Teachers’ Digital Competencies Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

The study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digital competencies of teachers and the educational achievements of students, focusing on Serbia and comparisons with other countries. For this study, a survey was conducted in three phases, completed by teachers. The time periods during which the surveys were filled out are characteristic because they correspond to specific points in time (June 2019, June 2022, and May 2023). The aim of the first study, conducted in June 2019, was for every school in the Republic of Serbia to explore teachers’ digital competencies as a recommendation of the Ministry of Education. Later, this survey took on a different purpose with the onset of the pandemic. The pandemic exposed challenges such as insufficient teacher preparation for online teaching, educational inequalities affecting students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and varying levels of adaptability among students. The hypothesis of this research is as follows: Teachers demonstrate a significantly higher level of digital literacy after the crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus than before the crisis. The findings reveal improvements in teachers’ digital skills after the crisis situation, particularly in hardware, software, and internet use, alongside a shift in the primary purpose of digital tools from entertainment to education. The study emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development, standardized e-learning devices, and improved digital infrastructure to enhance the quality of education. The research found that teachers in Serbia showed a significantly higher level of digital competencies after the crisis situation. Key recommendations include integrating digital skills into teacher training, fostering innovative pedagogical practices, and addressing the digital divide to ensure equitable access to education in the future.