Navigating the Digital Frontier: A Qualitative Inquiry into Pre-Service Teachers’ Digital Competence in India

Mirza Shahzan Asagar; Harjeet Kaur Bhatia

doi:10.63960/sp.2026.aesip.1.1.19

##article.authors##

Mirza Shahzan Asagar Department of Educational Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, India Author

##author.competingInterests##

The author(s) report no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
Harjeet Kaur Bhatia Department of Educational Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, India Author

##author.competingInterests##

The author(s) report no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.

https://doi.org/10.63960/sp.2026.aesip.1.1.19

##semicolon##

Digital Competence, Pre-Service Teachers, Digcompedu, Teacher Education, Qualitative Inquiry, India

##article.abstract##

Digital competence is now a basic professional requirement for teachers, but its development in teacher education programmes is uneven, especially in the Global South. This qualitative study explores how 36 pre-service teachers (PSTs) in India experience and describe digital competence, and how they deal with related challenges in teaching, assessment, professional engagement, and learner empowerment. Using semi-structured online interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, the study shows that basic infrastructural problems, such as unreliable internet, unequal access to resources, and limited institutional investment, create a ceiling that prevents more advanced use of technology in teaching. On top of these structural issues, PSTs struggle with maintaining integrity in digital assessment, handling AI-related ethical questions, and helping students become competent and responsible digital users. Across all areas, participants strongly preferred practical, hands-on, pedagogy-focused training instead of the mainly theoretical input they currently receive. The findings support the relevance of the DigCompEdu and TPACK frameworks in this under-researched context and highlight a serious gap between teacher education curricula and the actual digital conditions in classrooms. The study adds to qualitative research on pre-service teacher digital competence in the Global South and offers context-specific ideas for curriculum change and institutional policy.

##submission.authorBiographies##

##submission.authorWithAffiliation##

Mirza Shahzan Asagar is an emerging researcher and educational professional specialized in the fields of Education, History, and Educational Technology. He completed his Master of Education (M.Ed.) at Jamia Millia Islamia and went on to serve as a Research Assistant within the institution. He is currently pursuing doctoral research focused heavily on instructional strategies and educational advancements.His academic contributions center on contemporary developments mandated by India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, focusing on flipped learning models, the implementation of the Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP), and the integration of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) into modern pedagogy. Additionally, his recent work explores the critical opportunities, structural challenges, and ethical implications of using AI tools in scholastic environments.
##submission.authorWithAffiliation##

Professor Harjeet Kaur Bhatia is a distinguished Professor of Educational Technology and the former Head of the Department of Educational Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University). With an extensive career spanning more than three decades, she initially began her professional journey as a school teacher before transitioning to higher education. She has dedicated over thirty years to training and mentoring the next generation of educators.As a prominent educational technology specialist, Professor Bhatia is known for designing and leading cutting-edge synchronized, blended, and online learning environments. Her research and publications comprehensively cover key modern academic domains, including policies leveraging ICT for learning, open educational resources (OERs), flipped learning, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. She is a heavily sought-after keynote speaker at national and international academic platforms.

##submission.citations## ▼

Ahmadova, K. A. Q., & Qalandarova, S. O. Q. (2025). Digital citizenship education in the 21st century: Challenges and opportunities. Modern American Journal of Linguistics, Education, and Pedagogy, 1(2), 633–638. https://usajournals.org/index.php/6/article/view/334

Akar, S. G. M., Türkmen, İ., & Birgin, O. (2025). Investigating the role of preservice teachers’ digital transformation awareness in shaping their information literacy skills. Journal of Pedagogical Research. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.202536393

Aleksieva, L. (2025). Preparing pre-service teachers for the digital transformation of education: Exploring university teacher educators’ views and practical strategies. Education Sciences, 15(4), Article 404. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15040404

Basilotta-Gómez-Pablos, V., Matarranz, M., Casado-Aranda, L., & Otto, A. (2022). Teachers’ digital competencies in higher education: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19(1), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00312-8

Bereczki, E. O., & Kárpáti, A. (2018). Teachers’ beliefs about creativity and its nurture: A systematic review of the recent research literature. Educational Research Review, 23, 25–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2017.10.003

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Sage.

Caena, F., & Redecker, C. (2019). Aligning teacher competence frameworks to 21st century challenges: The case for the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu). European Journal of Education, 54(3), 356–369. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12345

Choi, M. (2016). A concept Analysis of Digital Citizenship for Democratic Citizenship Education in the Internet Age. Theory & Research in Social Education, 44(4), 565–607. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2016.1210549

Coşgun, G. E. (2025). Artificial intelligence literacy in assessment: Empowering pre-service teachers to design effective exam questions for language learning. British Educational Research Journal, 51(5), 2340–2357. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4177

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2024). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (5th ed.). Sage.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2018). The Sage handbook of qualitative research (5th ed.). Sage.

Dolezal, D., Motschnig, R., & Ambros, R. (2025). Pre-service teachers’ digital competence: A call for action. Education Sciences, 15(2), Article 160. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020160

Falloon, G. (2020). From digital literacy to digital competence: The teacher digital competency (TDC) framework. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(5), 2449–2472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09767-4

Göltl, K., Ambros, R., Dolezal, D., & Motschnig, R. (2024). Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their digital competencies and ways to acquire those through their studies and self-organised learning. Education Sciences, 14(9), Article 951. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14090951

Karimi, H., & Khawaja, S. (2025). Exploring digital competence among higher education teachers: A systematic review. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 24(1), 298–314. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.24.1.15

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60–70.

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.

Máñez, I., Lipnevich, A. A., Lopera-Oquendo, C., & Cerdán, R. (2024). Examining pre-service teachers’ feedback on low- and high-quality written assignments. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 36(2), 225–256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-024-09432-x

Mhlanga, D. (2024). Digital transformation of education: The limitations and prospects of introducing the fourth industrial revolution asynchronous online learning in emerging markets. Discover Education, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00115-9

Oguguo, B., Ezechukwu, R., Nannim, F., & Offor, K. (2023). Analysis of teachers in the use of digital resources in online teaching and assessment in COVID times. Innoeduca International Journal of Technology and Educational Innovation, 9(1), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.24310/innoeduca.2023.v9i1.15419

Pyżalski, J., & Walter, N. (2021). Edukacja zdalna w czasie pandemii COVID-19 w Polsce [Remote education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland]. Uniwersytet im. A. Mickiewicza w Poznaniu.

Rahmawati, S., Prestridge, S., Abdullah, A. G., & Widiaty, I. (2025). Unpacking the digital competence challenge in vocational education: A case from Indonesia. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 12, Article 101803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101803

Rawal, D. M. (2024). Mapping of school teachers’ digital competency in the context of digital infrastructure: A systematic review and empirical study of India. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 9(3), 173–195. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-01-2024-0016

Redecker, C. (2017). European framework for the digital competence of educators: DigCompEdu. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2760/178382

Selwyn, N. (2021). Education and technology: Key issues and debates (3rd ed.). Bloomsbury.

Starkey, L. (2020). A review of research exploring teacher preparation for the digital age. Cambridge Journal of Education, 50(1), 37–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2019.1625867

Tomczyk, Ł. (2024). Digital competence among pre-service teachers: A global perspective on curriculum change as viewed by experts from 33 countries. Evaluation and Program Planning, 105, Article 102449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2024.102449

Tzafilkou, K., Perifanou, M., & Economides, A. A. (2023). Assessing teachers’ digital competence in primary and secondary education: Applying a new instrument to integrate pedagogical and professional elements for digital education. Education and Information Technologies, 28(12), 16017–16040. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11848-9

UNESCO. (2021). Guidelines on digital citizenship education. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Van Dijk, J. (2020). The Digital Divide. Polity Press.

Zeng, M., Abdullah, Z., & Cheah, K. S. (2025). Pre-service teachers’ digital competence: A systematic review of factors, frameworks, and global patterns. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 24(8), 218–247. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.24.8.10

Navigating the Digital Frontier: A Qualitative Inquiry into Pre-Service Teachers’ Digital Competence in India

##article.authors##

##semicolon##

##article.abstract##

##submission.authorBiographies##

##submission.citations## ▼

##submission.downloads##

##submissions.published##

##submission.dataAvailability##

Crossref Metrics

Recently Cited By:

View your Article in Google Scholar

Dimension (Article) Metrics

Plu.mx (Article) Metrics

##issue.issue##

##section.section##

##submission.license##

##submission.howToCite##

##plugins.generic.shariff.share##

##plugins.generic.recommendBySimilarity.heading##

ISSN

مضمون جمع کروائیں

زبان

Payment System

کلیدی الفاظ

Quick Access

Visitors

##plugins.block.navigation.articles##

##plugins.generic.shariff.share##

##plugins.generic.webfeed.blockTitle##

##plugins.block.browse##

##plugins.block.information.link##