Integrating digital literacies in pre-service teachers’ CLIL training: insights from a cross-country multiple case study

Digital literacy has become a critical component of modern education, especially within multilingual and content-based teaching approaches like Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), which aims to develop disciplinary knowledge alongside language skills, while effectively integrating digital tools to enhance learning. This cross-country case study, part of the CLILNetLe Cost Action (#21114), explores how pre-service teachers in Slovakia and Cyprus incorporate digital literacies into their CLIL lesson planning during MA teacher training. Lesson plans created by ten pre-service teachers from various disciplines enrolled in CLIL courses were collected to inform semi-structured follow up interviews with the participants. These interviews explored their digital backgrounds, reasons for digital choices, and areas for development. Analysis of the interview data through a hybrid thematic approach revealed varying levels of digital activity integration and digital literacy awareness, shaped by participants’ disciplinary backgrounds and extracurricular digital experiences. Some teachers demonstrated well-justified pedagogical integration aligned with learning goals, while others used digital tools superficially. The triangulated data highlighted the need for guidance and discipline-specific frameworks in teacher education to promote meaningful digital literacy practices. These findings have implications for policy, training, and research, emphasising the importance of targeted support to foster effective digital integration in CLIL contexts.