Knowledge Pathways Linking Technology Integration Self-Efficacy to Innovative Thinking in Education: A Multi-Group Structural Invariance Approach

This study examined the psychological and cognitive pathways linking technology integration self-efficacy beliefs (TTISEB), technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), and innovative thinking tendencies (ITT) among primary school teachers. Specifically, it evaluated the mediating role of TPACK and the structural equivalence of the proposed model across gender groups using a Multi-Group Structural Equation Modeling (MG-SEM) framework. The research was conducted using a cross-sectional survey design with a sample of 651 primary school teachers (Mage = 34.55; 58% female) employed in public schools across different regions of Türkiye. Data were collected using validated self-report scales for technology integration self-efficacy, TPACK, and innovative thinking tendencies, and were analyzed through multi-group structural invariance procedures. The findings indicated that TPACK functioned as a statistically significant partial indirect pathway in the association between TTISEB and ITT. This suggests that teachers’ technology integration self-efficacy is directly associated with their innovative thinking tendencies and is also indirectly associated with ITT through their TPACK. Furthermore, the study established structural invariance across gender groups, indicating that the examined pathways operated equivalently for female and male teachers. These results highlight the multifaceted nature of technology integration and suggest that teacher education and professional development programs may benefit from addressing both teachers’ technology-related self-efficacy beliefs and their specialized techno-pedagogical knowledge in efforts to support innovation-oriented teaching.