Understanding the meaning of a digital school from the perspective of primary school teachers - digital school concept, teachers' views

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

The Escol@s Digitais Project supports digital transformation across all public primary schools in Amadora Municipality, Portugal. This study analyzes how participating primary teachers interpret the concept of a “digital school.” Qualitative insights were gathered through an online questionnaire with an open prompt on what a digital school could be. Peer-validated analysis identifies three dimensions: strategic requirements for school digitalization, pedagogical potential of digital tools, and axiological values guiding action. Ongoing transformation is presented as complex yet necessary for higher-quality education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Digitalization and digital transformation in education

Teachers’ readiness and strategic leadership challenges

Need for conceptual clarifications

Methodology and analytical approach

Qualitative phenomenological alignment

Data collection through an online questionnaire

meaning of digital school from the perspective of primary school teachers Understanding the meaning of a digital school from the perspective of primary school teachers Elisabete Cruz [ecruz@ie.ulisboa.pt](ecruz@ie.ulisboa.pt) [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8497-3322](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8497-3322) Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Emily Sousa [emilysousa@edu.ulisboa.pt](emilysousa@edu.ulisboa.pt) [https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3364-0023](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3364-0023) Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Rita Brito [rita.brito@iseclisboa.pt](rita.brito@iseclisboa.pt) [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2393-2092](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2393-2092) CEIA, ISEC Lisboa; CRC-W, UCP, Portugal Fernando Albuquerque Costa [fc@ie.ulisboa.pt](fc@ie.ulisboa.pt) [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9604-5542](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9604-5542) Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Abstract The Escol@s Digitais Project, under development in all public primary schools of Amadora Municipality (Portugal), aims to support the process of digital transformation in school dynamics. In this article, we examine the meaning that the teachers who participate in this project attribute to the “digital school” concept. For this purpose, we mobilized a corpus of qualitative data obtained through an online questionnaire that included an open question, formulated in the following terms: “What do you think a `digital school´ could be?”. The analysis carried out, with peer validation, highlighted three dimensions that help us to understand the “digital school” concept in a holistic way: the first dimension underlines the elementary requirements to ensure the digitalization process in schools (strategic dimension); the second dimension highlights the pedagogical potential of digital tools (pedagogical dimension); and the third dimension emphasizes a set of values and principles by which any school, more or less digital, should guide its action (axiological dimension) . In conjunction with the results of recent studies, it is concluded that the ongoing digital transformation process, despite being complex and multifaceted, is necessary to raise education to a qualitatively higher level. Keywords Digital school; Primary schools; Teachers; Qualitative research. Digital Education Review ⎮ ISSN 2013-9144 ⎮ [http://revistes.ub.edu/der](http://revistes.ub.edu/der) Number 43, June 2023 ⎮ [https://doi.org/110.1344/der.2023.43.172-184](https://doi.org/110.1344/der.2023.43.172-184) 172 I. Introduction The most recent movements in the field of digitalization and digital transformation that are observed worldwide whether of a gradual (planned) or emergency (forced) nature, generously amplified by the spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), tend to be considered by researchers as a necessary condition for the renewal of educational environments (Volkov & Chikarova, 2021) . In addition to providing excellent opportunities for reviewing school subjects, such movements also enhance the creation of more flexible school management systems, as well as the introduction of new practices, methods, and resources to support teaching and learning processes in different contexts of education and training (Bakhmat et al., 2020) . Considering mass digitalization as a new reality in which the modern teacher is completely immersed, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the potential for renewal that is envisioned but also to the conditions required to assure the sustainability of the desired changes in education (Griban et al., 2019) . Among the many challenges, recent research has highlighted the permanence of gaps in teacher preparedness and underlined the fragility of strategic leadership in schools to strengthen digitalization, preferably in conjunction with existing national strategies (Lindqvist & Pettersson, 2019) . Although teachers have always been at the h

FAQs

What is the main focus of the Escol@s Digitais Project?

It aims to support digital transformation in the school dynamics of all public primary schools in Amadora Municipality (Portugal).

How does the study investigate teachers’ understanding of a “digital school”?

It uses qualitative data from an online questionnaire that included an open question about what a “digital school” could be.

What dimensions define the concept of a “digital school” according to the analysis?

The findings highlight three dimensions: strategic (requirements for digitalization), pedagogical (potential of digital tools), and axiological (values and principles guiding school action).

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk