The Summary Journal 15

Measuring Digital Competence and ICT Literacy: An Exploratory Study of In-Service English Language Teachers in the Context of Saudi Arabia

Source: International Educational Study; Vol. 10, No. 12; 2017

By Ahmed Abdulteeef M. Al Khateeb

College of Arts, King Faisal University, Al-Ahssa, Eastern Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

There has been growing interest among researchers across the globe in the areas of digital competence and information and communication technology (ICT). The concept of information communication and technology (ICT) intersects with the fundamental premises of digital competence. Nevertheless, the latter requires individuals to be able to retrieve, evaluate, store, present and exchange information and communication, as well as collaborate through the internet and social networking tools. Digital competence does not only show the ability to make use of the wealth of new potentials associated with digital technologies and overcome the challenges they may involve, but it also indicates the meaningful participation in the emerging knowledge society of the twenty-first century.

The purpose of this research is to measure in-service English language teachers’ digital competence, particularly for the enhancement of teaching English as a second/foreign language in schools in Saudi Arabia. The research methodology includes the criteria by which researchers go about their work in order to describe, explain and predict certain phenomena. It uses the quantitative approach of methodology. The total number of teachers who participated in this research was one hundred and ten (male and female) teachers across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The participants were in-service English language teachers who work in primary, intermediate and secondary education. They were selected through a technique known as of purposive sampling. A standardized questionnaire was adopted and was later administered and managed via one of the electronic survey platforms, SurveyMonkey. The questionnaire was designed and tested by European Union (Europass) and a few necessary amendments were made in order to make it more suitable for the context and participants.

The findings show that despite the fact that the majority of the teachers had certificates in ICT; they assessed themselves as less competent in several aspects of digital competence. Nevertheless, this does not necessarily mean that other teachers with more or less years of teaching experience are uniquely different. The statistical analysis showed a strong correlation (with a score of 0.73) between the ability to edit the content produced by others such as adding and deleting and the ability to increase awareness of the users’ privet  information and credentials e.g., username and password.