Are postgraduate programs enabling technological and instructional leadership among future school leaders? An institutional case study

Abstract It is important that higher education institutions equip future school leaders with a holistic view of teachers' digital competence. This qualitative study explores the conceptual understanding of teacher digital competence among future school leaders in Spain, comparing their perspectives with the DigCompEdu framework. A total of 41 students enrolled in a master's programme in school management participated, responding to a single open question about the use of technology in teaching practice. Data were analysed using content analysis, comparing the responses with the 22 competences of the DigCompEdu framework. The findings reveal limitations in their understanding of the full scope of teacher digital competence. While participants acknowledged basic uses of technology in teaching, learning and professional engagement, they demonstrated conceptual gaps in areas such as developing students' digital competence, empowering learners and effective digital assessment. These findings highlight the need for a holistic approach to teacher digital competence in leadership training to ensure that future school leaders are prepared for digital and pedagogical leadership. In practice, this means that school leadership training programmes should be reviewed to ensure that they cover all dimensions of teacher digital competence, thereby preparing future leaders to effectively implement and support the integration of technology in their schools.