Profiling competences for the development of digital citizenship in teacher education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify the level of digital competence of future teachers of Early Childhood Education and Primary Education, following the specifications advanced by the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens. In this case, a quantitative methodology was carried out, using an ad hoc questionnaire entitled ‘Competences for the Development of Digital Citizenship in Initial Teacher Training’. The results reveal the presence of two groups of competent profiles among the future teachers who participated. On the one hand, we find a group of future teachers whose status is moderate and sufficient to, for example, create individualized digital contents and, on the other hand, there is a group of future teachers with an outstanding and excellent levels concerning issues of digital accessibility. In fact, the findings also indicate that the members of this group excel in techno-pedagogical matters (incorporating pictograms, subtitles, etc.).  It is also observed that the performance of both groups is remarkable, with notable strengths in their performance levels when it comes to collaborating online, applying basic safety guidelines, rationalizing the use of devices and solving technical problems. In any case, the trend of the levels of competence is growing and should be subsequently bolstered in initial teacher training programmed for the European Higher Education Area.

Keywords: clustering; cyber skills; educational technology; online participation; virtual citizens