Factors Influencing the Development of Digital Competence in Teachers: Analysis of the Teaching Staff of Permanent Education Centres

Abstract

The technological development of recent decades has had an impact on the lifestyle of adults. As a result, it has been necessary for citizens to adapt and learn how to use technological resources, an essential requirement to foster employability. This requirement acquires a special nuance within Permanent Education, which mainly involves adults who would like to cover some training need. The aims of this study were to analyze the digital competence of Permanent Education teachers, and to determine the factors that have an impact on its development. Therefore, a quantitative methodology has been used, whereby a sample of Permanent Education teachers in the region of Andalusia, Spain, were asked to complete a questionnaire on digital competence (n = 140). The results confirmed the low digital competence of teachers, and how some factors such as age, kind of centre, prior training on ICT, degree, teaching experience and professional category affect the development of digital competence. The last part of the study discussed the potential explanations for the study findings and suggestions for future research.