The Impact of Gender and Years of Teaching Experience on College Teachers’ Digital Competence: An Empirical Study on Teachers in Gansu Agricultural University

Yu Zhao, Ana María Pinto Llorente, María Cruz Sánchez Gómez and Liping Zhao
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Yu Zhao: Faculty of Education, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
Ana María Pinto Llorente: Faculty of Education, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
María Cruz Sánchez Gómez: Faculty of Education, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
Liping Zhao: Faculty of Humanities, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: With the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the emergence of the Corona virus (COVID-19,) our way of life and even our education have been affected. The education approach has changed from traditional tutorials to online education. As a result, it has been a necessary for not only students but also teachers to improve their digital competence. The aim of this study was to describe in-service teachers’ self-perceptions of digital competence in the context of higher education and analyze the impact of gender and years of teaching experience on college teachers’ digital competence. For this purpose, a quantitative methodology has been used. A sample of 536 in-service teachers from Gansu Agricultural University, China, completed a questionnaire on digital competence. The data were collected in the academic year of 2019–2020. The results show that the sample considered themselves positively in information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, security and problem solving, while they self-evaluated their digital content creation negatively. Regarding the variables studied, significant differences were found in favor of male college teachers in the perception of digital competence. In relation to the teaching experience, teachers with less teaching experience thought themselves better in the areas of communication and collaboration, digital content creation, security and problem solving.

Keywords: digital competence; gender; years of teaching experience; higher education; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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