Early Childhood Educators’ AI Literacy: Validation of the Meta-AI Literacy Scale in a Greek Context

This study adapted the Meta-AI Literacy Scale (MAILS) for Greek early childhood educators and examined whether its nine-factor structure could be replicated in a new linguistic, professional, and educational context. A total of 475 participants took part in two samples: an exploratory factor analysis with one sample (n = 133) and a confirmatory factor analysis with an independent sample (n = 342). The analyses supported the original nine-factor structure. Internal consistency was satisfactory across subscales (McDonald’s ω = 0.84–0.96), and evidence for convergent and discriminant validity was acceptable. Positive attitudes toward AI were associated with most MAILS dimensions, whereas negative attitudes showed only weak and mostly non-significant associations. These findings suggest that apprehension toward AI may not be reducible to perceived competence alone. The study provides initial evidence that the nine-factor structure of the MAILS can be replicated with Greek early childhood educators. Because measurement invariance was not tested, these findings do not establish metric or scalar equivalence with the original version, and scores from the two versions cannot yet be compared directly. Further work is needed on invariance testing, predictive validity, and behavioral indicators of AI literacy.