ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1597095
This article is part of the Research TopicDigital Learning Innovations: Trends Emerging Scenario, Challenges and OpportunitiesView all 11 articles
Multidimensional Assessment and Validation of Digital Competencies in University Teacher Education: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- State University of Milagro, Milagro, Ecuador
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The digital era demands teaching competencies that transcend basic technological proficiency, calling for innovative and sustainable pedagogical approaches. This study evaluates and models the digital competencies of undergraduate Education faculty, highlighting their impact on student learning and the adoption of sustainable educational strategies. Drawing upon the European Framework of Digital Competences for Educators (DigCompEdu) and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, data were collected from 166 Ecuadorian educators via an adapted "DigCompEdu Check-In" questionnaire. Six competency domains were examined: Professional Commitment, Digital Resources, Digital Pedagogy, Assessment and Feedback, Empowering Students, and Facilitating Students' Digital Competence. Reliability indicators (Cronbach's α ranging from 0.77 to 0.91) confirmed robust internal consistency. Descriptive results revealed that 29.09% of participants identified as "Leader" and 56.36% as "Pioneer" in digital competence, indicating advanced levels of technological integration. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) showed excellent fit indices (CFI=1.00, TLI=1.00, RMSEA=0.00), highlighting a strong dimensional structure. Notably, the relationship between Facilitating Students' Digital Competence and Empowering Students (factor loading=0.93) demonstrated the multidimensional and interdependent nature of digital competencies. Covariances, such as that between Professional Commitment and Facilitating Students' Digital Competence (0.76), underscored the intertwined roles of pedagogy, technology, and professional engagement. The findings revealed a strong synergy between advanced digital competencies and sustainable pedagogical practices, reaffirming the relevance of frameworks such as DigCompEdu and TPACK for professional development. This study underscores the essential role of digital competence in preparing educators to address emerging challenges in an ever-evolving higher education landscape
Keywords: Digital Competencies 1, DigCompEdu 2, Higher Education 3, Confirmatory Factor Analysis 4, Pedagogy 5
Received: 20 Mar 2025; Accepted: 07 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chifla, Chifla, Suarez and Guevara-Viejó. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Fabricio Guevara-Viejó, State University of Milagro, Milagro, Ecuador
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