Development of a New Measurement Tool to Evaluate the Impact of Technology on Parents' Interactions with Their Children: The Parent Technoference Scale

This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool to evaluate the impact of technology-induced interruptions (parental technoference) on interactions between parents and their children aged 4–9. Parent Technoference Scale (PTS) items were rated on a five-point Likert scale (1 to 5), and both forms included three control items. A total of 549 parents with children aged 4–9 participated in the study. Data were collected from 151 participants for exploratory factor analysis (Study-1) and from 398 participants for confirmatory factor analysis (Study-2). Following these analyses, PTS-A was refined to 12 items, and PTS-B to 11 items, with both forms including two reverse-scored items. Factor analysis revealed two distinct sub-dimensions in each form: Interaction of Simultaneous Time and Interaction of Discipline and Safeness. Higher scores on the scale indicate greater levels of parental technoference. The results demonstrated that the Parent Technoference Scale is a robust tool for assessing the degree of technology-induced disruptions in parent-child interactions. Both PTS-A and PTS-B showed high reliability, with Cronbach's alpha values exceeding 0.80 for PTS-A and 0.90 for PTS-B. The internal consistency of both forms and their sub-dimensions was strong, with acceptable item correlations. Furthermore, the scale showed excellent concurrent and discriminant validity.