Profiling digital nativeness of pre-service teachers: validity evidence for the Vietnamese Digital Natives Assessment Scale (V-DNAS)

Abstract

ABSTRACT With the increasing significance of technology use in both daily life and education, the digital native assessment scale (DNAS) [developed by Teo, T. (2013). An initial development and validation of a Digital Natives Assessment Scale (DNAS). Computers & Education, 67, 51–57.] has been widely used as a tool to investigate the digital nativeness of different subjects/participants and in different languages worldwide. The current study aimed to continue exploring the cross-cultural invariance of DNAS in the Vietnamese version (V-DNAS) and examine the digital nativeness of Vietnamese pre-service teachers. Using two sources of validity evidence from cognitive response processes and the internal structure of validity of DNAS, the study findings showed that the DNAS, in general, had an adequate model fit in the Vietnamese version, which contributed to confirm the invariance of the scale in different languages. The study also showed that Vietnamese pre-service teachers endorsed all elements of digital nativeness in general, with a significant difference by students’ geographic locations. The study provided contributions for scale validation research and teacher education, alongside suggestions for future research to avoid its limitations.