Technology-Enhanced Learning and Well-being: a Contribution to the Validation of a Measure to Assess University Students’ Technostress in the Italian Context

Abstract

AbstractCOVID-19 has forced many universities to adopt widely technology-enhanced learning (TEL), highlighting the role of technostress as a risk factor for detrimental outcomes that may be prevented through the assessment with reliable tools. Thus, the present study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of the Italian validation of the technostress scale by Wang, Tan, and Li. A self-report online questionnaire was completed by 915 participants (aged 18–33 years) attending an online university course during the health emergency. A subsample of 301 subjects (MAge = 20.91, SD = 1.93) filled out the same questionnaire after a 3-month time interval to evaluate the test–retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the one-factor structure of the scale, which was confirmed across academic courses considered (first-year and senior students). Moreover, the findings showed significant associations with the Italian Technostress Creators Scale and the Italian Mental Health Continuum–Short Form, as well as a satisfactory test–retest coefficient value supporting its validity and reliability. In light of the above, the study provides a useful instrument to evaluate technostress related to TEL and indications to implement preventive interventions for this type of stress by improving students’ experience with learning technologies.