The rapid digital transformation of higher education has intensified the demand for graduates who possess advanced digital competence necessary for lifelong learning and professional success in the digital economy. While mobile learning technologies are increasingly integrated into university instruction, empirical evidence indicates that technological availability alone does not ensure effective digital competence development. This study investigates the predictive role of teacher digital pedagogical competence in fostering students’ digital competence within mobile learning environments. Employing a quasi-experimental longitudinal design, the research was conducted among 286 second-year pedagogy and psychology students at the International School of Finance Technology and Science (Uzbekistan). The experimental group received mobile-assisted instruction through gamified platforms, including Kahoot and Gimkit, over two academic semesters, while the control group was taught using traditional instructional methods. Data were collected using validated teacher digital pedagogical competence and student digital competence scales and analyzed through multiple regression and structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that teacher digital pedagogical competence is a significant and strong predictor of students’ digital competence development (β = 0.71, p < 0.001), accounting for 58% of the variance in digital competence outcomes. Moreover, mobile learning engagement partially mediated this relationship, indicating the critical pedagogical role of gamified mobile environments in translating teacher competence into student learning gains. The study concludes that systematic development of teachers’ digital pedagogical competence is essential for enhancing students’ digital readiness and supports the integration of mobile pedagogy as a strategic component of higher education digitalization policies.
Yuldashev et al. (Tue,) studied this question.