Development and validation of the generative AI assessment literacy scale for higher education students: psychometric evidence and associations with feedback engagement and academic integrity

A new psychometric tool, the Generative AI Assessment Literacy Scale (GAA-LS), has been developed and validated to measure higher education students' capacity for responsible Generative AI (GenAI) use in assessment contexts. This tool aims to conceptualize and quantify students' literacy in an area where their engagement with GenAI for tasks like interpreting assignments, drafting, and revising is growing.

Why it matters

The increasing integration of Generative AI into educational and professional workflows necessitates robust methods for assessing responsible and ethical usage. This development provides a standardized metric to understand and potentially improve AI literacy, which is crucial for maintaining academic and professional integrity while leveraging new technologies.

Key insights

• The GAA-LS was developed to measure students' responsible use of GenAI within academic assessments.
• The development involved a two-study scale development and validation design.
• Initial item generation was based on literature covering assessment literacy, AI-supported assessment, feedback engagement, and academic integrity.
• Expert review and pilot testing informed the initial item pool of 30 items.
• Study 1 included item analysis and exploratory factor analysis with 486 students.
• Study 2 focused on confirmatory factor analysis (details not fully provided in the summary).

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1934632