DIGITAL LITERACY AND COMPETENCE OF SELECTED TEACHERS IN

OLONGAPO CITY: BASIS FOR A POST

PANDEMIC PEDAGOGY

A Thesis Presented to the

Distance, Open, and Transnational University
Central Luzon State University, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy

Jhessie Lawaan Abella

October 2021
 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the Corona Virus pandemic, has

dramatically changed the world we are living in. The world has been surprised by this

unseen enemy who has taken millions of lives and infected millions more by this deadly

disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization

declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic citing the degree of its spread, number of

infected people, deaths, and the number of countries with the disease.

The effect of this virus is unimaginable and takes a heavy toll across countries'

economies and leaving healthcare near collapsing. The education sector hasn't been

spared by its ferocity as most countries worldwide impose lockdowns to curve its spread.

According to UNICEF (2020), as of June 7, 2020, due to school closures in response to

the pandemic, approximately 1.725 billion students are currently impacted as most

governments worldwide have temporarily closed educational institutions. The closure of

the schools has been thought to contribute to minimizing the transmission rate of this

disease. This action has been proven effective among closed contact infections such as

influenza and tuberculosis.

In response to the pandemic, the Philippine government has issued Executive

Order No. 112, which imposed an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in high-risk

geographic areas of the Philippines and a general community quarantine (GCQ) in the

rest of the country from 01 to May 15, 2020. This has dramatically affected the conduct
of classes in areas placed under ECQ and GCQ. In response to the government's mandate,

the Department of Education issued DepEd Memorandum 42, s. 2020 which ordered that

the 4th quarter examination be no longer be administered. The health crisis has also

forced the country to delay the start of the school year to October 5, 2020 and shift to

remote learning until a coronavirus vaccine becomes available for mass rollout.

Additional guidelines have been put in place to conduct remedial lessons, which can be

done further in different modalities, including distance learning with the aid of

technology.

People have been skeptical about this modality since the country has been ill-

prepared for this kind of learning setup, not to mention the digital divide among its

learners. Apart from this, the availability of an online learning platform, preparedness,

resources, and most importantly, our teachers' competencies in maneuvering from

conventional classrooms to completely online classes add up to the current crisis. The

abrupt switch to fully online learning has been particularly stressful for many teachers,

parents, and students who prefer face-to-face instruction. The learning experience cannot

be replicated with the modality we are utilizing right now since most teachers were

trained to teach in class, not online. According to the survey on Teacher Readiness on

Distance Education conducted by the Department of Education (2020), out of 689,329

teachers surveyed, only 63,416 or 9% of the teachers have undergone training on

Distance Learning. This is a gap that must be bridged to ensure the quality of education is

maintained.

Furthermore, when teacher innovators and coaches were surveyed on whether

they think their school is ready, only 22.7% of the 123 teachers surveyed said yes, and a
majority said maybe, citing mindset and lack of training as primary reasons, among

others. To address this gap, the Department of Education conducted numerous webinars

and online training programs this year to train our teachers in this new mode of teaching.

Only 333,758 teachers from March 11 to May 15, 2020, have been trained to use the

technology used for DepEd's online learning. However, some issues arise, such as

teachers with limited knowledge of the ICT norms, and there is also the issue of the lack

of internet access.

Hodges et al. 2020 (as cited in Hew et al., 2020) claimed that online learning is

often stigmatized as a weaker option that provides a lower quality education than in-

person face-to-face learning. Technology plays an essential role in addressing this

pandemic, especially in the education sector, where online platforms are at their peak.

The question now is, are we prepared enough for this setup? Do we have the capacity, or

are teachers competent enough to use digital learning as part of our pedagogy.

Study shows that the Philippines is way too far from achieving a digitally

prepared educational system. Because even the Philippine President himself is doubtful

about this setup but strongly reiterated that he will not permit face-to-face classes without

a vaccine (Inquirer, 2020). COVID-19 has clearly revealed the significant shortcomings

of the Philippine educational system and the ill-prepared teaching staff concerning digital

competency. Being digitally skillful is no longer an option but a necessity, especially in

our present time. Teachers are urged to use different learning delivery modalities that

schools can adopt, which may be one or a combination of the following, depending on

the local health conditions, the availability of resources, and the context of the learners in

the school or locality such as, face to face, distance learning and blended learning. These
modalities presented enormous challenges and were unattainable for many for diverse

reasons.

Doculan (2014) said that the Philippines has yet to continue providing digital

literacy programs to bridge the digital gap. In her study, she found out that teachers,

students, and administrators are moderately ready for e-learning. Utilization and capacity

with the use of online learning platforms and teachers' competencies in using digital

technology in the Philippine context haven't been explored deeper before. While the

opening of the classes for the current school year is still in limbo, there are far more

questions than concrete answers concerning our readiness to adapt to the new norms

brought about by the effect of COVID-19 in the education sector.

This has prompted the researcher to investigate this timely and relevant topic on

digital literacy and competence among our teachers and what influences these

competencies' progression in our public and private school. In addition, there have been

limited resources which are available about the current phenomenon under investigation.

The proponent believes that now is the time that teachers must become technologically

adept to successfully surpass these challenges and enable us to be more equipped with

digital knowledge and skills concerning its use in our classroom. This paper will further

point out the general concept of digital literacy and competence and its role in today's

educational challenges brought about by the pandemic. And what we can learn from this

experience will help us enhance a post-pandemic pedagogy, and lastly, what influences

the teacher's digital literacy and competence. The study will specifically focus on several

related factors and how it relates to developing the teacher's digital literacy and

competence. The researcher believes learning modalities such as distance and blended
might be one of the most effective models in the new norm of teaching and learning for

now and in the coming years.

Statement of the Problem

COVID 19 has thrown a wrench in what was once a routine teaching and learning

process within the school. Since March 2020, more than a year into the pandemic,

schools in our country have remained closed for fifty-two (52) weeks. During this

current health crisis, the Philippines is one of only five countries in the world that has

yet to open schools. Deped had previously pushed for the soft reopening of around 1,900

schools in low-risk areas. Still, the influx of new variants, particularly Delta, has pushed

the plan back, despite the President's denial. Educators are well aware of the negative

consequences of prolonged school closures. According to information on the UNESCO

website, the school's closure in the Philippines affected 26,950,258 students.

Because of the health crisis, UNESCO predicts that over 100 million more

children will fall below the minimum reading proficiency level, and prioritizing

recovery is critical to avoid a generational catastrophe. Even though the use of electronic

technology and media to deliver, support, and enhance learning and teaching has

become a widely used modality to support the continuation of classes. In contrast, in-

person classes are still suspended, it has been widely criticized. Teachers' and students'

struggles with the new format, their lack of access to the necessary gadgets and an

internet connection, not to mention the teachers' efficiency and confidence in using such

technology, appear to indicate that the Philippines is not fully prepared.

 With the preceding arguments, the researcher has decided to investigate

the situation to shed light on teachers' digital literacy and competence and make

recommendations for resolution. Personal and work-related variables, ICT availability

and use, and attitude will all be thoroughly identified and described to see if they impact

the teachers' digital literacy and competence.

Objectives of the Study

The study aims to assess how demographics, ICT related variables and attitudes

towards ICT influences digital literacy and competence of the respondents.

Specifically, this will answer the following questions;

1. What are the profiles of the respondents in terms of;

1.1. Personal Profile;

1.1.1. Age;

1.1.2. Gender;

1.1.3. Highest Educational Attainment;

1.1.4. Level of students handled;

1.2 Work Related Profile

1.2.1 Years of service;

1.1.5. Employment sector and

1.1.6. Training Attended/received in Information Communication Technology

2. How may the respondents describe the information communication technology

variable measured in terms of;

2.1. Availability and utilization of ICT resources;

 2.2. Availability of ICT infrastructure and facility at school

2.3. Pre-Service training on ICT and

2.4. In-Service training on ICT.

3. What is the attitude of the respondents in using ICT?

4. What is the digital literacy score of the respondents?

5. What is the level of the respondent’s digital competence measured using the

DigiComEdu questionnaire in terms of;

5.1. Professional Engagement;

5.2. Digital Resources;

5.3. Teaching and Learning;

5.4. Assessment;

5.5. Empowering Learners and

5.6. Facilitating Learner’s Digital Competence?

6. Is there a significant relationship between the profile, ICT related variables and

attitudes towards the used of ICT and the teacher’s digital literacy and competence?

7. Do the profile of the respondents, ICT related variables and attitudes towards the used

of ICT predicts the teacher’s digital literacy and competence.

Hypothesis

The study will test the following hypothesis;

1. There is no significant relationship between the profile, ICT related variables and

attitudes towards the used of ICT and the teacher’s digital literacy and competence.

2. The profile of the respondents, ICT related variables and attitudes towards the used

of ICT does not predicts the teacher’s digital literacy and competence.
Significance of the Study

The result of the study will be beneficial to the following individuals and

stakeholders;

The teachers and the students will be the primary beneficiary of this current

undertaking. As we are bound to adopt new modalities in teaching and learning, most

specifically online learning, it is important to determine the competence and readiness of

teachers who are the main player for this new setup. Digital literacy creates new ways to

teach and learn with enough knowledge and competence. Learning will be more

enjoyable and can reach a wider audience even outside the four corners of the classroom.

The findings of this study will help our education administrators to craft policies,

procedures, and concrete plans that will bolster the digital ability of our teachers. In this

way, they will create, facilitate and promote digital learning effectively, which is

important among our 21st-century learners. The advancement of technology and the

internet’s rising importance in our society has made digital literacy a required skill for

everyone.

Furthermore, the result of this study will help our school and education

administrators to provide a basis in formulating a long-term plan, enhancement of

guidelines, policies, identifying specific training needs, and prioritizing the allotment of

resources to digital learning. The current pandemic has proven that we have been

unprepared in handling this situation which affects our education sector. The result of this

study will be a wake-up call among our stakeholders to consider that being digitally

literate and competent is a crucial skill in today’s world both for the teachers and
students, especially in times where the physical presence or classroom learning is not

possible in any way.

Limitation of the Study

This study will target the participation of selected Filipino educators from the City

of Olongapo. Both private and public secondary schools offering Junior High School and

Senior High School will be covered by this study. All teachers handling subjects for JHS

and SHS, using digital technology in teaching, will be included in this study.

There may be some possible limitations in this study, primarily regarding the

participants. Only and JHS will be included in this study; therefore, a limitation in the

number of responses is predicted. Much as the researcher would like to cover the entire

population of teachers within the locale of the study, it was chosen to limit the

respondents due to time constraints and movement limitations. The SHS program was

only rolled out in 2016, which seeks to produce holistically developed students and

equipped with 21st-century skills. Focusing on teachers handling this program can

provide a basis on the quality of teachers and their teaching while incorporating digital

tools in their teaching-learning process. The researcher will use a self-report tool which is

consists of a set of written questions used for describing certain qualities or

characteristics of the test subject. One of the key advantages of employing this technique

is that it can be used to easily administer to a large sample of people, but since a web-

based survey will be conducted, low response rates and a host of other potential issues

may arise during the conduct of the study. In addition, difficulty reaching certain types of

participants, such as those who do not have internet access, may affect the target number

of this study.
 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the relevant literature and studies that the

researcher considered in strengthening the claim and importance of the present study

A Paradigm Shift of the Education System due to Covid-19

The harrowing effect of Covid-19 has pushed the closure of schools and has

accelerated the use of technology in teaching since education was moved from the

student’s home. Many issues surfaced during the implementation of the education

sector’s alternative learning mode. One paper points out that even though Philippines

higher education institution has made tremendous innovation in addressing this crisis in

terms of using technology in delivering education and use of other modalities there are

still gaps and challenges in the response of the government (Joaquin, Biana and Dacela,

2020). There is still no clear sight to when this pandemic will end. For now, education

sector in our country should take the learning from this challenging time to manage

systemic change and build back a better education system that is strongly adaptive to

change. Covid-19 is both a global crisis and an extraordinary time for learning. Learning

in a sense of being adaptable and resilient educational systems, policy makers, teachers,

students and families (Barron, Cobbo, Najar and Ciarrusta, 2021).

This pandemic has reshaped education in the Philippines. Handog (2020)

elaborated how the country addresses the current crisis. One important step the higher

education has taken is by promoting flexible learning. Flexible learning programs are

created based on the capacity of the students, schools and or the community. The

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has developed PHL CHED Connect and HiEd
Bayanihan the former houses free higher education materials that can be used for

teaching, learning, and research purposes. HiEd Bayanihan which is a digital community

of educators, learners and content makers that explores innovative responses in the

context of Philippine higher education. Its main purpose is to help Higher Education

Institutions (HEIs) as they shift to flexible learning environment. All of these are geared

towards a smooth transition to flexible learning scheme. On the other hand, basic

education sector has their own Basic Education - Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP)

which is a major response by the Department of Education to fulfill its commitment in

protecting the health, safety, and well-being of learners, teachers, and personnel. This

plan entails to provide quality distance learning with the use of self-learning modules in

digital and printed form, radio, television, and the internet (Montemayor, 2020).

In this time of pandemic utilization of technology has seen a tremendous amount

of use in support of remote learning (Janssen, 2020). Digital technology serves people for

educative purposes and social connections it is also regarded as vital for the widespread

dissemination of information and guidelines that are critical in dealing with the pandemic

(Toquero and Talindog, 2020). Philippine DepEd Secretary herself highlighted that

importance of increased role of technology and science. For her, “Education is not going

to be the same as education during my time or during your time it’s going to change, and

the change has already started. We already recognize the signals, we see the increased

role of technology and science” (Briones, 2020). Technology has been at the forefront in

addressing the crisis brought about by the pandemic specifically in the education sector.

United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG, 2020) noted that, local and regional

government battling the crisis have resorted to digital technologies to monitor the spread
of the diseases, as well as to provide education to students who were affected by the

closure of the schools. Technological utilization during this pandemic presented serious

problems instead of giving the Philippine education system a chance to use technology to

reboot the country’s including slow internet connectivity (Tadalan, 2021).

Among the 800,000 public school teachers there are only less than 40% or around

300, 000 who were trained in distance learning. Aside from the ICT training provided by

the division and regional offices DepEd also train the teachers on how to convert

materials in digital format (Bordey, 2020). The data shows that our teachers are ill

prepared when it comes to the new set up of learning delivery. Though figures show that

80% of the teachers in the Philippines have laptops and desktops (Malindog-Uy, 2020).

Readiness in terms of availability of technological tools used in online learning modality

has been described by Bugas et.al (2020). The researchers found that majority of the

respondents (teachers and students) have smartphones and laptops and can connect to the

internet. However, they recommended that, teachers should undergo trainings and

seminars on how to conduct online classes, and the curriculum should be revisited to

accommodate the paradigm shift. Callo & Yazon (2020) maintained that teachers have

the access in terms of devices and connectivity, familiarity, capability, preparation, self-

efficacy and experience with technology and this significantly influence their readiness

on the implementation of online teaching and learning. They also highlighted the

importance of trainings for teachers to build their capacity to have the required

knowledge and competencies on the use of flexible or blended learning. Several

influences on the teacher’s distance learning readiness includes the length of teaching

experience, specialization, and geographic location have been found to be strongly

correlated. In contrast, teachers’ gender, length of teaching experience, and geographic

location have significant differences with their readiness to distance learning education

(Lapada, Miguel, Robledo and Alam, 2020).

Digital Literacy Defined

For better or for worse, technology has driven the way we are living. From the

advent of the world wide web and smartphones it has tremendously dominates many

aspects of our life and there is no signs of it slowing down. Education hasn’t changed

including its philosophies and systems but the way we deliver, reach students and pass

knowledge has been greatly influenced by technology. The effect of the pandemic has

closed down schools, prevented face to face interaction, limit access to printed

educational materials has attested to the importance of technology in education. As for

our current situation indeed, it will play an important role in teaching and learning

process especially away from the comfort of our classrooms. While white boards,

chalkboards and other old school classroom materials will probably retire for a short

period of time. Electronic devices such as laptops, desktops, tablets and other video

conferencing application is experiencing their glory days now that face to face interaction

is prevented. These technologies have enable us to enhance our pedagogical approaches

especially in this unprecedented time and situation. The question now is can we keep up

with this changes and technologies? Are we well equipped with the competences required

in our digital age? Marques et.al (2020) reiterated that the proverbial ball now lies on the

efficiency and effectiveness of these set up or approach towards the holistic development

of students while staying in their own homes.

 Vidosavljevic (2019) defines digital literacy as an ability to use information and

communication technologies safely and critically for work, both on personal as well as on

social level. The key features of this ability are the use of computers for the purpose of

finding, evaluating, creating, displaying and sharing information over the Internet. The

definition given has been on point as applied in education. As teachers spends most of

time conveying information and knowledge via the aid of internet and the use of video

conferencing software i.e Zoom or GoogleTeams, learning management systems,

presentation software and other online classroom platforms is certainly considered a

display of digital literacy among teachers. Digital literacy is a convergence of several

literacies, including elements of ICT literacy, Information Literacy, Media Literacy and

Visual Literacy (Martin, 2005). In the works of Martin and Grudziecki (2006), they

provided a more comprehensive definition of digital literacy as an awareness, attitude and

ability of individuals to appropriately use digital tools and facilities to identify, access,

manage, integrate, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize digital resources, construct new

knowledge, create media expressions, and communicate with others, in the context of

specific life situations, in order to enable constructive social action; and to reflect upon

this process. As teachers it is important to learn about these concepts and definitions, so

they may become aware of their own level of literacy. Modern teachers have to

familiarize themselves with approaches and application of digital technology, updating

their own knowledge and developing digital literacy constantly (Srivastava, Dey, 2018).

Indeed, digital literacy is more than just able to use computers, search the web, host a

lecture discussion via Zoom, present using PowerPoint, it has a greater purpose of

improving learning, productivity, widen the knowledge base of the student and lastly
making them realize the importance of being critical to all information presented to them.

Modern literacy includes emotional, cognitive, sociological and motor skills which are

necessary for all users who want to use technologies effectively and participate actively

in digital environments (Vidosavljevic, 2019).

Digital and information literacy refers to the ability to use digital technologies to

accomplish personal, educational, and professional objectives. Digital literacy

encompasses not only the ability to find and use information (also known as information

literacy), but also communication, collaboration, and teamwork, social awareness in the

digital environment, e-safety, and the creation of new information, all of which are

underpinned by critical thinking and evaluation (The Open University, 2012). Digital

literacy is important among teachers as it is assuming that the more proficient our

teachers in the use of technology the will be able to employ these skills in the teaching

earning process most importantly in this time of pandemic. Moreover, digital literacy can

foster digital citizenship in our students (TechnologyPh, 2020).

Digital Competency Defined

Commission of the European Communities (2005) defines digital competence as

the confident and critical use of Information Society Technology (IST) for work, leisure

and communication. It is underpinned by basic skills in ICT: the use of computers to

retrieve, assess, store, produce, present and exchange information, and to communicate

and participate in collaborative networks via the Internet. Electronic Platform or Adult

Learning in Europe (2019), stated that digital competencies are related to logical and

critical thinking, high-level information management skills, and well-developed

communication skills; E-safety is an important component of digital literacy. Supporting

young people to become competent, discerning users of technology is about helping them

to develop the skills that allow them to critically question their own and others’

technology use. In addition, The European Commission developed DigCompEdu (Digital

Competence of Educators) to create a common frame of reference for educators, to be

able to know what could be evaluated and know where they are to continue developing in

digital competences. In 2017, DigCompEdu framework of the Joint Research Center has

been put forward to explain how digital technologies can be used to enhance and innovate

training, teaching, learning and assessment. This framework is the result of extensive

deliberations with experts and practitioners based primarily on an initial literature review

and the synthesis of existing instruments from European and international levels. In this

model we can understand that there are six major areas which focuses on different aspects

of educators’ professional activities. As the main facilitator of knowledge educators are

expected to be well equipped with these vital digital competences to effectively facilitate

knowledge transfer with the aid of digital technology. The six major digital competency

areas are; Area 1- Professional Engagement; Area 2- Digital Resources; Area 3- Teaching

and Learning; Area 4- Assessment; Area 5- Empowering; and Area 5- Facilitating

Learner’s Digital Competence. We can observe that the core digital area are Area 2

(Digital Resources), Area 3 (Teaching and Learning), Area 4 (Assessment) and Area 5

(Empowering Learners. Together these core areas explain educators’ digital pedagogic

competence.

Importance of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence in Teaching

In a contemporary labor market one of the most important pre-requisite to be

included is the acquisition of knowledge and skills in the field of ICT. Vidosavljevic
(2019), claimed that one of the most important competence of a modern person is to be

digitally literate. In education, the application of this competency has led to a change in

the role of teachers and pupils. Digital literacy cab help student creates, locate,

communicate digital content in an ethical and adequate way. Digital competence and

modern skills of teachers can help them develop teaching that is more interesting while

motivating and making students more creative as they use technology. Accordingly,

Yazon et.al (2019) in their study found that there is a strong and significant relationship

between faculty members’ digital literacy and research productivity. This means that the

increase in understanding, finding, using, and creating information using digital

technologies is positively related to faculty members’ ability to conduct, complete,

present and publish a research article. The study further added that the faculty member’s

digital competence is strong and significantly correlated to their research productivity,

which clearly indicates that as their knowledge, skills and attitudes for working, living

and learning in the knowledge society increases, there is also a significant increase in

their ability to produce publishable research outputs. It is remarkable that the researchers

noted that the teacher’s educational level of academic, organizational title, job

description, age, years of experience in teaching and non-teaching roles, research

interests, may play a vital role in their digital competence, digital literacy, and research

productivity.

Accordingly, as the educational content is now freely proposed and available

anytime, anywhere via the Internet, traditional educational formats are challenging. The

main role of universities, apart from researches, is to provide unique learning

opportunities in a stimulating environment (Kim, 2019). However, some study suggest

that it takes program that can stimulate the improvement of digital literacy to innovate

science learning activities using technology. In the study of Rizal et.al (2019), they found

out that digital literacy of preservice science teacher is in the medium category with

regards to composition; information, communication, content creation, safety and

problem solving. In our local setting it is not surprising that some educational institution

and teachers might assess their digital literacy and competency below satisfactory.

Several issues i.e, access to computer, literacy on software application, training, attitude

towards eLearning, and time management were some of the important finding in relation

to eLearning readiness of some faculty in Laguna (Red et.al, 2019).

Challenges of Education in the New Normal

Caluza et.al (2017) found that most teachers in Tacloban City have only basic

knowledge on ICT and improvement is immensely needed especially trainings for them

to integrate ICT in teaching and other related task assigned to them to uplift and enhance

the quality of education in the surveyed school division. A same study conducted by

Nuevo (2019) stressed that the teachers surveyed have a favorable attitude towards

technology, what surprising is that perceived ease of use of technology is the only

consideration of teachers to significantly associates with technology integration practice

in teaching. In a more recent study by Chua et.al (2020), teachers and students can adopt

easily and align their teaching practices to e-learning amidst the pandemic. Teachers who

were surveyed utilized mostly free access software such as: Google Classroom, Edmodo,

Zoom, FB messenger, Google meet, We Chat, Schoology, and Moodle in their teaching.

Problems such as trainings in the use eLearning as a platform was identified which due to

lack of trainings and workshops. The second major dilemma is the lack of resources that
will lead to unsuccessful classes. Human factor is indeed an important influence on

Information Community and Technology (ICT) integration apart from leadership,

curriculum, infrastructure, faculty, and environment.

Castillo (2017) stressed that leadership ultimately and its influence on faculty that

could influence greater technology-mediated pedagogy. One of the greatest difficulties

perceived by educators in terms of digital skills preparation is the inadequacy of

trainings, higher workload and negative emotions experience during lockdown. A further

worrying result is the lower technological competence at lower educational levels,

especially the most vulnerable in remote teaching (Portillo, Garay, Tejada and Bilbao,

2020). The empirical findings from the works of (Moralista and Oducado, 2020) affirms

that majority of the faculty had intermediate computer competency, undecided about the

concept of online education and is convinced that online education will result in more

academic dishonesty. Continued support and training are believed to be vital as they

adapt to the new normal and as they embrace the instructional challenges brought by the

Coronavirus pandemic.

Teachers’ competency in the time of rapid Information Communication and

Technology (ICT) development is a central concern particularly among teachers. As

facilitator of learning, teachers must integrate technology to establish a student-centered

learning environment to facilitate independent and lifelong learners (Vicera, Bingcang

and Ogena, 2021). In a regional study conducted by Vicera et.al (2021) specialized

schools within the Metropolitan have displayed notable ICT competencies compared to

rural schools which attained a meager score especially on the competency pertaining to

knowledge-deepening approach. In Region 7, there is also a need to improve the level of

competency among teachers particularly skills in using complex and pervasive ICT tools

to achieve innovative teaching and learning as the findings of Marcial and Dela Rama

(2015) concluded a slight need for technological infusion into the teaching instruction of

teachers.

Extensive planning and preparation are key to effective implementation of any

strategic operation. Though readiness and digital technology availability has been widely

investigated. Utilization of and capacity to use digital technology which translates to

digital literacy and competence has not yet been thoroughly described before in our local

setting especially in this time of crisis. This realization has invited the interest of the

researcher to reflect on what influences digital literacy and competence among our

teachers. An extensive focus will be given to demographics, ICT related variables and

attitudes towards its influence in digital literacy and competence enhancement.

Pettersson (2017) suggested a focus on the influence of broader contextual

conditions in the wider school setting affecting specific digital competence. The

researcher further added to stress the organizational infrastructures to close the gap

between policy, organizational infrastructures, strategic leadership as well as teachers and

their attitudes towards technology.

The Digital Divide

According to UNESCO (2018) Information and Communication Technology

Competency Framework for Teachers (ICTCF) it emphasizes that teachers must be able

to use ICT in addition to having ICT competencies to help students develop and become

collaborative, problem-solving, creative learners as well as innovative and engaged

members of society. In the Philippines, Department of Education's Digital Rise program,

which began in 2018, is designed to assist the information, media, and technology skills

taught in kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12). Whether or not technology in education

improves student achievement is one of the most contentious issues in the sector. The

conditions under which technology is introduced in teaching and learning are often

variable, far from ideal, which makes the question difficult to answer. The teacher's

ability to use technology effectively, like any other teaching activity or tool, is critical

(USAID,2020).

Teachers literacy and competence in the use of digital technology in the

classroom is greatly important to attain the required 21st century skills of learners. In this

time of pandemic, digital technology has changed the status quo of teaching and learning.

The ability of teachers to structure learning in new ways, to merge technology

appropriately with a pedagogy, to develop socially active classrooms, and to encourage

cooperative interaction, collaborative learning, and group work is critical to the

successful integration of ICT into the learning environment (UNESCO, 2018).

Teachers' digital literacy and competence are examined from a range of

viewpoints in the Philippines, albeit limited sources since this area have not been

diversely explored. It sparked the researcher's curiosity in learning more about these

concepts under study. Vicerra, Bingcang, & Ogena (2012) in quest to determine the ICT

competencies in terms of Technology Literacy; Knowledge Deepening; and Knowledge

Creation they surveyed two schools from a rural location in Southern Tagalog and three

others from Metro Manila. The study revealed that the specialized elementary school in

the Metropolitan area had the greatest mean score across all categories of ICT

competency standards, whereas both rural schools had the lowest, especially on
competencies under the knowledge-deepening method. In a survey conducted in Central

Visayas Region, respondents' ICT competency level has an aggregate mean of 1.62 out of

a maximum score of 3, which is regarded as under knowledge deepening level. The

respondents' lowest degree of ability is also expressly stated around the area of ICT tools

and operation (Marcial & Dela Rama, 2015). The findings from the study of Araiz (2018)

also revealed that ICT coordinators were intermediate in the Technology Operations and

Concepts, Social and Ethical, and Pedagogical Domains, but basic in the Professional

Domain.

Yazon et al., (2019), described that teacher’s digital literacy is “Quite Confident”

in terms of understanding digital practices, finding information, using information,

creating information while teacher’s competence has a varying score from “Often” to

“Sometimes”. Caluza (2018) discovered that there were teachers whose ICT competence

was classified as “Basic”, which means they have a basic understanding of hardware and

software, web browsers, and other multimedia devices. Furthermore, some teachers were

classified as ‘’Digitally Illiterate’’, which means they do not know how to use computers.

Another study concluded that the teachers’ ICT competency based on Basic Computer

Operation, Word Processing, Use of Graphics, Use of Internet, Use of electronic mail (E-

mail), Information Searching, Video Production, Use of Presentation Skills and, Use of

Interactive Whiteboard as perceived by the teachers and pupils is generally at moderate

level (Catanaoan, 2018).These findings are quite surprising because it is reasonable to

believe that the more technologically literate our instructors are, the more they'll use these

abilities in the classroom, instilling in our students a strong sense of digital citizenship.
And in this time of pandemic, digital teacher competence is instrumental in adapting to

online teaching during COVID-19 school closures (König, Jäger-Biela & Glutsch, 2020).

The impact of demographic and work-related profiles on digital literacy and

competence has received less attention in our local setting. An examination of previous

research studies and reports on the determinants of digital literacy and competence

among teachers in the Philippines reveals that the relationship between factors such as

personal and work-related factors varies.

Age and gender make no difference in the extent to which people use computers

in different subject areas, but years of experience teaching make a big impact. This

simply means that younger teachers in the service are more exposed to and proficient in

the use of computers than teachers with more than 21 years of experience in the

classroom (Reyes, 2019). This has been supported by the findings of Araiz (2018) where

the researcher cited that gender, age, educational attainment, length of service, and

position among ICT coordinators were not found to have significant relationships with

their level of competence in Information and communications technology measured in

terms of technology operations and concepts, social and ethical, pedagogical domains,

and professional domains. On the contrary, the works of Marcial & Dela Rama (2015),

cited that young adults between the ages of 19 and 40 have higher degree of competency

than middle adults between the ages of 41 and 65, as well as those at maturity age.

Further to their study, the test of the association between the respondents' profiles and all

ICT competencies show that demographic and techno-graphic profiles are both important

in ICT integration. The type of institution, educational attainment has an impact on the

level of ICT competence. Respondents from private higher education institutions and
those with postgraduate degrees have higher ICT competence. However, given that age

and highest educational attainment affect ICT competency, sex, marital status, and

number of years in teaching had no effect on ICT proficiency levels. Malaga (2014),

supported this by concluding that difference in ICT capability among faculty members

was significantly influenced by their age and the subjects they taught. ICT capability was

clearly related to factors such as age and ICT access. Nonetheless, studies indicate that a

high-quality training program should be offered on a regular basis in order to maintain

high level of competence. Teachers must receive training to integrate ICT into their

teaching and other related tasks in order to improve the quality of education (Marcial et

al, 2015;Araiz, 2018; Caluza et al, 2017;Caluza, 2018; Reyes, 2019).

There is still a generation gap when it comes to the adoption of digital tools and

technology, with Generation Xers and Yers considerably ahead of both Boomers and

Seniors (Leeuwen, 2010). Disparity is highly evident between male and female teachers,

teachers with high and low teaching experience and, teachers with high and low

education levels in terms of their computer literacy (Konan, 2010). Male prospective

teachers had a higher level of visual and computer literacy than female prospective

teachers. Departmental variable also found to have significant difference in the study of

Çam & Kiyici (2017). This was reinforced by Cruzado et al. (2021) where they noted that

the levels of digital skills can be influenced by gender, age, teaching experience, teaching

level taught, and the title of the center. Teachers from private centers would have a higher

level than those from subsidized centers or public schools, according to the model. These

findings contradict those of a study conducted by Cabrera, López & Pozo (2019) which

found that public schools had higher levels of digital competency than private
institutions. On the contrary, findings from the works of Andoh (2019) concluded that

female teachers reported using ICT more than male teachers. Nonetheless, there appears

to be a link between the respondents' personal variables. Krumsvik et al. (2016)

suggested that certain demographic, personal, and professional characteristics, such as a

teacher's age, work experience, gender, screen time, and ICT education, can predict

whether a teacher has high or low digital competence. Javier et al., (2019) also detected

certain socio-demographic factors to have a significant impact on the acquisition of

digital competence. Ali, Ashraf and Yasmin (2020) showed that the use of digital skills

varies greatly between public and private institutions. Teachers in private schools were

also found to be more creative in their use of digital skills. On the contrary, findings from

the works of Maksimović & Dimić (2016) revealed that there are no statistically

significant differences in teachers' attitudes toward the importance of using ICT

competencies in the classroom based on the variables of gender, years of service, and

education. Teachers' technology knowledge was negatively correlated with their age,

years of teaching experience, titles, and university degrees (Demeshkant & Tomczyk,

2020).

Attitude, Training and Resources Implication

Attitude is referred to ethereal reality that manifests in people's ideas, behaviors,

beliefs, and words. It is considered that it influences people's behavior and action because

they are the result of their emotional and cognitive assessments of reality. Consequently,

they emerge from the realm of ideas and manifest in a variety of characteristics of a

subject's behavior (dimensions), making it hard to study them all at once (Ankiewicz,

2019). In contrast, attitudes are perceptive reality that presents itself via people's actions,
beliefs, and statements. These are the factors that influence people's behavior and

behaviors because of their emotional (feelings) and cognitive (thoughts) assessments of

reality (Guillén-Gámez et al., 2020). Attitudes toward technology are ideas, concepts, and

thoughts that govern behaviors, and in this study, researcher is looking for a link between

these characteristics and how they predict digital literacy and competence.

Overall, existing research and practice in the subject of digital competence paints

a jumbled picture of how resources, training, and attitude influence digital literacy and

competence. Moreno and Delgado (2013), conducted a study with the goal of evaluating

university students' digital competency and understanding their attitudes toward ICT.

Study shows that students lacked appropriate digital competence but had a positive

attitude toward ICT, according to the findings. There was a substantial link between

attitudes and ICT skills, as well as a positive attitude toward ICT among e-learning

students. A survey of 200 Spanish university students was done in Spain. According to

the findings, there is a substantial positive link between attitudes toward ICT and

computer skill among research participants, and the greater the degree of computer

proficiency, the higher the computer competence (Agut,Lozano and Peris, 2014).

Alvarado et al. (2020) use a qualitative approach to examine the attitudes of 56

Ecuadorian teachers toward ICT, concluding that technological endowment and specific

training in digital competence are important factors in a more positive view of technology

integration in educational processes.

Guillén-Gámez et al. (2020) supported these findings as their study proves that

ICT is perceived as a valuable educational resource. Respondents have utilized ICT in

their classes on a regular basis and consider it necessary to update their knowledge about
digital tools. Interestingly, (He et al., 2019) explored different facets of students' digital

informal learning practices such as cognitive, metacognitive, social, and motivational

learning were investigated. Both attitudinal characteristics and digital competence in the

deconstructed theory of planned behavior properly characterized students' digital

informal learning, according to the findings. Finally, students' digital informal learning is

linked to their digital competency as well as other deconstructed theory of planned

behavior characteristics.

The All Digital Manifesto (2021) outlines important ideas and proposals for

maximizing the impact of digital competence education and training for all European

citizens. The Manifesto outlines important ideas and proposals for maximizing the impact

of digital competence education and training for all European citizens and it highlights

the importance of training and education to continually evolve and transform digital

competence. Digital technologies are a valuable resource for school systems, with

enormous potential in terms of education and skill development. It enables access to a

wealth of learning materials, can revolutionize teaching and learning methods in schools,

and can improve educational decision-making (OECD, 2020) that there was a positive

and high relationship between integration of ICT and digital skills.

To emphasize the need of teacher training and digital competency. A study was

undertaken to identify digital competence and determine the extent to which DC better

supports the development of Open Educational Resources (OER). The study concurs that

while online teaching supports teachers' DC, it is extremely important in OER

production. The key implication is that teachers' DC must be trained to prepare them to

use OER; however, teacher education must first address teachers' actual performance
levels (Ramírez-Montoya et al., 2017). It is possible to improve a lack of digital abilities.

Some elements, such as prior teacher training, the location of their school, or the category

of teaching to which he belongs, interact to influence the development of digital

competence. To achieve long-term educational progress, Prieto et al., (2021),

recommended continuing to encourage in-service training in digital competence for in-

service teachers.

Tusiime et al. (2019) performed a research into how art and design teacher

educators acquire digital skills in Ugandan teacher training institutes. According to the

findings, art and design teachers create digital competence through both formal and

informal methods, including cooperation, self-teaching, and repetition. The empirical

findings add to the body of knowledge and provide insight into the development of digital

competence among Ugandan teachers. Van Dijk (2005) agrees and adds that people

should be constantly practicing digital skills, which he refers to as "the breeding ground

of all digital skills" (p.90). He claims that the assumption that digital skills are learned or

should be learned in computer classes is a fallacy, saying that these are not the most

significant ways of learning computer skills but rather give a solid foundation for

developing digital abilities.

 Chapter 3

METHODS OF RESEARCH

This chapter will present the backbone of the study that is supported by

theory and the concept paradigm. A description of the method of research and

procedures, respondents of the study, the statistical treatment of data and the data-

gathering procedure

Theoretical Framework

The Resources and Appropriation Theory (Van Dijk, 2005), will assist this

undertaking to develop a good analysis in the setting of this study to determine the

possible influence of personal, work-related, ICT-related variables and the attitudinal

attributes of the teacher. The theory's proponent explains that categorical inequalities in

society give rise to unequal distribution of resources and that unequal distribution causes

unequal access to technology.

The theory proposes four successive phases of technology appropriation. This

theory understands technology acceptance as a sequential process, which is called

appropriation. Appropriation of technology will occur in four stages: attitude, material

access, skills, and usage. To surpass each appropriation level, one must first have a

favorable attitude towards technology to acquire material access, then learn the necessary

skills and use the technology. Even having physical and material access to technology

does not automatically lead to its appropriation since one needs first to learn several skills

to use technology appropriately.

Access is defined as the appropriation process that starts with general attitudes

about technology and develops to physical and material access, which is considered part
of the first level divide. All phases that follow: physical access, digital skills, and usage,

are driven by motivation. Personality, intelligence, abilities, needs, and attitudes are

among the personal mental categories that emerge. However, in this study, the attitude

toward technology will take precedence. It will comprehensively utilize the concepts of

Selwyn (1997), which brings up the focus of teachers' attitudes on adopting ICT in the

classroom. Affective, perceived usefulness, perceived control, and behavioral intention

components are all considered in this study to be components that makeup attitudes about

computer use. The outcomes of the entire process cause more or less participation in

society in several domains. Here, the participation in society will be observed in light of

digital literacy and competence as part of the education domain of the society.

Gender, age, and ethnicity are the most commonly observed personal

characteristics affecting internet access (Scheerder et al., 2017). Van Dijk's theory argues

that personal and positional differences across people lead to inequities in the distribution

of resources, resulting in inequalities in appropriation at each of the four stages. The

theory also identified several variables under personal, i.e., gender, ethnicity, intelligence,

personality, and health and positional inequalities, i.e., labor position, education,

household composition, and nation. In this paper, personal and positional variables will

include the personal and work-related profile to determine whether this could impact the

variables under inquiry.

Conceptual Framework

Guided by the ideas of Resources and Appropriation Theory the present study will

be anchored on the concepts presented below.

 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES

Digital Literacy
Personal and Work-Related
Variables Understanding Digital
Practices

Finding Information
ICT Related Variables
Using Information
Availability and Utilization
of ICT Resources Creating Information

Availability of ICT
Infrastructure and Facility Digital Competence
at School
Professional Engagement
Pre-Service training on
ICT Digital Resources

In-Service training on ICT Teaching and Learning

Teacher’s Attitude in using ICT Assessment

Affective Empowering Learners

Perceived Usefulness Facilitating Learner’s Digital

Competence
Perceived Control

Behavioral Intention
Figure 1
Conceptual Framework

The researcher will utilize two (2) variables. The independent variables will

include personal and work-related profiles measured in terms of age, gender, highest

educational attainment, level of students handled, years of service, and employment

sector. Considering the material access proposition of Van Dijk (2005), ICT-related

variables will be used to determine the; availability and utilization of ICT resources,

availability of ICT infrastructure and facility at school; pre-service and in-service training
on ICT. And lastly, attitude towards ICT will be explored whether it influences the

dependent variables, which will be examined in terms of the respondent’s digital literacy

and competence wherein it underpins professional engagement, digital resources,

teaching and learning, assessment, empowering learners, and facilitating learner’s digital

competence.

Definition of Terms

For better understanding and interpretation of this study, the following terms are

operationally defined;

Digital literacy is defined as the proficiency in the four key areas, namely;

understanding digital practices, finding information, using information, creating

information.

Understanding Digital Practices is an element of digital literacy which describes

the proficiency in knowing various online tools and networks and how to use them

appropriately.

Finding information is an element of digital literacy which describes the

proficiency in knowing what digital resources are accessible and how to use them.

Using information is an element of digital literacy which describes the

proficiency in using digital knowledge resources for knowledge sharing.

Creating information is an element of digital literacy, which describes the

proficiency in creating digital content and communicating it effectively using several

digital media tools.

 ICT Related Variables are described as the availability and utilization of ICT

resources both owned and available at the school, such as desktops, smartphones,

printers, and other resources, which are believed to enhance teachers' digital literacy and

competence by time of usage.

Pre-Service Training is defined as an element of ICT-related variable wherein it

considers the respondents' computer courses during the undergraduate program.

In-Service Training is defined as an element of ICT-related variables wherein it measures

the number of training and hours during their service in teaching.

Attitude towards ICT refers to the belief on how attitudes affect digital literacy

and competence determined by the following elements; affective, perceived usefulness,

perceived control, and behavioral intent.

Digital competence refers to the proficiency of the respondent teachers using

information technology in teaching to effectively manage students’ learning and produce

knowledge. It is measured using six (6) areas of competence: professional engagement;

digital resources; teaching and learning; assessment; empowering; facilitating learner’s

digital competence.

Professional engagement refers to the area of digital competence, which focuses

on respondent teachers’ ability to use digital technology to improve the teaching and

learning process, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Digital resources refer to the area of digital competence which enables the

utilization of various sources to create, modify and or adapt materials to achieve its
teaching objectives. This competence area also measures the ability to protect digital

content and information.

Teaching and learning refer to the area of digital competence, which describes

the ability to design, plan, and implement digital technologies in the different stages of

teaching and learning.

Assessment is a digital competence area that is linked to the use of digital tools to

assess the students’ progress to effectively improve the teaching-learning process.

Empowering is a digital competence area that describes the ability to promote students’

engagement in the teaching-learning process while considering the uniqueness of each

learner.

Facilitating a learner’s digital competence is a competence that describes the

ability to enable digital competence among students.

Research Design

The proponent of this study will employ a descriptive-correlational research

design to shed light on the current phenomenon under investigation. To address the

problems of the study and to achieve its purpose. This design is appropriate because the

intention is to describe several variables such as; personal and work-related profile,

availability and use of ICT, and attitude towards ICT and how it influences the

respondents’ digital literacy and competency. Correlational research is a non-

experimental quantitative design in which the researcher applies correlational statistics to

measure and describe the degree of association among variables or sets of scores

(Creswell, 2012).
Population Sampling and Respondents of the Study

This study will utilize a convenience sampling since most of the school are not in

regular operation and teachers could either be working from home due to COVID-19

restrictions wherein holding classroom classes is still not permitted. The researcher opted

to utilize this technique to represent respondents from the population of private and

government schools in Olongapo City. The table below provides the population of target

respondents.

Table 1 Distribution of the Research Population

Junior High School Senior High School

Teacher I 438 32
Teacher II 79 49
Teacher III 156 8
Total 673 89
Overall 762

Based on the Slovin’s calculation the required sample size is 256 to represent the

entire population and promote a statistically significant result.

Research Instrument

The instrument that will be used in the study will be adopted from several open so

urces to satisfy the objectives and conceptual framework of the study. There are five secti

ons of instrumentation that will be administered in this study.

Section I will consist of the items pertaining to the personal and work-related characterist

ics of respondents. The items are age, gender, highest educational attainment, years of ex

perience in teaching, level handled, and the type of educational institution.

Section II contains the Information and Communications Technology-related questions w

hich were adopted from the work of Ikhlas (2020). Questions include; the availability and

utilization of personal and school ICT resources, ICT training during pre-service, and in-s

ervice-related training attended by the teachers.

Section III consists of the questionnaire of attitudes toward computer questionnair

e adopted by (Selwyn 1997) entitled “Computer Attitude Scale.” This questionnaire has b

een used continuously by many researchers in the 2000s, such as Tsai and Lin (2001), Te

o (2008), Hong and Koh (2002), and Ikhlas (2020). In this questionnaire, there are 25 ite

ms divided into four dimensions, such as affective component, which is consists of six ite

ms, perceived usefulness component (five items), perceived control component (six item

s), behavioral intention component (four items). The items will be answered using a Liker

t scale of 1 – Strongly Disagree, 2 – Disagree, 3 – Neutral, 4 – Agree, 5 – Strongly Agree.

Section V will cover the questions pertaining to the digital literacy developed by

Being Digital: Digital Literacy Checklist of The Open University in the United Kingdom

(2012). This tool will measure four areas of digital literacy, namely, understanding digital

practices, finding information, using information, creating information. The tool is a self-

assessed instrument given to respondent teachers. It is composed of thirty (30) items wher

ein questions will be rated from “very confident” to “not confident” using a five (5) point

Likert scale of 1 – Poor, 2 – Fair, 3 – Good, 4 – Very Good, 5 – Excellent.

In Section VI, the digital competence will be assessed using the self-assessment to

ol developed by European Digital Competence Framework for Educators. The self-assess

ment tool is directed towards educators at all levels of education, from early childhood to

higher and adult education. The self-assessment tool provides teachers a tool for reflectin
g on their current take-up of digital technologies for innovative and effective learning. It i

s composed of 22 statements following the concrete action statement as per DigComEdu

competence. Each of the statements presented will be asked the participants to rate and re

flect their own practices using a five-point rating scale. The scoring rule for the instrumen

t allocates 0 points to the lowest answer options, 1 to the second-lowest, and so on, so tha

t the maximum number of points per question is 4. The maximum total number of scores

will be eighty-eight (Benali et al., 2018).

The DigComEdu instrument will further assess the overall digital competence of t

he respondents following the scoring rule with the Common European Framework of Ref

erence (CEFR). The instrument details the results as follows;

SCORE LEVEL DESCRIPTION

below 20 Newcomer (A1) A1 is characterized by an individual to
have the opportunity to begin enhancing
their skills with digital technology
21 and 33 Explorer (A2) A2 mean that you are aware of the
potential of digital technologies and are
interested in exploring them to enhance
pedagogical and professional practice.
You have started using digital
technologies in some areas and will
benefit from more consistent practice.
You can increase your competence by
collaborating and exchanging with
colleagues, and by further amplifying
your repertoire of digital practices and
skills
34 and 49 Integrator (B1) B1 are those who experiment with digital
technologies in a variety of contexts and
for a range of purposes, integrating them
into many of their practices. They
creatively use them to enhance diverse
aspects of their professional engagement.
Eager to expand repertoire of practices.
50 and 65 Expert (B2) This means you use a range of digital
technologies confidently, creatively and
 critically to enhance your professional
activities. You purposefully select digital
technologies for particular situations, and
try to understand the benefits and
drawbacks of different digital strategies.
You are curious and open to new ideas,
knowing that there are many things you
have not tried out yet. You use
experimentation as a means of expanding,
structuring and consolidating your
repertoire of strategies.
66 and 80 Leader (C1) You have a consistent and comprehensive
approach to using digital technologies to
enhance pedagogic and professional
practices. You rely on a broad repertoire
of digital strategies from which you know
how to choose the most appropriate for
any given situation. You continuously
reflect on and further develop your
practices. Exchanging with peers, you
keep updated on new developments and
ideas and help other teachers seize the
potential of digital technologies for
enhancing teaching and learning
above 80 Pioneer (C2) Pioneer questions the adequacy of
contemporary digital and pedagogical
practices, in which you are a Leader. You
are concerned about the constraints or
drawbacks of these practices and driven
by the impulse to innovate education even
further. You experiment with highly
innovative and complex digital
technologies and/or develop novel
pedagogical approaches. You lead
innovation and are a role model for other
teachers.

Since the accuracy and consistency of the survey/questionnaire forms a significant

aspect of any research project, the researcher will assess the instruments' validity and

reliability by employing Cronbach's alpha, one of the most common methods for

checking internal consistency reliability.

Cronbach’s Alpha: Reliability and Internal Consistency

The degree to which a measurement is a consistent measure of a concept determines its

reliability, and Cronbach's alpha is one way of determining the strength of internal

consistency. When providing this overall assessment of a measure's reliability, the

resulting reliability coefficient ranges from 0 to 1. The researcher conducted a pre-testing

of the instrument after it had been content validated by his adviser and an external adviser

to determine the validity and reliability of the tools that will be used. The result was a

positive number, indicating that the instrument is extremely reliable.

The respondents' attitudes toward using ICTs are addressed in Section 3 of the

instrument, and the test results are presented in the table below. The instrument is made

up of 21 items and has a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.751.

Table 2: Output of Reliability Test Items (Cronbach alpha) of Attitude Towards the Use

of ICT

Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Alpha
Based on
Standardized
Cronbach's Alpha Items N of Items
.751 .736 21

Item-Total Statistics
Scale Mean if Scale Variance if Corrected Item- Squared Multiple Cronbach's Alpha
Item Deleted Item Deleted Total Correlation Correlation if Item Deleted
ATT1 70.23 81.447 -.085 .739 .782
ATT2 68.87 79.849 .213 .852 .748
ATT3 69.32 79.426 .094 .656 .753
ATT4 71.35 67.303 .539 .792 .719
ATT5 71.65 69.570 .565 .845 .720
ATT6 69.16 76.140 .289 .716 .743
ATT7 71.48 68.991 .583 .830 .718
ATT8 69.23 80.314 .025 .747 .758
ATT9 69.48 77.658 .204 .756 .748
ATT10 71.26 68.798 .465 .791 .727
ATT11 70.87 72.516 .328 .781 .740
ATT12 69.29 77.080 .173 .782 .751
ATT13 70.10 69.690 .447 .717 .729
 AAT14 71.32 68.159 .534 .750 .720
ATT15 69.68 78.226 .136 .734 .752
ATT16 71.74 72.198 .456 .819 .730
ATT17 68.87 82.116 -.124 .724 .757
ATT18 69.13 79.249 .161 .821 .749
ATT19 70.48 72.058 .375 .658 .736
ATT20 71.81 67.961 .718 .939 .710
ATT21 68.87 81.316 -.006 .715 .754

Section 4 of the instrument is about digital literacy comprised of 30 questions, and

Section 5 is about digital competence containing 23 questions. Both had a satisfactory

Cronbach alpha value of 0.979 and 0.939 respectively, indicating that the items have a

high level of internal consistency. The table below presents the results.

Table 3: Output of Reliability Test Items (Cronbach alpha) of Digital Literacy

Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
Alpha Based on
Cronbach's
Item-TotalStandardized
Statistics
Alpha Items N of Items
Corrected Item- Cronbach's
Scale Mean if Scale Variance
.979 .981 30 if Item
Total Alpha
Item Deleted if Item Deleted
Correlation Deleted
LIT1 120.07 309.456 .761 .978
LIT2 119.96 308.191 .914 .978
LIT3 119.81 309.772 .770 .978
LIT4 119.89 312.564 .643 .979
LIT5 120.00 308.846 .846 .978
LIT6 119.74 307.815 .823 .978
LIT7 120.00 309.154 .904 .978
LIT8 119.96 308.652 .894 .978
LIT9 119.93 310.917 .844 .978
LIT10 119.85 309.362 .864 .978
LIT11 119.85 307.900 .858 .978
LIT12 119.89 307.872 .878 .978
LIT13 119.89 320.487 .295 .981
LIT14 119.96 306.806 .901 .978
LIT15 119.96 308.499 .901 .978
LIT16 119.89 310.872 .821 .978
LIT17 120.15 309.285 .684 .979
LIT18 119.96 309.422 .862 .978
LIT19 119.85 312.823 .787 .978
LIT20 120.30 304.601 .624 .980
LIT21 119.78 314.026 .644 .979
LIT22 119.74 312.123 .770 .978
LIT23 119.85 312.208 .815 .978
LIT24 119.89 310.949 .755 .978
LIT25 120.11 305.641 .784 .978
LIT26 120.04 308.729 .764 .978
LIT27 120.11 307.487 .723 .978
LIT28 119.85 307.670 .763 .978
LIT29 120.00 307.077 .855 .978
LIT30 119.85 308.593 .897 .978
Table 3: Output of Reliability Test Items (Cronbach alpha) of Digital Competence

Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Alpha
Based on
Standardized
Cronbach's Alpha Items N of Items
.939 .945 23

Item-Total Statistics
Scale Mean if Scale Variance if Corrected Item- Cronbach's Alpha if
Item Deleted Item Deleted Total Correlation Item Deleted
COMPE1 91.57 125.978 .348 .943
COMPE2 89.83 126.144 .511 .938
COMPE3 90.20 124.579 .579 .937
COMPE4 90.07 125.789 .655 .936
COMPE5 90.23 127.702 .395 .940
COMPE6 90.10 128.783 .464 .938
COMPE7 90.20 126.717 .522 .938
COMPE8 90.00 126.759 .418 .940
COMPE9 90.30 125.252 .733 .935
COMPE10 90.27 121.513 .709 .935
COMPE11 90.10 126.990 .541 .937
COMPE12 90.07 124.892 .664 .936
COMPE13 90.00 124.828 .606 .937
COMPE14 90.27 121.926 .811 .934
COMPE15 90.00 125.241 .796 .935
COMPE16 90.17 124.351 .750 .935
COMPE17 90.13 125.913 .680 .936
COMPE18 90.07 123.030 .733 .935
COMPE19 90.23 123.357 .806 .934
COMPE20 90.07 124.961 .711 .935
COMPE21 90.37 120.585 .780 .934
COMPE22 90.17 126.626 .650 .936
COMPE23 90.20 122.510 .695 .935
Statistical Treatment of Data
 The gathered data will be treated with statistical analyses, which will include

frequency, percentage, weighted mean in interpreting the measure of digital literacy and

competence. This study will also utilize the following statistical method;

Correlation is a bivariate analysis that determines the intensity of association and

the direction of the relationship between two variables. A zero-order correlation will be

used, which simply refers to the correlation between two variables (the independent and

dependent variables) without considering the influence of any other factors. When

analyzing with more than two variables (i.e., numerous independent variables, as in this

study), it is recommended that we learn the simple relationships between the variables to

better understand the data.

Multiple regression analysis will also be used to describe the relationships

between independent and dependent variables. This statistical technique will be used to

measure the strength of a linear association between each independent variable and the

dependent variable identified in this study. This technique will also predict which among

the independent variables influences the respondents’ digital literacy and competence.

Ethical Considerations

The researcher will ensure that the study participants’ individual right to make

decisions about themselves will be ensured. Participants will be informed about what will

be required of them, including the approximate time requirement, questions they may or

may not answer, and if they wish to withdraw anytime during the start of data gathering

will be highly respected. They will also be ensured that any information that they may

share in the completion of this study will be highly confidential and will be used for the
benefits of generating quality data for this study. Approval from the School Division

office of Olongapo will also be sought before the actual administration of the study

questionnaire among the target group.