Докладът е представен на международна конференция и публикуван в сборника: NORDSCI Conference proceedings 2023, Book 1, Volume 6, ISSN 2603-4107, ISBN 978-619-7495-33-1, DOI 10.32008/NORDSCI2023/B1/V6/08, pp. 99 - 106
BULGARIAN TEACHERS AND THE DIGITIZATION OF
EDUCATION
University of national and world economy –
Sofia
e-mail: yanka.totseva@unwe.bg
Abstract: The digital transformation of traditional education leads to a change in the classical idea of the content and structure of the teacher's professional competence. The ability of teachers to teach with high quality is undoubtedly a key and very significant part of it, but in the conditions of the dynamic change of the environment – both in the real classroom and also in the increasingly used virtual one, it changes dynamically and develops with the help of new funding. The last three years, after March 2020, have created favorable conditions for enriching the pedagogical competence of teachers with a set of digital tools. Digitization has led to the enrichment of the technological toolkit of Bulgarian teachers with online-based educational resources, but also with authored exercises, assignments, tests, products and programs for gathering information about knowledge and opinions.
The paper presents the results of three of the authors
author’s empirical studies conducted in 2018, 2020 and 2022, and related to the
use of electronic resources for educational purposes.
Key words: teachers, education, digitization
Introduction
The teaching profession is ancient one of the oldest, but
the interest in it is currently associated with the awareness of society of the
role of the teacher in the formation of the value system and cognitive culture
of the younger generation in conditions of rapid change of the social and
especially technological environment. New demands are being made to the
teacher, there are new expectations, and the extent to which the teacher can
satisfy them depends on a number of objective and subjective factors. According
to the author, teachers' ability to teach with high quality is the core of
teachers' professional competence [7], but in the conditions of accelerated digitalization of
education it needs to be enriched and conceptualized in terms of the process
and outcome of educational activities with students.
The quality of a teacher's work is directly dependent on
a number of prerequisites, among which the following are the leading ones: the
personal characteristics related to the suitability to exercise this
profession; his basic professional-pedagogical training received at the
university; the motivation for work and, last but not least, the continious
professional development. The problems of teacher training and qualification
are the focus of both academia and the general public, because in reality this
concerns parents, pupils, employers and other social partners and institutions.
It is for these reasons that it is necessary to analyse
expectations about the nature of teachers' professional-pedagogical competence.
An attempt at structuring according to the author includes: "1. Knowledge
of the field of science from the bosom of which the subject to be taught is
constructed. 2. Psychological knowledge and skills to work with the age
category of students. 3. Knowledge of pedagogical sciences and educational
technology, and methodological skills. 4. Communication competence to implement
an effective educational process in the classroom. 5. Managerial competence to
manage the environment and its participants" [6].
This model is based on the understanding that
professional preparation is fundamental for the formation of professional
competence is also enriched from the
positions of the competence approach, described in the regulations on the
preparation process [4] and on the qualification [5].
Special attention in both ligislative acts is paid to the
training and qualification of teachers for the use of information and
communication technologies in the educational process. In the list of
compulsory subjects under the Regulation on the State requirements for the
acquisition of professional qualification as a teacher, a new compulsory
subject "Information and communication technologies in education and work
in a digital environment" replaced "Audio-visual and information
technologies in education". However, the following questions arise: Who
teaches these courses and what is the curriculum? What hardware and software
are the student teachers working with? Given academic autonomy, it is possible
to have a huge variety both in terms of the content of the curricula and their
practical implementation in the teaching process. As a result, teachers trained
at different universities may have a different sets of knowledge, skills and
competences for working with digital educational resources.
There are problems related to the model for the
preparation of future teachers in universities, which, despite the normative
framework, is not unified in terms of content. Also the teachers themselves
have different levels of digital competence. To address these issues, the
National Programme "Improving the competences of teachers in public higher
education institutions preparing future teachers" is being implemented.
Teachers are trained in two directions - digitalization through ICT-based
innovative educational technologies and application of competency-based
approach.
Qualification of teachers in digital technologies used for educational purposes
The issue of teacher qualification has acquired new
dimensions since the adoption of the Law on Pre-school and School Education and
its specification in the Regulation on the Status and Professional Development
of Teachers, Principals and Other Educational Professionals. Serious
competition has emerged on the education market between universities training
teachers on the one hand and commercial companies and NGOs offering continious
professional development training courses to teachers on the other. The latter
two (for-profit and non-profit legal entities) go through a procedure for
approval of programmes by the Ministry of Education and Science and
registration in the Information Register, while universities can only teach on the
basis of programme accreditation in higher education field 1. Pedagogical
Sciences.
This has led to the offering of a huge amount of
subjects, courses, programmes and subsequently to the
"overqualification" of teachers. In the Information Register of the
Ministry of Education as of September 2023, there are nearly 5200 approved
subjects, among which those related to the application of information and
communication technologies, digital resources and online learning are over
1000.
Against the background of the huge supply, there is a
worrying lack of connection with teachers' interests and subsequent formal
participation, for which there is publicly available information. The choice of
topics for qualification courses is directly linked to the management style of
the principal, the organisational culture, the type and size of the
school/kindergarten, the location and a range of other factors.
There is a lack of relevance to appraisal, but there is
also insufficient relation to the students' evaluation of the change in
teachers' performance as a result of the new knowledge, skills and competencies
they have acquired following participation in various training courses.
The latter factors and phenomena have been investigated
in a nationally representative study conducted in 2019 by a team from the
Faculty of Education at Sofia University “Sv. Kliment Ohridski” with 1002 high
school teachers. It was found that 50% of the teachers indicated that they had
participated in training on. As a result, 45% considered that they had
developed their skills in integrating ICT in teaching to a very high and high
degree; to a medium degree – 35% and to a low and very low degree – 14% and not
developed – 5%. ... 60% of their students think that their teachers present the
learning material clearly, including using ICT, but only 52% think that they
present the learning content in an interesting way using ICT, 25% could not
judge, and just over 22% did not think so [3].
The results show that in 2019, only half of the teachers
have participated in training to enrich the pedagogical toolkit with digital
competencies and nearly 80% of them report a development that is also noticed
and appreciated by slightly more than half of their students.
In order to diagnose the digital competences of Bulgarian
teachers, we conducted a series of empirical surveys with different tools in
the period from the end of 2018 to mid – 2022.
The first study aims to investigate teachers' use of
online-based educational resources in the process of preparing and delivering
lesson work. It was conducted between November and December 2018 using a
questionnaire distributed on paper. It involved 240 teachers, from all over the
country, who were included in qualification courses on various topics,
conducted within the framework of the project BG05M2OP001-2.010-0001
"Qualification for Professional Development of Pedagogical
Specialists" of the Ministry of Education and Science, funded by the
Operational Programe "Science and Education for Smart Growth"
2014-2020.
The first question in the study is related to
participation in courses on the use of electronic resources for educational
purposes. It was established that
"64% participated ... , and the remaining 36% did not. However, the data
show that those in the second group also use the resources with the same
frequency and there are virtually no major differences in the results shown by
the two groups – trained and non-trained" [8].
Teachers then answered questions about their access to
online-based educational resources, including dictionaries, reference books,
libraries, blogs, platforms, game and exercise software, tutorials, Wikis,
presentations, social networks, etc. Responses include information on the
frequency with which teachers use these resources in preparing for and
delivering lessons.
The results show that teachers use presentations and
videos most frequently in their lesson work and less frequently software for
skill formation and assessment purposes. They visualize well in teaching, but
still not all of them do. The majority are users and fewer are creators of
e-learning resources, apart from presentations, which almost all do. The
culture of sharing is still at a low level and they do not know well the
possibilities of combining multimedia products to increase the quality of the
learning process. Social networks are the most commonly used sources of
electronic resources for educational purposes, with Wikipedia and Wiki type
resources coming in second [8].
The second study was conducted in April 2020 to
investigate pedagogical communication in distance education in emergency
conditions. The participants in this online survey were 1345 educational
professionals working in different types and kinds of schools, mainly women
(95%) from all over Bulgaria.
Again, teachers
were asked if they had participated in qualification courses for working with
online-based educational resources. This time it was found that 55% had
participated, with 21% having done so as part of an in-school qualification and
34% as part of so-called external training for the award of qualification
credits.
The second significant issue regarding digital
competences relates to their prior preparation for using online platforms or
programs that they had to start working with after schools close in mid-March
2020. Only 14% had preparation thanks to participation in qualification
courses; 10% because the school they work in has one and another 10% because
they worked with platforms within projects. The remaining 66% had no prior
training. This probably explains the stress and the great difficulties that
Bulgarian teachers faced in the initial period of the introduction of distance
learning in an electronic environment due to the closures that resulted from
the measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is worth noting that they
have dealt with this challenge quickly and by the beginning of April 2020 they
have already found many opportunities to carry out virtual pedagogical
communication, to present the learning content and to assign independent and
homework work. This has been realised through the use of a wide range of
educational websites and portals providing educational resources, most often
structured by subject and/or topic; videoconferencing and two-way communication
platforms; programs for creating educational resources – video, text and other
multimedia materials; programs for creating tests and other materials for
assessment purposes.
Bulgarian teachers are very quickly changing from users
to creators of digital resources. 841 indicated that they create their own
tests, worksheets, exercises, etc., 862 use e-textbooks, but 1190 combine
e-learning resources created by them with those found on the Internet [9].
Based on the analysis of the results of this study, it
can be concluded that the majority of teachers exhibit high levels of
professional competence and through own initiative and creativity find, select
and use online-based educational resources to adapt learning that is conducted
in an electronic environment in order to maintain its effectiveness.
The third survey was conducted online between April and
June 2022 and the total number of participants was 800, of which 339 were
educational professionals working in kindergartens and 461 working in schools,
of which 44% (201) were in primary classes (I-IV), 29% (134) in secondary
(V-VII) and 27% (126) in high school (VIII-XII).
Among the main objectives was to investigate the extent
to which the closure of educational institutions and the frequent replacement
of face-to-face learning with online affected their use of digital technologies
and online-based educational resources.
In the context of this analysis, the answers to two
questions are noteworthy: How would you define your digital competences for
working with online-based educational resources now compared to their level two
years ago? and How would you define your skills for creating digital
educational resources now compared to their level two years ago?
For teachers from kindergartens, it was found that 31%
felt that their digital competencies had improved significantly and 53% felt
that they had improved, making a total of 84% of those who took part in the
survey. This allows to conclude that they have enriched their didactic toolkit
with new digital tools, methods and technologies.
About in-school teachers, the self-assessment shows that
according to 41% their digital competences have improved significantly and
according to 54% of respondents these skills have improved. The cumulative
percentage is 95, which is 11% more than kindergarten teachers. This is
explainable in terms of the different educational content load and the higher
demands on distance learning conducted in an electronic environment. Online
learning over the two years (2020-2022) leads to a significant improvement,
which is the result of training as well as self and peer learning within
in-school qualifications.
For the second question, there are also marked
differences between the two groups of teachers. 24% of respondents (80 people)
said there had been no change in their skills, but 53% reported an improvement
in their ability to create digital resources. The remaining 23% were confident
that there had been a significant improvement. Again, it is possible to sum up
those reporting improvement to a total of 76%, three quarters of all
participants.
For school teachers, 33% self-assessed that their skills
had improved significantly, 56% thought they had improved and 11% thought there
had been no change. 89% reported an improvement, which is again higher compared
to child teachers [10].
The results of the self-assessment show the development
and enrichment of Bulgarian teachers with skills to find, use and create
digital educational resources.
The teaching profession is undergoing a major
transformation in terms of key professional competencies on the one hand; but
on the other hand, there are changes in public opinion/attitudes towards it. In
terms of professional competences, the inclusion of digital is no longer
questionable or objectionable.
Digital competences "are among the eight core competences
and refer to criticality and confidence in using the full range of digital
technologies for information, communication and basic problem solving in all
aspects of life." [1]. In terms of
teachers, they are interpreted in "six areas of development, including
professional environment; creating and sharing digital resources; managing the
application of digital tools; assessment; empowering learners and improving
their digital competencies." [2]
Serious questions remain about the quality of preparation
of prospective university teachers in the compulsory subject of “Information
and Communication Technologies in Teaching and Working in Digital Environments”
and about the choice or otherwise of the two electives proposed in the
Regulation on the state requirements for the acquisition of professional
qualification "teacher".
The results of the three surveys conducted in 2018, 2020
and 2022 allow to draw the general conclusion that the closure of educational
institutions – schools for a longer period of time and kindergartens for a
shorter one due to the COVID-19 pandemic stimulates Bulgarian teachers to
implement at a very fast pace a digital "revolution", which for a
part of them was stressful and difficult due to the lack of prior preparation.
The conclusion is that the results of digitalisation at secondary level have
been satisfactory.
The enrichment of digital competences in terms of the use
of online-based educational resources and, more importantly, the acquisition
and improvement of self-development skills are key to increasing children's and
students' motivation to learn. More generally, this contributes to improving
the quality and outcomes of the educational process with the digital
generations that are within the scope of the Bulgarian education system.
It remains a debatable question to what extent these
skills will continue to develop and whether they will have sustainability as a
basis for continuous improvement towards the new demands of the social and
technological environment. It is also an open question as to the expectations
of digital competences of teachers from students, their parents, employers and
last but not least the public institutions that invest in education.
1. Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (2022). Being digitally competent – a task for the 21st-century citizen. (22.03.2022). https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/digcomp_en Last visit 08.09.2023
2. Digital competence: the vital 21st-century skill for teachers and students. (17.01.2020). https://www.schooleducationgateway.eu/en/pub/resources/tutorials/digital-competence-the-vital-.htm Last visit 08.09.2023.
3. Gospodinov, B., R. Peycheva-Forsayt, B. Mizova. 2019. Kachestvo na prodalzhavashtata kvalifikatsiya na pedagogicheskite spetsialisti prez perspektivata na uchiteli i uchenitsi. [in Bulgarian].UI „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“
4. Naredba № 15 ot 22 yuli 2019 g. za statuta i profesionalnoto razvitie na uchitelite, direktorite i drugite pedagogicheski spetsialisti. [in Bulgarian].V sila ot 02.08.2019 g. Izdadena ot ministara na obrazovanieto i naukata. Obn. DV. br.61 ot 2 Avgust 2019g., izm. i dop. DV. br.101 ot 27 Noemvri 2020g., izm. i dop. DV. br.80 ot 24 Septemvri 2021g., izm. i dop. DV. br.52 ot 5 Yuli 2022g.
5. Naredba za darzhavnite iziskvaniya za pridobivane na profesionalna kvalifikatsiya "uchitel". [in Bulgarian]. 2016. V sila ot uchebnata 2017/2018 godina. Prieta s PMS № 289 ot 07.11.2016 g. Obn. DV. br.89 ot 11 Noemvri 2016g., izm. i dop. DV. br.105 ot 18 Dekemvri 2018g., izm. i dop. DV. br.10 ot 5 Fevruari 2021g.
6. Totseva, Y. 2009. Profesionalno-pedagogicheska i interkulturna komunikativna kompetentnost. [in Bulgarian]. V sb.: Tehnologichni aspekti na interkulturnoto obrazovanie, Blagoevgrad, str. 40-49
7. Totseva, Y. 2015. Profesionalnata kompetentnost na uchitelya – razvitie, problemi i predizvikatelstva. V sb.: Profesionalnata kompetentnost na uchitelya, [in Bulgarian].Varna, str. 15-27
8. Totseva, Y. 2019. Balgarskite uchiteli i elektronnite resursi za obrazovatelni tseli. [in Bulgarian].V sb.: Pedagogicheskata komunikatsiya: traditsionna i digitalna. Izd. Faber, Veliko Tarnovo, str. 32-43
9. Totseva, Y., M. Bakracheva. 2020. Pedagogicheskata komunikatsiya v usloviyata na izvanredno polozhenie. [in Bulgarian]. V sb.: Pedagogicheskata komunikatsiya: verbalna i vizualna, izd. Faber, Veliko Tarnovo, str. 11-50
10. Totseva, Y., M. Bakracheva. 2022. Digitalnite kompetentnosti na uchitelite v detski gradini i uchilishta v usloviyata na krizata, predizvikana ot COVID pandemiyata. [in Bulgarian]. V sb.: Pedagogicheskata komunikatsiya v usloviyata na kriza, izd. Faber, str. 56-75
