Digital competence of Russian teachers (results of an empirical study on the example of the Lipetsk region)

Introduction. The process of digitalization of school education largely depends on the level of digital competence of teachers. The relevance of the study of digital competence of teachers is determined by several factors: the rapid development of digital tools and directions of digitalization of education; heterogeneity of the teaching staff, which is manifested in various results of empirical research. The purpose of the article: to investigate the level of digital competence of teachers of the Lipetsk region at the present stage, taking into account professional specifics. Materials and methods. The digital competence of a teacher is considered in the study at the general user and professional levels. To study the general user aspect of the teacher's digital competence, the methodology "Digital Competence Index" was used (G.U. Soldatova, T.A. Nestik, E.I. Rasskazova, E.Y. Zotova). To assess the professional level of digital competence of a teacher, the study used the test "Digital competencies of a teacher", developed by the Yandex platform "I am a teacher". Also, as part of the study, respondents were surveyed to identify obstacles and limitations that teachers face today when using digital tools in education. The study was conducted in March-April 2022. The study sample consisted of 268 school teachers of the Lipetsk region and students of the I.A. Bunin Yelets State University. Microsoft Office Excel, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 programs were used to process the results. The Kruskal-Wallis criterion was used for statistical data processing. Results. The study showed that Russian teachers have a fairly high level of digital competence: the general user level of digital competence of the participants of the entire sample has an average value of 40 points, while the professional level is 54 points. The digital gap is revealed between teachers whose teaching experience is less than 20 years, and teachers with more than 21 years of experience. The professional specialization of a teacher affects his digital competence. Teachers of physics and mathematics (44 points) and natural science (40 points) disciplines have the most developed general user level of digital competence. These indicators are significantly lower for teachers of humanities (37 points) and primary school (34 points). At the same time, the professional level of digital literacy among all teachers is approximately the same. The study found that male teachers have more advanced digital skills than female teachers. The conclusion that there was no digital gap between rural and urban school teachers has a positive significance. Сonclusion. The digital competence of a teacher at the general user and professional levels is empirically investigated, including in the context of factors of seniority, gender, professional specialization, territorial affiliation of the school. The results of the study can be used in the design of educational programs of disciplines and advanced training courses on the use of digital tools in the educational process of the school.