The Path From Digital Competence to Adaptive Use: An Empirical Analysis of 9,726 Primary and Secondary School Teachers

While digital competence is widely acknowledged as fundamental to educational transformation, the mechanisms impeding its translation into innovative teaching practices remain inadequately understood. This study investigates teachers’ adaptive use of digital tools, characterized by exploratory adaptation and innovative application behaviors. By developing a multiple mediation model incorporating four key constructs: educational contextual norms (ECN), digital tool structure (DTS), technology adoption intention (TAI), and perceived usefulness (PU), this study illuminates the transformation pathway from digital competence to adaptive use. Analysis of data from 9,726 primary and secondary school teachers reveals three transformation pathways: an intrinsically driven pathway relying on internal motivation, an extrinsically driven pathway dependent on external norms, and a multi-driven path demonstrating significant sequential mediation through ECN → DTS → PU. Findings indicate that digital competence facilitates innovation indirectly through a progressive process of interpreting contextual norms, selecting appropriate tools, and developing value recognition, thereby providing insights for fostering teachers’ digital innovation practices in educational settings.