ASSESSING PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ DIGITAL COMPETENCE USING THE DIGCOMP 2.2 FRAMEWORK IN THE CONTEXT OF EDUCATIONAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: EVIDENCE FROM DONG THAP UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM
Keywords
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34238/tnu-jst.15667Abstract
This study aims to assess the digital competence of pre-service teachers at Dong Thap University based on an extended DigComp 2.2 framework incorporating an additional competence domain related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) application, while also examining differences across selected demographic characteristics. A quantitative research design was employed with survey data collected from 965 pre-service teachers. Cronbach’s Alpha, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) were used to validate the measurement model and analyze the data. The findings indicate that pre-service teachers demonstrated a relatively high level of digital competence. Among the six competence domains, AI application and digital communication and collaboration achieved the highest scores, whereas information and data literacy and digital problem-solving recorded comparatively lower mean scores, though all domains remained at a relatively high level. In addition, statistically significant differences were found according to gender, academic year, and frequency of digital technology use. This study contributes empirical evidence regarding the digital competence of pre-service teachers in the context of higher education digital transformation in Vietnam.Downloads
References
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), ICT Competency Framework for Teachers, 3rd ed. Paris, France: UNESCO, 2018.
C. Redecker, European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators: DigCompEdu. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017.
R. Vuorikari, S. Kluzer, and Y. Punie, DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens – With New Examples of Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.
European Commission, DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.
Ł. Tomczyk, “Digital competence among pre-service teachers: A global perspective on curriculum change as viewed by experts from 33 countries,” Evaluation and Program Planning, vol. 105, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2024.102449.
T. Haşlaman, S. Mumcu, and H. Usluel, “Development and in-depth investigation of pre-service teachers’ digital competencies based on DigCompEdu: a case study,” Quality & Quantity: Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 961-986, 2024, doi: 10.1007/s11135-023-01674-z.
L. Yang, M. T. H. Mohd, and Y. Tian, “Exploring factors influencing pre-service and in-service teachers’ perception of digital competencies in the Chinese region of Anhui,” Education and Information Technologies, vol. 27, pp. 12469-12494, 2022, doi: 10.1007/s10639-022-11085-6
N. H. Hoang, “Exploring digital competence among Vietnamese EFL preservice teachers: The role of ICT self-efficacy, collegial collaboration, and infrastructural support,” Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 217-237, 2024, doi: 10.1080/21532974.2024.2407327.
T. Q. Nguyen, A. N. T. Pham, P. A. Hoang, D. T. Pham Dang, H. C. Pham, “Digital competence of Vietnamese citizens: An application of the DigComp framework and the role of individual factors,” Education and Information Technologies, vol. 29, pp. 19267-19298, 2024, doi: 10.1007/s10639-024-12585-3.
T. S. Hoang, M. L. T. Nguyen, L. N. Pham, T. H. T. Nguyen, and L. T. Nguyen, “Digital competence of lecturers at the universities of education: In the context of education digital transformation in Vietnam,” International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 12, no. 10, pp. 1085-1089, 2022, doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2022.12.10.1724
D. Dolezal, M. Glavic, and K. Sostaric, “Pre-service teachers’ digital competence: A call for action,” Education Sciences, vol. 15, no. 2, 2025, doi: 10.3390/educsci15020160.
M. Zeng, Z. Abdullah, and K. S. L. Cheah, “Pre-service teachers’ digital competence: A systematic review of factors, frameworks, and global patterns,” International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 218-247, 2025, doi: 10.26803/ijlter.24.8.10.
J. F. Hair, W. C. Black, B. J. Babin, and R. E. Anderson, Multivariate Data Analysis, 8th ed. Andover, UK: Cengage Learning, 2019.
B. G. Tabachnick and L. S. Fidell, Using Multivariate Statistics, 7th ed. Boston, MA, USA: Pearson, 2019.
W. G. Cochran, Sampling Techniques, 3rd ed. New York, NY, USA: Wiley, 1977.
UNESCO, AI competency framework for teachers, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris, France, 2024.
Q. Guan, Y. Zhang, and X. Gu, "Pre-service teachers' preparedness for AI-integrated education: An investigation from perceptions, capabilities, and teachers' identity changes," Comput. Educ. Artif. Intell., vol. 8, 2025, Art. no. 100341, doi: 10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100341.
T. Pei, X. Lu, and M. Jing, "Empowering preservice teachers' AI literacy: Current understanding, influential factors, and strategies for improvement," Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, vol. 8, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.caeai.2025.100406.
D. F. Polit and C. T. Beck, Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice, 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Wolters Kluwer, 2021.
J. C. Nunnally and I. H. Bernstein, Psychometric Theory, 3rd ed. New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
R. B. Kline, Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling, 4th ed. New York, NY, USA: Guilford Press, 2016.
L. T. Hu and P. M. Bentler, "Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives," Struct. Equ. Model., vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1-55, 1999, doi: 10.1080/10705519909540118.
C. Fornell and D. F. Larcker, “Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error,” Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 39-50, 1981, doi: 10.2307/3151312.
A. K. Gupta, S. W. Harrar, and Y. Fujikoshi, "MANOVA for large hypothesis degrees of freedom under non-normality," Test, vol. 17, pp. 120-137, 2008, doi: 10.1007/s11749-006-0026-6.
J. C.-H. Li, M. Nesca, R. M. Waisman, Y. Cheng, and V. M. C. Tze, "A robust effect size measure Aw for MANOVA with non-normal and non-homogenous data," Adv. Methods Pract. Psychol. Sci., vol. 14, no. 3, 2021, doi: 10.1177/20597991211055949.
M. Prensky, "Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1," On the Horizon, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 1-6, 2001.
A. Çebi and İ. Reisoğlu, “Digital competence: A study from the perspective of pre-service teachers in Turkey,” Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 294-308, 2020, doi: 10.7821/naer.2020.7.583.
L. Ilomäki, S. Paavola, M. Lakkala, and A. Kantosalo, “Digital competence – An emergent boundary concept for policy and educational research,” Education and Information Technologies, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 655-679, 2016, doi: 10.1007/s10639-014-9346-4.
E. J. Instefjord and E. Munthe, “Educating digitally competent teachers: A study of integration of professional digital competence in teacher education,” Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 67, pp. 37-45, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2017.05.016.
C. Sánchez-Cruzado, R. S. Campión, and M. T. Sánchez-Compaña, “Teacher digital literacy: The indisputable challenge after COVID-19,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 4, 2021, Art. no. 1858, doi: 10.3390/su13041858.
Y. Zhao, A. M. P. Llorente, and M. C. S. Gómez, “Digital competence in higher education research: A systematic literature review,” Computers & Education, vol. 168, 2021, Art. no. 104212, doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104212.
O. E. Hatlevik and K. A. Christophersen, “Digital competence at the beginning of upper secondary school: Identifying factors explaining digital inclusion,” Computers & Education, vol. 63, pp. 240–247, 2013, doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2012.11.015.
R. J. Krumsvik, “Teacher educators’ digital competence,” Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, vol. 58, no. 3, pp. 269-280, 2014, doi: 10.1080/00313831.2012.726273.
W. Ng, “Can we teach digital natives digital literacy?” Computers & Education, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 1065-1078, 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2012.04.016.
