Technology competencies for school administrators: Development and validation study of a self -assessment instrument

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a self-assessment instrument to measure the competency level of school-based administrators in the area of technology leadership. Currently there is a need for an instrument that assesses the technology literacy of school leaders. Technology knowledge and skills help ensure the integration of new technologies in a meaningful way and take advantage of the potential that technology has to change learning environments and improve student achievement. The Technology Competencies for School-Based Administrators: Self-Assessment Instrument was based on the Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA) written by the TSSA Collaborative and adopted by the International Society for Technology in Education as the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A). The method of study involved the development of a self-assessment instrument that was revised in stages based on data compiled during a pilot study, expert panel review, and field-test. Of primary importance was the identification of the underlying constructs through an exploratory factor analysis based on a sample of school administrators (n = 242) during the field-test phase of the study. The factors named from the exploratory analysis were: (1) support professional learning with technology, (2) manage and plan for the resources of technology, (3) provide staff development, and (4) responsible use of technology. The extracted factors provided evidence for the content and construct validity for both the TSSA standards and the self-assessment instrument. A Cronbach Alpha result of .96 is evidence of high degree of internal reliability with in the self-assessment instrument. An important general implication of this research was the significant need for school-based administrators to advance their knowledge about technology and ways that technology can be integrated in schools. Successful integration of technology tools in support of effective schools of the 21st Century will depend on the leadership capacity of school-based administrators.