The ICT coordinator as a mediating actor in the development of professional digital competence within a school-based activity system

In this study, the development of teachers' professional digital competence (PDC) is examined through mechanisms mediated by an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) coordinator within a school-based activity system. Drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), the empirical material is analysed from one primary school. Data include interviews, classroom observations, field logs, and structured reflection sessions. Using thematic and narrative analysis, four key mechanisms emerged; shared vision and ownership, collaborative learning, critical reflection, and organisational support, through which PDC develops as a collectively negotiated and contextually embedded practice. Rather than conceptualising PDC as an individualised skillset, it can be understood as developing across personal, interpersonal, and organisational capacities. The findings contribute to a growing body of research that challenges instrumental understandings of PDC, highlighting the importance of local mediation, structural support, and collaborative meaning-making in sustainable digital transformation in schools.