Generative artificial intelligence in education: development and validation of a scale for ethical awareness and responsibility

This study aimed to develop and validate the Generative Artificial Intelligence Ethical Awareness and Responsibility Scale (GenAI-EARS) for use in educational contexts. A quantitative cross-sectional design was adopted, and the scale development process included item generation, pilot testing, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, item discrimination analyses, and assessments of convergent, discriminant, and internal validity, as well as measurement invariance across gender. The analyses supported an 18-item, four-factor structure (autonomy, transparency, privacy, and fairness) with adequate model fit, strong item discrimination, and satisfactory reliability indices. Correlational findings indicated a significant negative relationship between GenAI-EARS scores and age, whereas no significant gender differences were observed. These results provide evidence that the GenAI-EARS is a psychometrically sound instrument for evaluating ethical awareness and responsibility related to the use of generative AI in education.