Needs Analysis of Pre-service Teachers for Digital Competence

The recent digital transformation in school education, including advancements in g enerative AI and digital technologies, highlights the need for digital competence a mong teachers. This study investigates the digital competence needs of pre-service elementary school teachers using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), Borich's Needs Assessment Model, and The Locus for Focus Model. The study participants were 98 first-year pre-service teachers from University A. The results showed th at pre-service teachers perceived all four sub-competencies of digital competence a s highly important. Among these, the sub-competency with the highest priority wa s the capability to utilize digital technology in education, specifically in areas such as digital-based curriculum reconstruction, design of personalized learning using di gital technology, evaluation, selection, and development of digital technologies, data, services, and content, and design of practical learning experiences based on digital technology. The findings suggest that teacher education curriculum should be impr oved to reflect the high-priority competencies identified by pre-service teachers. B ased on the results, discussions and implications for research are proposed.