Abstract

Within the Portuguese educational context, current official policy expects schoolteachers to be digitally proficient. However, the decision to provide training in digital competence to pre-service teachers lies at the discretion of Higher Education Institutions. This results in a situation where pre-service teachers may enter the teaching profession without acquiring essential digital skills and competence. Recognizing the imperative to enhance the digital competence of pre-service teachers, a new postgraduate digital competence module, specifically aimed at English Language Teaching (ELT) pre-service teachers within initial teacher education MA programs, was developed at a Portuguese public university based on the DigCompEdu framework. To assess its effectiveness, a cross-sectional qualitative pilot study was conducted, engaging twelve pre-service ELT teachers, evenly distributed by gender and aged between 20 to 24. The participants’ responses were guided by the principles of inductive reasoning, focusing on identifying themes grounded in the participants’ own words and experiences. Thematic analysis and the insights gained demonstrate that a well-designed digital competence module not only introduces pre-service teachers to a variety of tools and resources but also empowers them to integrate these tools critically and creatively into their teaching practices. Additionally, our study offers several recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of digital competence training in teacher education programs, including the need for practical hands-on experiences, the incorporation of critical thinking skills, and addressing ethical considerations related to technology use in education. Overall, this study makes a compelling case for a dedicated digital agenda within pre-service teacher education programs.