples.