Developing a context- and subject-specific professional digital competence framework

Developing a context- and subject-specific professional digital competence framework for beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong

Beginning teachers, teachers who have just completed their initial teacher education (ITE) programmes and are new to the profession, have been found to have specific challenges as they undergo a period of professional adjustment from their ITE to a full-time teaching post (Clark & Newberry, 2019). Understanding the context and subject-specific skills, knowledge and attributes beginning teachers need is important. If teachers feel competent to begin teaching, this can positively affect their teaching self-efficacy, confidence, and satisfaction (Clark & Newberry, 2019). One area where beginning teachers have been found to lack the required knowledge and skills is technology integration (Gudmundsdottir & Hatlevik, 2018; Moorhouse, 2021).

During the talk, I propose and describe a context- and subject-specific professional digital competence (PDC) framework for beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong. Taking a localised approach, the framework was developed through a four-stage data collection process, (1) Literature review of empirical studies conducted in Hong Kong of English language teachers’ technology use, (2) Review of local government curriculum documents; (3) An online survey of English language teachers’ technology use (N=83); (4) follow-up individual interviews (N=22). The study revealed that the local subject-specific PDC of teachers includes five aspects; Technological proficiency; Pedagogical compatibility; Preparing students for the digital world; Risk, well-being and ethical awareness, and Professional work. Each aspect includes ability statements. The framework can be used to evaluate existing ITE programmes, support the development of pre-service English-language teachers and facilitate self-, peer- and teacher assessment. The elements of PDC can be converted into programme- and course-level learning outcomes or incorporated into assessment rubrics. In addition, the methods used to develop the framework can be used by scholars in other contexts and subject areas to develop localised subject-specific PDC frameworks.

Benjamin Luke Moorhouse, Ed.D, FHEA,. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China. He received the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Individual Teaching from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2023. His research focuses on pre-service and in-service language teachers’ lived experiences, professional learning, and competence. His recent research has been published in journals such as TESOL Quarterly, RELC Journal, ELT Journal, Journal of Computers and Education, Interactive Learning Environments, Journal of Education for Teaching, Studying Teacher Education, and The Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. He has authored three monographs, including Teaching Abroad During Initial Teacher Education (Springer, 2022). He was the lead guest editor in a special issue of RELC Journal entitled, Teaching with technology in the post-pandemic digital age: Technological normalization and AI-induced disruptions. Benjamin was one of the Top 2% of Most-cited scholars in the world in 2022 and 2023. He is the treasurer of HAAL.