Development and validation of a survey instrument to measure teacher educators’ educational technology integration in developing countries

This study developed and validated an instrument for measuring teacher educators’ (TEs’) educational technology (EdTech) integration in Ethiopian colleges of teacher education (CTE), filling a gap in context-specific tools. The instrument was developed using an established theoretical framework, following a six-step process including instrument design, expert review and psychometric evaluation with 126 TEs. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified a 13-factor structure, which converged into a 12-factor (58 items) structure with 80% explained cumulative variance. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed strong internal consistency (α/CR > 0.7), convergent validity (Average Variance Extracted [AVE] > 0.5; factor loadings > 0.6, p < 0.001) and discriminant validity (Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio [HTMT] < 0.85). The tool demonstrated an acceptable fit (comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.94, Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.93, chi-square/degrees of freedom = 3.1), although root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA 0.13) and standardised root mean square residual (SRMR 0.13) slightly exceeded thresholds. Despite minor fit limitations, robust reliability, validity and contextual grounding confirm its utility for assessing EdTech integration in resource-constrained settings. This study underscores the instrument’s potential to inform evidence-based pedagogical practices, institutional policy reforms and cross-cultural research in teacher education. By bridging theoretical and practical gaps, this work contributes a validated tool tailored to the socio-technical realities of developing nations, offering stakeholders a scalable framework to assess EdTech integration in teacher training.