Digital Competence Scale for Chinese Frontline Social Workers: Development and Initial Validation

Purpose To develop and initially validate a scale assessing self-perceived digital competence among Chinese frontline social workers. Method Guided by DigComp 2.2, a 17-item pool was refined through expert review and cognitive interviews. Data from 4,029 frontline social workers were randomly divided into development and validation subsamples. Results Analyses supported a 9-item scale comprising Privacy and Safety, Digital Communication and Engagement, and Content Innovation. Confirmatory analysis indicated acceptable but not close fit (comparative fit index = 0.953; root mean square error of approximation = 0.084). Internal consistency was acceptable for the total scale (α = .75) and two subscales, but lower for Content Innovation (α = .65). The Privacy and Safety subscale showed a ceiling effect. Total scores correlated negatively with role ambiguity ( r = −.406) and positively with work autonomy ( r = .218). Discussion The scale offers a preliminary measure for research and identifying training needs. Further refinement and independent validation are needed.