Development and validation of the Maker Competency Assessment Tool for Educators

Development and validation of the Maker Competency Assessment Tool for Educators | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Development and validation of the Maker Competency Assessment Tool for Educators Oriol Nadal, Mireia Usart, Cristina Valls-Bautista, Carolina Alcantar-Nieblas, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8260826/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Discover Sustainability → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Maker education is increasingly implemented in schools to foster creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving. However, the assessment of teachers’ maker competency remains underexplored despite the availability of several conceptual frameworks. This study introduces and validates the Maker Competency Assessment Tool for Educators (MCATE), a questionnaire designed to measure primary and secondary school teachers’ self-perceived maker competency. A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted with 695 experienced teachers from Spain and Mexico. The instrument was developed from existing frameworks and adapted through expert judgment and contextual validation. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses supported a unidimensional structure of 16 items explaining 46.4% of variance. Reliability was high (α = .90; CR = .91), and concurrent validity was confirmed by a positive correlation (r = .62, p < .01) with the reported use of maker tools. The findings demonstrate that MCATE is a valid and reliable tool to assess teachers’ self-perceived maker competency. Beyond its practical application, this study contributes to the field by providing a psychometrically validated instrument specifically designed for teachers. Its use can inform teacher education, guide professional development initiatives, and support the integration of maker education into formal schooling. assessment tool maker competency maker education primary education professional development validation-study Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Discover Sustainability → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 11 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 04 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 22 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 11 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 10 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 09 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 09 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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