Key Quality Factors in Digital Competence Assessment: A Validation Study from Teachers’ Perspective

Abstract

The progressive shift from a transmissive to a competence-based approach emphasises the need to design new models and tools for competence assessment. In order to address this need, this study, firstly, introduces the assessment model for digital competence in primary and secondary schools developed within the H2020 CRISS project. The Competence Assessment Model (CAM) (1) embraces the integration pedagogy approach in which competences are embedded within the curriculum and (2) provides competence assessment scenarios (CAS). Secondly, the study presents the results of the evaluation of its quality from the teachers’ perspective through an instrument designed on the basis of nine competence assessment quality criteria. The CAM was tested in a large-scale pilot study conducted in 535 primary and secondary schools across Europe. The outcomes show that the CAM mainly fulfills two out of the nine quality criteria: meaningfulness and authenticity. However, the exploratory factor analysis also reveals that all these quality criteria can be summarized into four key quality factors that more accurately describe how CAM is experienced in school teaching. Out of these, the most relevant is the (1) efficiency over time, student monitoring, support and evaluation. The three secondary factors identified are (2) fairness and cognitive complexity, (3) meaningfulness and authenticity and (4) reproducibility and transparency. The study provides a conceptual and methodological approach for the evaluation of Digital Competence in the school context. Most of all, it helps highlight four factors that, according to teaching staff, describe the quality of the proposed model when applied to daily teaching practices.