Classroom teachers perceptions of their own digital literacy

Starting from early childhood, children require proper guidance for their spiritual, physical, and mental development, as well as for fostering awareness of digital environments and achieving academic success.Classroom teachers play an important role in helping students become aware of digital environments and acquire effective digital literacy skills. The data of this study, which was conducted to examine the perceptions of classroom teachers about their own digital literacy, were collected using a semi-structured interview form consisting of 4 open-ended questions. The study group for the research was determined using the criterion sampling method, which is one of the purposeful sampling methods. It consists of 40 primary school teachers who worked in a primary school during the 2023 to 2024 academic year and have taught 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades during their tenure. The "semi-structured interview form" developed by the researcher was utilized as the data collection tool. The content analysis method was employed to analyze the qualitative data obtained. According to the findings of the research, classroom teachers express the definition of digital literacy as the ability to utilize digital tools for various purposes, access information using digital tools, and produce digital content. Additionally, it is noted that the purposes of utilizing digital tools in the classroom environment include capturing students' attention, engaging different senses, and maximizing time effectively. Regarding the problems encountered in the use of digital tools in the classroom environment and their solutions, teachers stated that they update the application when they experience software problems, restart the computer when it freezes, and request technical support when the internet connection is interrupted.To support digital literacy in the education system, it was emphasized that teachers' development should be supported, technological infrastructure and hardware in education should be strengthened, and applied digital learning environments should be created. Key words: Literacy, digital literacy, technology, digital technology.