Validation of the Digital Natives Assessment Scale: A Multi-Institutional Undergraduate Sample

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning SIG Poster Session

Abstract

Digital native (Prensky 2001, 2006), ubiquitously used to describe modern learners, is fraught with debate over its meaning and measurement. The Digital Natives Assessment Scale (DNAS; Teo, 2013) was designed to measure this construct. This study extends DNAS validation with 178 participants from three teacher preparation programs in the United States. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicate the data fit neither Teo’s (2013) validated 21-item, 4-factor model, nor the initially theorized 30-item, 4-factor model. Further analyses showed that the DNAS may not universally address the factors of digital nativeness, and as such may impact research and practice for teaching and learning. The discussion appraises the term digital native and its application in educational research.

Authors

• Matthew L. Wilson, Kennesaw State University

• Jacob Andrew Hall, SUNY - College at Cortland

• David Mulder, Dordt College