Digital Technology Preoccupation Scale

Abstract

The Digital Technology Preoccupation Scale (Topić, Brkljačić, & Brajša‐Žganec, 2023) is a tool designed to assess the extent to which children are engrossed with digital technology. This scale comprises five items derived from children’s own observations regarding the significance of digital technology (DT) in their daily lives. The development of these items was informed by an extensive review of existing literature (e.g., Buckingham, 2006; Fitton et al., 2013; Hutchby & Moran-Ellis, 2001; Livingstone & Bovill, 2001) as well as the authors’ prior research experiences (Consortium of the ‘ADD-Free Training’ project, 2022; Kotrla Topić & Perković Kovačević, 2017). The psychometric evaluation of the scale was carried out using data collected from elementary school students, ranging from 8 to 13 years old, across two counties in Croatia. Factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional structure of the scale. The internal consistency of the scale, as measured by Cronbach’s alpha, was also reported.

Keywords

Digital Technology, Preoccupation, Childhood Development, Screen Time, Human Computer Interaction Measures

Authors

Topić, Marina Kotrla; Brkljačić, Tihana; Brajša-Žganec, Andreja

Purpose

This scale was developed to quantify children’s affection towards digital technology and to measure the degree of importance they attribute to this technology.

Validity

No data is Available.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The Cronbach’s alpha for the scale was reported as 0.802.

Factor Analysis

Factor Analysis: The results indicated a unidimensional structure for the scale, which accounted for 56.7% of the total variance.

Instrument: Digital Technology Preoccupation Scale

Test Type: Original Rating Scale

Format: Each item is rated using a four-point scale (1-4), where a lower numerical value indicates lower preoccupation with digital technology and a higher numerical value indicates greater preoccupation. The total score is calculated as the average of the responses to all items, with higher scores signifying a greater level of preoccupation with digital technology.

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human (Male and Female)

Age Group: Childhood (birth-12 yrs), School Age (6-12 yrs), Adolescence (13-17 yrs)

Population Details: The study was conducted in Croatia, with respondents being elementary school pupils aged 8 to 13 years old.

Test Methodology: The methodology involved Test Reliability, Internal Consistency assessment, and Factor Analysis. The administration method for the test was paper-based.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:

• Brkljačić, Tihana: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8120-9540

Affiliation:

• Topić, Marina Kotrla: Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar

• Brkljačić, Tihana: Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar

• Brajša-Žganec, Andreja: Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar

Email addresses:

• Topić, Marina Kotrla: [email protected]

Correspondence Address:

• Topić, Marina Kotrla: Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Marulićev trg 19/I, Zagreb, Croatia, 10000, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

Commercial Use: No

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

References

Topić, M. K., Brkljačić, T., & Brajša‐Žganec, A. (2023). Digital technology use and preoccupation with digital technology as predictors of life satisfaction in children. Child & Family Social Work, 28(4), 1131–1138. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.13032

Items of the Digital Technology Preoccupation Scale

This is a 5-item measure. No data is Available regarding the specific content of the items.