Factors influencing the digital competence of pre-service teachers at the University of Granada

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21556/edutec.2025.92.3605

Keywords:

digital competence, initial teacher training, university students, social media

Abstract

Technology plays an increasingly important role in the educational sector; however, the digital competence of future teachers does not reach the desired levels. The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing the digital competence of pre-service teachers, specifically sex, age, social media use, and prior training in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). A non-experimental, quantitative, descriptive-correlational, and cross-sectional study design was employed, in which a digital competence test based on the DigComp 2.2 framework was applied to a sample of 550 education students from the University of Granada, aged between 18 and 25 years (M= 19.75; SD = 1.407). The results revealed an average level of digital competence among the participants. It was noted that males outperformed females in areas such as information search and management, as well as problem-solving. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between the use of social media platforms such as YouTube and higher digital competence. Prior ICT training and sex were identified as key factors influencing various areas of competence. Finally, the study suggests future lines of research to better understand the relationship between sociodemographic factors and the development of digital competence.

Funding

This work has been funded with public funds and through competitive concurrence by the contract of the Andalusian Knowledge System of the Junta de Andalucía (Reference: PREDOC_01759).

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Author Biographies

Inmaculada Aznar-Díaz, University of Granada (Spain)

Associate Professor in the Department of Didactics and School Organization at the University of Granada. Director of the research group: Research, Innovation & Technology in Education, RITE (SEJ-607). Author of numerous high-impact international articles and coordinator of equally relevant international books, with educational technology being one of the key research topics.

José-María Romero-Rodríguez, University of Granada (Spain)

PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Granada. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the same university. His research work is carried out within the AREA research group (HUM-672). Author of various high-impact scientific articles focused on educational innovation and ICT as tools for innovation in education.

Blanca Berral-Ortiz, University of Granada (Spain)

Graduated in Early Childhood Education from the University of Granada, recognized with the Extraordinary End-of-Degree Award. She holds a Master's in Research and Innovation in Curriculum and Training and a PhD in Educational Sciences, affiliated with the Department of Didactics and School Organization at the University of Granada (Spain), within the Faculty of Educational Sciences. She is a member of the AREA Research Group (Analysis of Educational Reality) (HUM-672), where her research focuses on educational inclusion and the development of digital competence, particularly in the field of literacy. Additionally, she collaborates on teaching innovation projects aimed at education through educational technologies, with an emphasis on mobile learning to improve learning outcomes, the implementation of flipped classroom methodologies, and the use of immersive technological resources (XR) to enhance the digital competence of future education professionals, such as the Inmer project, among others.

José-Antonio Martínez-Domingo, University of Barcelona (Spain)

Predoctoral Researcher at the University of Granada, funded by the Junta de Andalucía. Predoctoral Researcher in Training affiliated with the Department of Didactics and School Organization at the University of Granada. Graduated in Primary Education with a specialization in Physical Education from the University of Granada. Master's in Research and Innovation in Curriculum and Training from the University of Granada. Doctoral candidate in Educational Sciences at the University of Granada. Member of the Research, Innovation & Technology in Education (RITE, SEJ-607) research group. He has presented a variety of papers at conferences, seminars, book chapters, and articles on digital competence, new methodologies, and technological resources.

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Published

30-06-2025

How to Cite

Aznar-Díaz, I., Romero-Rodríguez, J.-M., Berral-Ortiz, B., & Martínez-Domingo, J.-A. (2025). Factors influencing the digital competence of pre-service teachers at the University of Granada. Edutec, Revista Electrónica De Tecnología Educativa, (92), 35–54. https://doi.org/10.21556/edutec.2025.92.3605

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No. 92 (2025): Edutec Issue 92 - June 2025

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Journal articles

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