Digital Competence of Basic Education

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

ICT integration is one of the most important tenets of 21st century education. As the government progresses in providing resources, the skillset of teachers must also increase. Therefore, as school administrators, there is a need to improve the skills and knowledge of their respective faculty in terms of ICT integration and application. In this study, we assessed the ICT skills and needs of elementary teachers in Rosario West District, Division of Batangas that can be used to formulate a needs-based capacity building.

METHODS

Descriptive analysis of data gathered using questionnaire and interviews were used. Using the School ICT Competence Profiling Framework in conjunction with the National ICT Competency Standard for Teachers (NICS), seventy (70) elementary teachers from Cluster 1 of Rosario West District responded to a questionnaire that specifically measured their competency level. Data was analyzed using percentages, weighted mean, and Chi-square test.

RESULTS

Based from the results of the elementary teachers' assessment, it was perceived that they have a basic level on ICT in all the domains of NICS such as technology operations and concepts, social and ethical domain, pedagogical and professional domain. Specifically, the teachers have the highest competency on the technology operations and concepts while the lowest were on the pedagogical domain. It was also discovered that there is a significant relationship between ICT competency level and some demographic factors such as age, highest educational attainment and ownership of technological tools such as laptop, smartphone and tablet. From the interviews, elementary teachers said that unfamiliarity to the technology provided, as well as the lack of time to plan and prepare materials are some of the problems, they face in integrating ICT in the teaching-learning process.

DISCUSSIONS

The results suggest that there is a need for more training and seminars for elementary teachers so that their ICT competency level can be increased. By considering the needs-based approach, the administrators can focus heavily on improving the points where the elementary teachers are less proficient such as the use of ICT in the pedagogical domain. Additional factors can be considered by future researchers so that there can be a more specific description of the ICT competency level of elementary teachers.