Development and validation of the educational technologist multimedia competency survey

The purpose of this research study was to identify the multimedia competencies of an educational technologist by creating a valid and reliable survey instrument to administer to educational technology professionals. The educational technology multimedia competency survey developed through this research is based on a conceptual framework that emphasizes the current definition of the field. Following the conceptual framework, a review of literature and an emergent theme analysis on 205 job announcements in educational technology were conducted. Eighty-five multimedia competencies were derived from this analysis and organized into knowledge, skill, and ability statements. These data were examined using descriptive statistics, internal consistency reliability, exploratory factor analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance. Though the purpose of the instrument was to measure multimedia competencies relevant to the field of educational technology, other constructs on the instrument emerged as more important in the analysis. The results include key competencies, such as knowledge of methods and theories of instruction; soft skills; and the ability to work in a team-oriented environment. A discussion about the results is provided. The instrument was found to have a valid and internally consistent structure.