Research Article
Sasithida Saraiwang, Kusuma Pitukwong
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 18, Issue 3, Article No: ep669
ABSTRACT
Effective digital competence and technology integration have become increasingly important for English as a foreign language (EFL) pre-service teachers (PSTs); however, they often confront various challenges, especially in the practical usage of digital technology in class. The purposes of this study were to investigate the levels of perceived digital competence of Thai EFL PSTs, to explore their digital integration in actual classroom practice, and to examine the factors contributing to their digital competence. Self-assessment questionnaires administered to 32 Thai EFL PSTs revealed a marked contrast between the highest- and lowest-rated items within the personal-ethical dimension. In classroom observations, most PSTs demonstrated a developing level of digital competence. Multimedia creation was rated at the expert level, ranking highest among the observed areas of technology integration. Lastly, the findings from semi-structured interviews revealed that supportive factors influencing their digital competence were contextual enablers, technological familiarity, personal behavior, and mentorship/peer support. In contrast, challenging factors involved institutional support, personal behaviors, insufficient digital skills, inadequate ongoing training, and difficulties in student-technology interaction. These findings emphasize the importance of a supportive school ICT culture and tiered training programs for PSTs, ranging from beginner to advanced levels, to promote digitally competent, confident, and innovative PSTs who are fully prepared for the dynamic demands of modern education.
Keywords: teacher digital competence, EFL pre-service teachers, technology integration, personal-ethical competencies, personal-professional competencies
Research Article
Gonzalo Camacho-Vásquez, Juana María Ortega-Tudela, Elena María Díaz-Pareja
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 4, Article No: ep612
ABSTRACT
Digital competency is becoming a priority in teachers’ professional development. This article assessed the efficacy of a web-based methodology on English teachers’ digital competence through a 200-hour course. This didactic methodology consists of eight learning moments that alternate between online and offline instruction and are based on solid theoretical foundations. The results of the six areas and 22 competencies of the DigCompEdu framework are compared between an entry and exit test in a group of 47 English teachers who were part of the web-based didactic design implementation. Data analysis was conducted using the statistical software R version 4.2.2. The Likert package version 1.3.5 and the ggplot2 package version 3.4.0 were used to generate graphs and descriptive statistics. The Stats package version 4.2.2 was used to perform the Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon comparison tests. This analysis demonstrated that the effects of the designed methodology on teachers’ digital competence development are highly significant. Teacher-learners advanced in areas of the DigCompEdu related to students’ digital competence. The areas with fewer improvements were where teacher-learners scored higher in the pre-test. “Self-regulated learning,” “accessibility and inclusion,” and “communication and collaboration” competencies reached the highest difference when comparing the pre- and post-tests. Teachers struggle more with learning during offline moments. The Web-based methodology becomes an innovative proposal for training English teachers to incorporate technology to develop language skills.
Keywords: information and communication technology, English language teaching, teacher digital competence, teachers’ professional development
Review Article
María de los Ángeles Domínguez-González, Antonio Luque de la Rosa, Carlos Hervás-Gómez, Pedro Román-Graván
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 2, Article No: ep577
ABSTRACT
Constant teacher training and up-dating is fundamental to provide quality teaching and learning. Digital competences are among the skills that teachers must acquire in order to improve the teaching and learning processes. The aim of the present study was to review the scientific production of the last five years regarding teacher digital competence (TDC). To this end, the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses methodology was used, performing research in two relevant databases: Scopus and Web of Science. A total of 19 articles that met the pre-established criteria were ultimately selected and analyzed. The thorough analysis of the documents was conducted with ATLAS.ti software. To analyze the co-occurrence of keywords, VOSviewer was employed. The main results show that scientific production is increasing, and studies are mostly focused on exploring the level of TDC, which is usually low. The samples of the studies are mainly composed of secondary education teachers. This review concludes by highlighting the need to develop training programs for the improvement of TDC and to carry out further studies in this research line.
Keywords: teacher digital competence, education, ICT, innovation, teacher training