Contextualizing Teachers’ Professional Digital Competence for Equity in Secondary Schools in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Teachers are increasingly expected to use and model technology effectively to support the digital learning of all students. For this to happen, teachers need solid professional digital competence, access to high-quality digital tools and materials, and an understanding of educational equity to tackle inequalities in teaching and learning processes. The professional digital competence of teachers is linked to the deliberate and critical use of digital resources and discipline-specific knowledge for informed educational decision-making. In the absence of formal definitions and guidelines, the conceptualization of digital competence may differ from teacher to teacher depending on context, background, experience, and individual perspectives. While these issues have long been relevant, the global pandemic has magnified the importance of digital teaching practices and their impact on student learning. However, in Central Asia, and specifically in Kazakhstan, this focus remains limited. This qualitative phenomenological study employed semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers across different secondary educational contexts in Kazakhstan. The responses analyzed inductively and deductively, provided insights into teachers’ conceptualization of professional digital competence, their perceptions of educational equity, and the factors that influence the enactment of digital competence to support equitable education outcomes. Key findings from this study indicate that teachers’ recognition of equity drives their use of digital resources and impacts educational outcomes. Teachers’ experiences with equity-driven use of digital technologies are shaped by personal beliefs and professional characteristics, school support, resource availability, and societal influences. The findings are presented as a model of Contextualized Equity-Informed Teachers’ Professional Digital Competence in Kazakhstan (CEITPDC). The findings have important implications for theory, policy, and practice by linking professional digital competence to equity in under-researched contexts. They offer guidance for professional practice, support emerging theoretical frameworks, and provide empirical evidence to guide policymaking, teacher training, and professional development in Kazakhstan and other post-Soviet and Central-Asian contexts. This study calls for targeted, teacher-centered professional learning, stronger professional networks, supportive leadership, and policies that address systemic inequities in technology access to enable more equitable and effective integration of digital tools in schools.