Frameworking vocational teachers’ digital competencies: An integrative literature review and synthesis

Abstract

Two decades of international research on the digital competencies of teachers have provided several frameworks for empirical studies and curriculum development. However, research publications addressing the needed digital competencies of vocational (VET) teachers are scarce. In this article, we ask to what extent leading conceptual frameworks on digital competence are fruitful templates for studying such competencies in the case of VET teachers’ professional development, and what could be alternative conceptual models that fit this professional category. A synthesis is made of relevant literature based on a theoretical platform in vocational didactics and digitalization that highlights the diversity of international VET systems and the connectivity between work and school. We adopt an integrative literature research approach that combines systematic procedures and supplementary searches iteratively. Our descriptive analysis of the literature indicated that the international research on VET teachers` digital competencies had in general a narrow focus on technical skills with a lack of perspective on key issues about their digital competencies such as connectivity school/work, subject-specificity, and adaptive pedagogy. The articles tended to leave out contextual issues, for example, the changing professional work of vocational teachers and background information about the national VET systems. However, part of the literature pointed to the need for more “grounded” research starting from case studies and qualitative data / mixed-methods research. Our synthesis of the literature in light of our theoretical framing identified four main topics for further research on VET teachers’ digital competencies that were incorporated in a working model or a “frameworking” that needs to be further developed to provide a rich and validated basis for constructing professional programs.