Identifying latent classes of teacher digital competence in the DigCompEdu model: personal and organizational influences

As schools continue their digital transformation, teachers’ digital competencies become essential in effectively integrating technology into education. Based on the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu), this study examines teacher profiles based on digital competence proficiency levels. It also explores the extent to which personal and organizational factors are associated with these profiles. Data were collected from 696 secondary and vocational education teachers in Spain through an online survey. Latent class analysis identified three competence classes: beginners, skilled teachers, and upskilling teachers. Multinomial regression analyses indicated that school type, gender, classroom technology use, and patterns in the adoption of emerging digital technologies were significant predictors of latent class membership. The findings highlight that both personal and organizational factors are important in shaping teachers’ digital competence, and they point to the value of identifying competence profiles in order to guide professional development and design targeted training initiatives.