Strategies for developing digital competencies in teachers: Towards a multidimensional Synthesis of Qualitative Data (SQD) survey instrument

Data gathered from 357 undergraduate and graduate teacher education students were analyzed to assess the ability of the Synthesis of Qualitative Data (SQD) instrument to measure six teaching strategies (role models, reflection, collaboration, feedback, instructional design and authentic experiences) important for preparing future teachers to use technology in their future teaching. Factor analysis, multidimensional scaling, and analysis of variance techniques were applied to the 24 SQD items developed through qualitative assessment of effective strategies needed to prepare teachers, in order to assess reliability and validity for six unique four-item scales. Findings were that all scales exhibited acceptable performance characteristics as independent measures, implying that future studies could use subsets of the items rather than the full 24-item instrument. Recommended areas of future research and practical implications for teacher preparation programs are discussed. What is already known about this topic. • The SQD instrument as a total scale score (24 items) is reliable and valid. • The SQD is established as useful for assessing teacher preparation practices. What this paper adds. • Six individual (4-item) scales from the SQD have high reliability and validity. Implications for practice and/or policy. • Individual 4-item scales can assess specific teacher preparation practices. • This could reduce survey completion time while preserving psychometric integrity.