A pilot study on individual and contextual factors influencing teachers’ digitalisation process - write an article abstract and key findings

Oct 15, 2026

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Pilot study examining individual and contextual determinants of teachers’ digitalisation process in the COVID-19 period. Survey responses from 198 teachers across primary and secondary education capture demographics, perceptions of using digital tools and platforms before and during the first lockdown, and psychological variables including self-esteem, self-efficacy, cognitive flexibility, and burnout. Non-parametric Wilcoxon tests compare paired measures, followed by MANOVA to test differences by school level and seniority. Findings indicate that self-efficacy, self-esteem, cognitive flexibility, burnout, and teaching seniority relate to perceived digitalisation levels.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

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Introduction

Research design and analysis approach

Theoretical framework and research overview

OPEN ACCESS Research Article Contemporary Educational Technology, 2024, 16(4), ep532 ISSN: 1309-517X (Online) A pilot study on individual and contextual factors influencing teachers’ digitalisation process Stefania Cataudella 1 0000-0003-4585-6411 Maria Lidia Mascia 2* 0000-0002-1998-4818 Mirian Agus 1 0000-0001-6774-1530 Dirk Ifenthaler 3,4 0000-0002-2446-6548 Łukasz Tomczyk 5 0000-0002-5652-1433 Maria Pietronilla Penna 1 0000-0002-0982-3893 1 Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, ITALY 2 Department of History, Human Sciences and Education, University of Sassari, Sassari, ITALY 3 Economic and Business Education, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, GERMANY 4 UNESCO Co-Chair on Data Science in Higher Education Learning and Teaching, Curtin University, Perth, AUSTRALIA 5 Institute of Education, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, POLAND * [Corresponding author:](Corresponding author: mlmascia@uniss.it)[ mlmascia@uniss.it](Corresponding author: mlmascia@uniss.it) Citation: Cataudella, S., Mascia, M. L., Agus, M., Ifenthaler, D., Tomczyk, Ł ., & Penna, M. P. (2024). A pilot study on individual and contextual factors influencing teachers’digitalisation process. Contemporary Educational Technology, 16(4), ep532 . [https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/15189](https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/15189) ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT | Received: 5 Jul 2024
Accepted: 31 Aug 2024
INTRODUCTION | The process of school digitalisation has been on the rise in recent years, but the relationship between technology and teachers has had a strong acceleration during the global pandemic due to the coronavirus disease 2019. 198 teachers from primary to high school fill a questionnaire about demographic variables (age, gender, education level, school level in which they teach and years of seniority at work), perceptions of using some digital tools and specific platforms before and during the pandemic (after the first lockdown), self-esteem, self-efficacy, cognitive flexibility, and burnout perceptions. A non-parametric analysis was first conducted with the application of the Wilcoxon test for paired measures. Subsequently, a MANOVA was applied to verify any differences between teachers belonging to different school levels and having different levels of seniority. According to literature we found that self-efficacy, self-esteem, cognitive flexibility, burnout and service seniority are influential factors for teachers’ perceived digitalisation level.
Keywords: school digitalisation, teachers, self-esteem, self-efficacy, cognitive flexibility, burnout, seniority service | | --- | --- | Modern schools require digitalisation. This statement is inherently banal and simple to understand, but it involves many challenges. School digitalisation is a complex process. Currently, equipping school facilities with modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) according to momentary needs (e.g. crisis elearning) or strategic actions enshrined in actions for formal and higher education development is insufficient (Giritli Nygren & Olofsson, 2020; Olofsson et al., 2019) . Education digitalisation requires a comprehensive approach from the perspective of sustained investment in the hardware layer and the recognition of a range of soft indicators for the effective implementation of ICTs in the teaching and learning process (Siddiq et al., 2016; Tondeur et al., 2019) . This approach is in line with the need for the in-depth multidimensional analysis of the functioning of contemporary teachers in the information society. It provides a glimpse of key individual factors impinging on the style and effectiveness of ICT use during two critical periods linked to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This research is also a voice in the discussion on the need to analyse the digital competence of teachers in a broad context, beyond the technical aspects of operating

FAQs

What does the pilot study investigate about teachers’ digitalisation?

It examines how individual and contextual factors influence teachers’ digitalisation process, especially during and around the COVID-19 disruption.

How were the data analysed in the study?

The study first used a non-parametric Wilcoxon test for paired measures, then applied MANOVA to compare differences across school levels and teaching seniority.

Which factors are reported to be influential for teachers’ perceived digitalisation level?

The study reports that self-efficacy, self-esteem, cognitive flexibility, burnout, and service (teaching) seniority are influential factors.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo