Development and Validation of a Digital Competency Evaluation Model for Teachers in the Faculty of Education at Higher Education Institutions in Yunnan Province, China

Abstract

Abstract

This study focuses on Yunnan Province, China, aiming to construct and validate a scientific, systematic, contextualized model for assessing the digital competency of teachers in the Faculties of Education within universities. The study followed the logic of "theoretical construction - tool development - empirical verification". First, based on literature analysis, a theoretical model covering five dimensions digital awareness, digital skills, digital application, digital ethics and responsibility, and professional development - was proposed and localized in light of the multi-ethnic and multi-geomorphic regional characteristics of Yunnan Province. Finally, an evaluation model was established using the Delphi expert consultation method, which included five first-level indicators, eleven second-level indicators, and twenty-two third-level indicators (specific observation points). Based on this, the "digital competency Assessment Questionnaire for Teachers of the School of Education, Yunnan University" (51 items in total) was developed. Subsequently, the content validity was ensured through expert review (IOC value ≥0.8 for all items). The finalized scale was then administered to a sample of 302 teachers from Faculties of Education in Yunnan universities, selected through stratified cluster sampling, and the empirical data were analyzed to verify the psychometric properties of the model.The research result was found that: 1) the psychometric properties of the developed assessment tool were excellent, exhibiting high content validity (all items IOC ≥ 0.8), good item differentiation (p<0.001 for all items) and a clear five-factor structure (cumulative variance explained 62.105%) that is fully aligned with the theoretical model; 2) the overall reliability of the scale was extremely high (Cronbach's α = 0.961) with sub-dimension α coefficients ranging from 0.840 to 0.972, indicating excellent internal consistency; 3) consequently, this study successfully constructed and validated a reliable, valid, and contextually sensitive assessment model and tool, providing a robust ‘measuring rod’ for the precise diagnosis and targeted support of digital competency development among faculty in the Faculties of Education within universities in the Yunnan Province.