Formation of digital competence of future teachers in the context of European educational standards

Abstract

The digital transformation of education in the European Union necessitates a reconsideration of approaches to teacher professional training, particularly regarding the development of digital competence as an integrated capacity to use digital technologies effectively, safely, and pedagogically appropriately in the educational process. In this context, European educational standards and framework models serve as key reference points for modernising national systems of teacher education. The purpose of the article is to provide scientific substantiation of the content-related and organisational foundations for the development of digital competence among future teachers, in line with European educational standards, while taking into account quality requirements for higher education and professional activity in a digital educational environment. Methods. The study employs a set of general scientific and special research methods, including analysis and synthesis to systematise theoretical approaches to the interpretation of digital competence; comparative analysis to examine national and European regulatory and methodological documents; the structural-functional method to identify the components of digital competence of future teachers; and generalisation to formulate reasoned scholarly interpretations. Results. The findings indicate that the development of digital competence among future teachers should be based on integrating technological, pedagogical, and ethical-legal components into educational programmes in accordance with European digital competence frameworks. It is substantiated that the effectiveness of this process depends on the coherence between learning outcomes, curriculum content, assessment methods, and practice-oriented forms of training. The relevance of competence-based and student-centred approaches as fundamental methodological principles is confirmed. Conclusions. The implementation of European educational standards in the training of future teachers contributes to the systematic development of their digital competence. It enhances graduates’ competitiveness within the European educational space. Further research should focus on empirically assessing digital competence levels across different models of teacher education.