Measuring pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge of games: the association between attitudes towards games and game-based technological pedagogical knowledge

Integrating digital games into classrooms requires teachers to have specific technological and pedagogical competencies. This study aimed to address the gap in adapting and validating the TPACK-G Questionnaire to assess pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) related to game-based learning in Turkey. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a robust four-factor structure, with acceptable model fit and strong internal consistency. Measurement invariance analysis confirmed that the questionnaire measured the same latent constructs across male and female pre-service teachers, supporting its use with diverse groups. An ANOVA test examined group differences in attitudes towards digital games and TPACK-G, with pre-service teachers categorised into medium, high and very high groups with significant differences (p < 0.05), suggesting that attitudes towards games influence game-based pedagogical knowledge. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the 13-item TPACK-G is a valid and reliable tool for assessing pre-service teachers’ game-related knowledge and readiness to integrate digital games into teaching.