Professional digital competence in initial teacher education: An examination of differences in two cohorts of pre-service teachers

Initial teacher education plays a vital role in preparing pre-service teachers (PSTs) to integrate technology into their classroom practice. In the present study, we examine how PSTs perceive their professional digital competence (PDC) in the context of a major teacher education reform in Norway. Survey data was collected from two cohorts, consisting of primary and lower secondary PSTs, both before (cohort 1) and after (cohort 2) the teacher education reform. Several theoretical concepts were selected to operationalize PDC, including technological pedagogical knowledge, confidence in the use of ICT, ICT self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, and ICT and inclusion. The overall results show a significant increase in the pre-service teachersʼ professional digital competence in cohort 2. The findings indicate that partnership initiatives between university faculty staff and school-based mentor teachers are associated with the pre-service teachersʼ development of PDC. Several development initiatives in initial teacher education that are relevant to other higher education institutions are also discussed. Keywords Professional digital competence (PDC) initial teacher education (ITE) pre-service teachers (PSTs) partnership