Assessing teachers’ digital competence in primary and secondary education: Applying a new instrument to integrate pedagogical and professional elements for digital education

Abstract

Teachers’ digital competence (DC) is an important condition for the effective application of technology in education. Although several DC tools have been designed, adjustments to digital education and pedagogical or professional components are still scarce. Therefore, this study aims at developing a new instrument for assessing teachers’ DC regarding their pedagogical and professional activities in the context of digital school and digital education. The study also examines the teachers’ total DC scores and explores the differences between teacher profiles on a sample of 845 teachers in primary and secondary education in Greece. The final instrument comprises 20 items allocated in six components: 1) Teaching preparation; 2) Teaching delivery & students’ support; 3) Teaching evaluation & revision; 4) Professional development; 5) School’s development; and 6) Innovating education. The PLS-SEM analysis indicated the validity and reliability of the model in respect to its factorial structure, internal consistency, convergence validity, and model fitness. The results revealed DC inefficiency among teachers in Greece. Primary school teachers reported significantly lower scores in Professional development and Teaching delivery & students support. Female teachers reported significantly lower scores in Innovating education and School's development, but they reported higher scores in Professional development. The contribution and practical implications are discussed in the paper.

The role of information technology in managing the human resource development of educators in inclusion-based primary schools in Greece

“…The study demonstrates a substantial positive link between the HR development of educators and IT-based training, suggesting that IT training plays a key role in improving educators' abilities and competences. This is consistent with research byTzafilkou et al (2023), which highlighted the significance of instructors' digital competency for efficient instruction. According toKaimara (2023), training in IT tools not only provides educators with the technical skills they need, but it also improves their capacity to provide inclusive education.…”

“…For inclusive education to be successfully implemented, teachers must be trained in the efficient use of IT resource s (Mantzikos & Lappa, 2023). In order to guarantee that educators are proficient in both inclusive and technologybased teaching methods, Tzafilkou et al (2023) stressed the need to provide instructors with digital competences that include professional and pedagogical components. IT also encourages collaborative learning settings, which are critical to inclusive education.…”

“…IT provides creative methods for evaluating pupils' comprehension and development. According to Tzafilkou et al (2023), in order for educators to successfully incorporate IT into their teaching and assessment practices, they must be digitally competent. Digital technologies may make assessments more relevant and individualized by tracking progress over time, providing timely feedback and adapting to the learner's level.…”

“…© 2024 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.According toTzafilkou, Perifanou, and Economides (2023), the use of technology in inclusive education aims to…”

Unlocking Teacher Professional Performance: Exploring Teaching Creativity in Transmitting Digital Literacy, Grit, and Instructional Quality

“…It includes skills and competencies that enable them to integrate existing and new technologies into the teaching and learning process. Research results show that teacher digital competence is relatively varied [38], so it needs to be improved continuously.…”