Exploring the construct validity of the digital citizenship competency scale for pre-service early childhood teachers and analyzing differences among age groups

This research study is to validate the construct validity of digital citizenship competency for pre-service early childhood teachers and to analyze differences among age groups of these teachers. To achieve this, an online survey on digital citizenship competency was conducted from May 6 to May 14, 2024. A total of 297 pre-service early childhood teachers from the G area participated. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 21.0, including confirmatory factor analysis and independent sample t-tests. The main findings of the study are as follows. First, the confirmatory factor analysis revealed that 11 items related to ‘Digital Literacy’, 6 items related to ‘Digital Participation and Agency’, 5 items related to ‘Digital Safety and Resilience’, 4 items related to ‘Digital Emotional Intelligence’, and 4 items related to ‘Digital Creativity and Innovation’ were valid. For pre-service early childhood teachers, significant differences were found in ‘Digital Participation and Agency’, as well as ‘Digital Creativity and Innovation’, between age groups, with higher averages observed in the third- and fourth-year(Ages 20-24) groups.