Digital competence has become an increasingly important expectation for teachers working in technology-rich learning environments. Over the past two decades, several frameworks have been developed to conceptualise the knowledge and capabilities teachers require to integrate digital technologies into teaching. Among these, Falloon’s (2020) Teacher Digital Competence (TDC) framework proposes a holistic model that includes technical, cognitive, social-emotional and pedagogical dimensions. While this framework provides a comprehensive theoretical account of teachers’ digital competence, questions remain regarding how these competencies are enacted in everyday classroom practice.
This study examines how primary school teachers in Taiwan interpret and enact elements of the TDC framework in their teaching. Rather than assuming that digital competence can be inferred simply from the frequency of technology use, the study focuses on how teachers exercise professional judgement when deciding whether, when and how to use digital technologies in specific classroom situations. This perspective also challenges the common assumption that the presence of digital technology automatically transforms learning processes. In practice, teachers frequently balance multiple pedagogical considerations, student needs and classroom conditions when determining the role of technology in learning activities.
The study adopts a qualitative research design. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with practising primary school teachers to explore their experiences of using digital tools in teaching and their interpretations of digital competence in classroom contexts. Participants will be invited to describe recent teaching situations in which digital technologies were used or deliberately avoided, and to reflect on the pedagogical considerations and contextual conditions that informed these decisions. To provide additional contextual information, a short questionnaire will also be used to collect background data on teachers’ professional experience, technology use and teaching environment.
By examining teachers’ perspectives and classroom practices, the study aims to explore the extent to which elements of the TDC framework are visible in teachers’ reported practices. It also investigates how contextual conditions—including curriculum structures, parental expectations and school-level resource environments—influence teachers’ ability to enact these competencies in practice. In doing so, the study highlights the gap between theoretical models of digital competence and the practical realities of classroom teaching.
The presentation will discuss how teachers’ technology-related decisions are shaped not only by their individual competence but also by the institutional and social contexts in which they work. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions about teacher digital competence by suggesting that the development of students’ digital competence should not be understood solely as a responsibility of individual teachers. Instead, it should be viewed as a shared educational challenge that requires coordination between curriculum design, school structures, families and educational technology systems.
By examining teachers’ perspectives and classroom practices, the study aims to provide insights into how digital competence frameworks align with the realities of classroom teaching. The presentation will discuss how teachers exercise professional judgement when prioritising pedagogical goals and responding to contextual constraints that shape decisions about digital technology use. In doing so, the study contributes to ongoing discussions about how teachers interpret and enact digital competence in practice, highlighting the importance of situating digital competence within the everyday decision-making processes of classroom teaching.