Digital competence in secondary education teachers during the COVID-19-derived pandemic: comparative analysis

Abstract

PurposeContinuous training in professional teaching competencies has become one of the challenges of the school of the 21st century, especially if we refer to the mastery of digital competence. The aim of this study is to analyze the degree of digital competence of secondary school teachers of different areas of knowledge during the global pandemic of COVID-19 in the Galician autonomous community and obtain data that allow us to infer whether there is an association between individual variables such as age, gender, degree, work experience and their mastery of digital competence.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional descriptive quasi-experimental study is performed using an accidental sample of secondary school teachers from different fields of knowledge.FindingsThe different results obtained determine that the level of knowledge and use of digital media and tools is low. There are no significant differences depending on the variables analyzed, but it is necessary to establish specific continuing education plans for the improvement of digital competence in secondary school teachers to enable the effective use and management of information and communication technologies in future professionals.Originality/valueTherefore, the findings of this study allow the development of educational interventions focused on increasing the digital competence of teachers, taking into account their individual characteristics.