A Q-Methodology of Preservice Teachers’ Cognition of Digital Literacy - A Philippine Case Study in Resource-Rich and Resource-Limited Contexts

Oct 15, 2026

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The study determines the existing digital literacy notions of Filipino preservice teachers in two Philippine universities, comparing a resource-rich context and a resource-limited context defined by observed availability of digital tools. Twenty preservice teachers from each setting participated in interviews and then arranged interview-derived statements using the Q-sort methodology. Three dimensions emerged: portrait of balance, portrait of responsibility, and portrait of support. Findings show resource-rich preservice teachers aligned with support and responsibility, while resource-limited participants emphasized balance, indicating resource access shapes cognition of digital literacy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Digital literacy and ICT initiatives in the Philippines

Challenges in preservice teacher preparation

Evidence from related studies

A Q-Methodology of Preservice Teachers’ Cognition of Digital Literacy: A Philippine Case Study in Resource-Rich and Resource-Limited Contexts Camilla J. Vizconde University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines Rowena R. Sto. Tomas Cagayan State University, Piat Campus, Piat, Cagayan, Philippines Abstract: This study aims to determine the existing digital literacy notions of Filipino preservice in two universities: one is a resourcerich context while the other is a resource-limited context. Contexts were determined based on the observed availability of digital tools. Twenty (20) preservice teachers each from two universities were invited for interviews after which they were again requested to arrange statements culled from the interviews. Utilizing the Q-sort methodology, a method that determines the standpoints ofparticipants by their ranking ofstatements, three dimensions were identified: the portrait of balance, portrait of responsibility and portrait ofsupport. The portraits represent the themes identified after participants determined the ranking oftheir statements. As evidenced on the results, the pre-service students in the resource-rich context identified themselves with the portrait of support and responsibility while those from the resource-limited context concentrated heavily on the portrait of balance. The differences in the viewpoints identified how the preservice teachers’ access to resources has impacted their cognition of digital literacy. Keywords: preservice teacher’s cognition, digital literacy, q-methodology, resource-rich setting, resource-limited setting Introduction In the Philippines, the Department of Education (DepEd), through its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Service, implemented milestones in the basic education curriculum for the integration of technology as early as Grade 4 where productivity tools such as phones and tablets are introduced to the students and where tablets and personal computers (PCs) are utilized to augment teachers’ lessons. The terms Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and technology are used interchangeably, as mentioned in DepEd’s Digital Rise Program (DepEd Press Release, 2022) and as observed in the curriculum where students are expected to demonstrate ICT skills or skills using the technology as they move to a particular Grade level. By Grade 7, basic programming skills are initiated; by Grade 8, multimedia skills are further honed as the students are recognized to be immersed early in digital tools; and, by Grade 11-12, vocational skills are integrated with ICT (Umali, 2019) . Thus, it is essential that teachers be prepared in handling teaching and students’ learning assisted by technology. According to the news article, digital literacy, which is the goal of DepEd, can only be achieved through ICT assisted teaching and ICT assisted learning. Therefore, the Department has rolled out several initiatives for teacher development in the use of ICT, which included the procurement of PCs, and tablets for teachers; the access of teachers to software and open resources; and finally, the removal of paper-based visual materials replaced by ICT materials. In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education has also recognized other modalities (distance learning, modular materials, blended learning, etc.) as evidenced in the continuity plan (Department of Education, 2020) . The development of digital literacy ofthe in-service teacher’s point to the existing challenge that teacher training has not prepared fully competent graduates in handling of ICT for teaching. This challenge can be traced to the preparation of teachers during the preservice period because despite the engagement of preservice teachers in technology, it cannot be assumed that they are equally prepared to use technologies in teaching students (Hasse, 2017; Kumar & Vigil, 2011; Starcˇicˇ, [et. al](et. al)., 2017). Borthwick and Hansen (2017) hav

FAQs

What does the study aim to determine about preservice teachers?

It aims to determine the existing digital literacy notions of Filipino preservice teachers in two universities with different resource availability.

How were participants and data handled in the study?

Twenty preservice teachers from each of the two universities were invited for interviews, then arranged interview-derived statements using the Q-sort methodology.

What dimensions were identified from the Q-sort results?

The results identified three dimensions: portrait of balance, portrait of responsibility, and portrait of support.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kurz