Digital Intelligence among Prospective Teachers: Implications for Teacher Education in the Digital Age

Abstract

Digital transformation in education has increased the importance of digital intelligence for prospective teachers. This study examined the level of digital intelligence among Bachelor of Education students in six colleges located in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu, India, and assessed differences according to selected demographic and institutional variables. A normative survey design was employed. The sample comprised 295 prospective teachers selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a 66-item Digital Intelligence Scale rated on a five-point Likert scale. The instrument had a test–retest reliability coefficient of 0.968 and an intrinsic validity coefficient of 0.983. Data were analysed using the mean, standard deviation, independent-samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance. The results showed that 51.86% of participants had a moderate level of digital intelligence, whereas 25.42% had a high level and 22.72% had a low level. No significant difference was found according to gender. Significant differences were observed according to locality, medium of instruction, academic stream and type of institutional management. Urban, English-medium and science-stream prospective teachers recorded higher mean scores than their respective comparison groups, while participants from government-aided colleges recorded the highest mean score among the three management categories. The findings indicate the need for structured, practice-oriented and inclusive digital competency development within teacher education programmes.