Preliminary Validation of a Student Digital Literacy Questionnaire Based on the UNESCO Digital Literacy Global Framework and DigComp 2.2
Share article
- Published
- 2026-06-22
- Pages
- 50-73
- Section
- Original Research Article
Abstract
This study aims to examine the preliminary validation of a Student Digital Literacy Questionnaire based on the UNESCO Digital Literacy Global Framework and DigComp 2.2. The instrument was developed to measure seven dimensions of digital literacy: device and digital application operation, information and data literacy, digital communication and collaboration, digital content creation, digital safety and ethics, digital problem solving, and digital use for learning. This study employed a quantitative approach involving 350 respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy, Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity, exploratory factor analysis, corrected item-total correlation, Cronbach’s Alpha, and a specified CFA measurement model. The results showed that the mean student digital literacy score was 116.18, indicating a moderate-to-high tendency. The KMO value of 0.951 and significant Bartlett’s Test at p < 0.001 indicated that the data were suitable for factor analysis. Factor extraction produced seven factors with a cumulative variance of 47.04%. All items were valid, with corrected item-total correlations ranging from 0.412 to 0.548. The overall reliability was very high, with a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.924, while dimensional reliability ranged from 0.638 to 0.690. The CFA model was specified as a higher-order measurement model with seven first-order latent factors. The instrument is considered suitable as a preliminary measure of students’ overall digital literacy in the context of school-based digital learning.
Keywords
How to Cite
Rubilyn G Barrios, Mailah Grace Dosol-Demonteverde , Nova Kurnia, Sergii Sharov. (2026). Preliminary Validation of a Student Digital Literacy Questionnaire Based on the UNESCO Digital Literacy Global Framework and DigComp 2.2. International Journal of Essential Competencies in Education, 5(1), 50-73. https://journal-center.litpam.com/index.php/ijece/article/view/5749
References
Avinç, E., & Doğan, F. (2024). Digital literacy scale: Validity and reliability study with the Rasch model. Education and Information Technologies, 29(17), 22895–22941. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12662-7
Boateng, G. O., Neilands, T. B., Frongillo, E. A., Melgar-Quiñonez, H. R., & Young, S. L. (2018). Best practices for developing and validating scales for health, social, and behavioral research: A primer. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, Article 149. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00149
Brown, T. A. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.
Chang, C.-Y., & Kuo, H.-C. (2025). The development and validation of the digital literacy questionnaire and the evaluation of students’ digital literacy. Education and Information Technologies, 30, 11549–11581. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-13216-7
Costello, A. B., & Osborne, J. (2005). Best practices in exploratory factor analysis: Four recommendations for getting the most from your analysis. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 10(1), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.7275/jyj1-4868
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555
DeVellis, R. F., & Thorpe, C. T. (2021). Scale development: Theory and applications (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93–106.
Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Fraillon, J. (Ed.). (2025). An international perspective on digital literacy: Results from ICILS 2023. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-87722-3
Hair, J. F., Jr., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Hayton, J. C., Allen, D. G., & Scarpello, V. (2004). Factor retention decisions in exploratory factor analysis: A tutorial on parallel analysis. Organizational Research Methods, 7(2), 191–205. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428104263675
Horn, J. L. (1965). A rationale and test for the number of factors in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 30(2), 179–185. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02289447
Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02291575
Kline, R. B. (2023). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (5th ed.). The Guilford Press.
Livingstone, S., Mascheroni, G., & Stoilova, M. (2023). The outcomes of gaining digital skills for young people’s lives and wellbeing: A systematic evidence review. New Media & Society, 25(5), 1176–1202. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211043189
Ng, W. (2012). Can we teach digital natives digital literacy? Computers & Education, 59(3), 1065–1078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.04.016
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2019). Using multivariate statistics (7th ed.). Pearson.
Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 53–55. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4dfb.8dfd
Tzafilkou, K., Perifanou, M., & Economides, A. A. (2022). Development and validation of students’ digital competence scale (SDiCoS). International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19, Article 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-022-00330-0
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2018). A global framework of reference on digital literacy skills for indicator 4.4.2. UNESCO Institute for Statistics. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265403
van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2017). The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: A systematic literature review. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 577–588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.010
Vissenberg, J., d’Haenens, L., & Livingstone, S. (2022). Digital literacy and online resilience as facilitators of young people’s wellbeing? A systematic review. European Psychologist, 27(2), 76–85. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000478
Vissenberg, J., De Coninck, D., Mascheroni, G., Joris, W., & d’Haenens, L. (2023). Digital skills and digital knowledge as buffers against online mis/disinformation? Findings from a survey study among young people in Europe. Social Media + Society, 9(4), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231207859
Vuorikari, R., Kluzer, S., & Punie, Y. (2022). DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens: With new examples of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2760/115376
Worthington, R. L., & Whittaker, T. A. (2006). Scale development research: A content analysis and recommendations for best practices. The Counseling Psychologist, 34(6), 806–838. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000006288127