THE LEVEL OF DIGITAL LITERACY AMONG PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS AT THE INSTITUTE OF TEACHER EDUCATION (IPG): AN ANALYSIS BASED ON GENDER AND FIELD OF SPECIALISATION

Abstract

Digital literacy is a critical component in shaping competitive 21st-century teachers; however, the actual level of mastery among pre-service teachers remains insufficiently understood, particularly in terms of gender and specialisation differences. This issue is important as pre-service teachers must be prepared to face an increasingly complex and challenging digital education ecosystem. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the level of digital literacy among 520 pre-service teachers at a Teacher Education Institute (IPG) in Malaysia and to identify differences based on gender and specialisation. This study employed a quantitative approach with a survey design. The Digital Literacy Questionnaire developed by Bayrakci and Narmanlioglu (2021) was used, encompassing six main subdimensions: Ethics and Responsibility, General Knowledge and Functional Skills, Daily Use, Advanced Production, Privacy and Security, and Social Dimension. Data were analysed using SPSS version 30 through descriptive and inferential analyses. The findings indicated that the overall level of digital literacy was high, with the highest scores recorded in the Ethics and Responsibility and Daily Use subdimensions, while Advanced Production was the lowest. Inferential analysis revealed significant differences based on gender and specialisation. The implications of the study highlight the importance of more structured digital literacy training tailored to gender and specialisation, with emphasis on the development of digital content creation skills to prepare future teachers to meet the challenges of digital education.