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Education Sciences
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Digital Literacy for Teaching Excellence: Empowering Educators in the Digital...
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Digital Literacy for Teaching Excellence: Empowering Educators in the Digital Age

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Technology Enhanced Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2025 | Viewed by 4339

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Barbara Sabitzer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Linz School of Education, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4040 Linz, Austria
Interests: didactics of CS; neurodidactics; technology-enhanced learning; cross-curricular teaching; AI in education
Dr. Corinna Hörmann

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Linz School of Education, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4040 Linz, Austria
Interests: digital education; didactics of CS; gender studies in educational contexts; curriculum development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to our upcoming Special Issue on "Digital Literacy for Teaching Excellence: Empowering Educators in the Digital Age". As technology becomes increasingly integrated into educational environments, digital literacy has emerged as a crucial component of teaching excellence. This Special Issue aims to explore the intersection of technology and education, focusing on how digital literacy can transform teaching practices and empower educators.

The aim of this Special Issue is to delve deeper into the realm of digital literacy within educational settings, underscoring its critical role in shaping educational excellence today. We seek to explore transformative strategies and innovative practices that empower educators to effectively harness digital tools and resources, thereby enhancing their pedagogical approaches and supporting student achievements.

This Special Issue is dedicated to advancing our understanding and practical knowledge of digital literacy, with a focus on the following topics:

  • Strategies for enhancing educators' digital literacy, ensuring that they are equipped to meet the demands of modern educational landscapes;
  • Examining comprehensive approaches to teaching digital literacy across different educational levels and assessing their outcomes;
  • The impacts of digital literacy on critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
  • Showcasing how digital literacy skills can be integrated into various subject areas to enrich the curriculum and enhance interdisciplinary learning;
  • Analyzing challenges and solutions related to teaching and learning digital literacy in non-traditional settings;
  • Assessment methods for digital literacy;
  • Case studies showcasing successful digital literacy initiatives;
  • Explorations of how digital literacy can promote inclusivity and accessibility, ensuring equal educational opportunities for all students.

Original research articles and comprehensive reviews are welcome. We believe that your expertise and unique perspective would represent a valuable addition to this Special Issue, and we look forward to receiving your contributions.

Please let us know if you have any questions or require further information. Thank you for considering this opportunity, and we eagerly anticipate your response.

Best regards,

Prof. Dr. Barbara Sabitzer
Dr. Corinna Hörmann
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • digital literacy
  • instructional technology
  • computational thinking
  • educator professional development
  • innovative teaching methods

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 239 KiB  
Article
Promoting Digital Competencies in Pre-Service Teachers: The Impact of Integrative Learning Opportunities
by Verena Köstler and Monika-Sybille Wolff
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 337; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030337 - 9 Mar 2025
Viewed by 568
Abstract
Offering learning opportunities for developing digital competencies in pre-service teacher education remains challenging despite its growing importance in preparing future educators. This study investigates the effectiveness of integrative learning opportunities, called “digitally enhanced courses”, which combine subject-specific and digital learning objectives. Implemented at [...] Read more.
Offering learning opportunities for developing digital competencies in pre-service teacher education remains challenging despite its growing importance in preparing future educators. This study investigates the effectiveness of integrative learning opportunities, called “digitally enhanced courses”, which combine subject-specific and digital learning objectives. Implemented at a German university (2019–2023). These courses aimed to promote digital competencies required for technology-supported teaching. Using survey data from 312 pre-service teachers, the research examined students’ self-assessed digital competencies, technology acceptance, and value–cost assessments through multiple measurement instruments, including TPACK scales, the Technology Acceptance Model, and Expectancy–Value beliefs. Results revealed significantly higher self-assessed digital competencies in private contexts compared to teaching situations. While mere course participation showed no significant impact, both the frequency and number of attended courses positively correlated with higher self-assessed digital skills across all TPACK dimensions. Additionally, increased technology acceptance and higher success expectations were associated with enhanced teaching-related digital competencies. The findings emphasize that the effectiveness of digitally enhanced courses is contingent upon systematic implementation and student engagement, highlighting the need for structured curricular integration of digital competency development in teacher education through comprehensive, spiral-curriculum approaches rather than isolated interventions. However, this study’s reliance on self-reported data may introduce social desirability and subjective estimation bias, and its cross-sectional design limits causal interpretations. Future research should employ longitudinal approaches to examine competency development over time, incorporate objective performance-based assessments, and explore how instructional design and curricular integration influence digital competency acquisition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Literacy for Teaching Excellence: Empowering Educators in the Digital Age)
35 pages, 6547 KiB  
Article
From Gretel to Strudelcity: Empowering Teachers Regarding Generative AI for Enhanced AI Literacy with CollectiveGPT
by Benedikt Brünner, Sandra Schön and Martin Ebner
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020206 - 8 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1176
Abstract
In the era of transformative technologies, generative artificial intelligence (genAI) offers profound opportunities and challenges for education. This study explores the development and execution of an interactive workshop designed to equip educators with foundational genAI literacy. Using a design-based research (DBR) framework, the [...] Read more.
In the era of transformative technologies, generative artificial intelligence (genAI) offers profound opportunities and challenges for education. This study explores the development and execution of an interactive workshop designed to equip educators with foundational genAI literacy. Using a design-based research (DBR) framework, the workshop leverages interactivity and contextual relevance to introduce genAI concepts, prompting strategies and ethical considerations. Participants engaged in a scripted learning workshop design, comparing human and AI responses, exploring genAI’s probabilistic foundations, context dependency, and vulnerability to manipulation. Conducted across 12 workshops with 191 participants in Austria, this study revealed significant improvements in self-perceived genAI understanding, with 70% of participants reporting better grades in post-assessment evaluations. Feedback emphasized the workshop’s strengths in interactivity and relevance, alongside recommendations for deeper school-specific applications. Scalability analysis showed that workshop duration remained consistent regardless of group size, suggesting potential for broader implementation. The findings highlight the effectiveness of scripted learning workshop design in fostering critical AI literacy, preparing educators to critically evaluate and ethically integrate genAI into pedagogical practices. This adaptable model contributes to the discourse on professional development in AI-enhanced education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Literacy for Teaching Excellence: Empowering Educators in the Digital Age)
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32 pages, 484 KiB  
Article
Pre-Service Teachers’ Digital Competence: A Call for Action
by Dominik Dolezal, Renate Motschnig and Roland Ambros
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020160 - 28 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1061
Abstract
In our digital era, pre-service teachers need profound professional digital competences to be able to effectively foster their learners’ digital skills. Studies pointing to a lack of integration of digital competences at secondary schools demonstrate the need for research and action to foster [...] Read more.
In our digital era, pre-service teachers need profound professional digital competences to be able to effectively foster their learners’ digital skills. Studies pointing to a lack of integration of digital competences at secondary schools demonstrate the need for research and action to foster professional digital skills in teacher education. Using a mixed methods approach and based on the DigCompEdu framework, this paper presents the results of a survey comprising 75 questions about students’ capability to teach digital skills, which was answered by 322 advanced pre-service teachers of a large mid-European university. The results of the performed statistical tests and the conducted thematic analysis show that half of the pre-service teachers do not feel sufficiently prepared by their study program to foster digital competence. Students who do not study a STEM subject and students with teaching practice felt significantly less prepared to teach digital skills compared to students who study at least one STEM subject and students without teaching practice, respectively. We conclude that universities should develop and thoughtfully implement a holistic concept to integrate digital skills in the teacher education curriculum to adequately prepare future teachers for the digital era. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Literacy for Teaching Excellence: Empowering Educators in the Digital Age)
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11 pages, 229 KiB  
Article
What Affects Teachers’ Use of Technology: Teachers’ Beliefs Regarding Technology, Teachers’ Technological Skills, or Available Sources of Support?
by Roman Yavich and Nitza Davidovitch
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(12), 1339; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121339 - 8 Dec 2024
Viewed by 952
Abstract
Many studies have examined teachers’ use of technology, but not many have examined what factors promote such use. The current study examines the effect of several factors on use of technology by teachers. A questionnaire on this topic was given to 120 male [...] Read more.
Many studies have examined teachers’ use of technology, but not many have examined what factors promote such use. The current study examines the effect of several factors on use of technology by teachers. A questionnaire on this topic was given to 120 male and female teachers from Israel. It was found that teachers’ beliefs on the effectiveness of use of technology in education, as well as support for such use from parents of school students, promotes teachers’ use of technology in education. Teachers’ technological knowledge and skills, support from the school management and from Education Ministry supervisors, and the availability of technological support were not found to promote teachers’ use of technology in education. Conducting programs and workshops that will educate teachers on the usefulness of technology in education and promote parent–teacher cooperation is recommended. The study may greatly help to promote the use of technology in teaching and education, which may greatly improve student learning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Literacy for Teaching Excellence: Empowering Educators in the Digital Age)
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