Chilean student teachers’ purposes of use of digital technologies: Construction of a scale based on digital competences Propósitos de uso de tecnologías digitales en estudiantes de pedagogía chilenos: Construcción de una escala basada en competencias digitales

Abstract

The acquisition of digital competences enables people’s active development in different areas of society. In the case of young people, and particularly student teachers, this competence is acquired through the daily use of digital technologies. Having instruments to measure digital competences, considering different purposes of use, can contribute to provide feedback concerning the training of these competences during the processes of initial teacher training. The aim of this study was to psychometrically analyze the Scale of Purposes of Use and Digital Competences (EPUCD, by its acronym in Spanish). A sample of 618 student teachers from two Chilean universities was used. The participants of this study answered a questionnaire that measures academic, entertainment, social and economic uses. This questionnaire uses DigCom as the framework for digital competences. The statistical procedures used (EFA, CFA and coefficient calculation of composite reliability and average variance extracted) allowed to get appropriate evidences of this instrument’s internal structure validity, discriminant validity and internal consistency. The acceptable psychometric properties of EPUCD allow to provide an instrument for the academic community, which contributes to reveal how future teachers use these digital technologies and allows in this way to provide feedback during the process of initial teacher training.