Analysis of digital competence of educators (DigCompEdu) in teacher trainees: the context of Melilla, Spain

Abstract

The Spanish autonomous city of Melilla, located in northwest Africa, has one of the highest academic failure and abandonment rates in Europe. An effective way to improve this situation would be to improve students’ digital competence. In order to do so, teachers must have competent digital skills themselves and also be able to teach them. To determine teachers’ level of digital competence, the Spanish adaptation of the European Framework for Digital Competence of Educators was used to analyse the self-assessment responses of teachers in training at the Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences in Melilla, Spain. Several quantitative techniques were used to analyse data collected from a questionnaire based on the items in the framework. Indicators were given to each competence using a factor analysis to contrast differences between undergraduate and postgraduate students. Correlations between some of the students’ characteristics and the competences were estimated using OLS. The results show students’ self-assessment level of digital competence in different areas and differences between the bachelor’s and master’s programmes. Digital competence gaps were also detected in teacher training, especially in security. The conclusions highlight the need to improve digital security and facilitate a higher level of digital skills in line with the framework. Indeed, more hours of training in digital competence are required while taking into account the educational context and the technological, pedagogical and content knowledge needed to teach. Equally, the same skills must be developed by educators in order for them to transmit digital competence to their students and support them in educational centres.

Social media and data privacy in education: an international comparative study of perceptions among pre-service teachers

“…On the whole, many of our participants’ beliefs coincide with the findings of previous research that showed a dearth of knowledge pertaining to data privacy in general populations (Obar & Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2018 ; Sander, 2020 ), and among PSTs (García-Vandewalle et al, 2021 ; Milton et al, 2021 ). Our findings align with research that has highlighted an absence of teacher preparation for issues related to personal data awareness and practices (Gallego-Arrufat et al, 2019 ), especially related to commercial privacy (Vartiainen et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Gallego-Arrufat et al ( 2019 ) identified that nearly half of Spanish and Portuguese PSTs who participated in a survey ( N = 317) demonstrated insufficient awareness of fundamental concepts related to personal data privacy such as digital identity, footprint, and online reputation. A study with 176 Spanish PSTs based on the DigCompEdu framework showed that although PSTs had relatively high levels of digital competence, those levels did not progress over time, which could mean that digital competence was not addressed during their teacher education (García-Vandewalle et al, 2021 ). In particular, the authors concluded that the main limitation in the Spanish PSTs’ digital competence is their lack of skills for digital security (competence area “Safety” in the DigComp framework).…”

Remote study for the humanities and social sciences: digitization and coaching

“…After studying the level of digital competence demonstrated by the teachers in the Spanish city of Melilla, García-Vandewalle García et al [20], point to the gaps in the digital competence of both the groups, students and teachers, especially in terms of security. Next, they provide their recommendations as to overcoming the difficulties to bridge these gaps.…”

“…García-Vandewalle García et al emphasize that the collective search for information in databases, i.e. the ability to cooperate, also influences the increase in the level of digital competence of students [20]. Yet, there is no holistic approach in [20] to the study of factors, which affect the level of digital competence of students.…”

Digital Literacy from 2018-2021: A scientometric study of the literature

“…engagement García-Vandewalle García et al (2021). develop the Common Framework for the Digital Competence of Teachers, which is adapted from the DigCompEdu, to assess the self-perception of the digital competence of Spanish teachers by using a four-point Likert scale questionnaire.Rizal et al (2021) combine a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and a guided interview to test the digital literacy of teachers.…”