Development of Pedagogical Digital Competence of Pre-Service Teachers In Bulgaria

The aim of the present study is to examine the strategies and approaches used to develop pedagogical digital competences in the training of future teachers at one of Bulgaria’s leading institutions for teacher education – Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – from the perspective of both students and their lecturers. More specifically, the focus is on investigating the application of the strategies outlined in Tondeur’s model. The study was conduct-ed with 179 students and 34 lecturers. The data reveal a considerable range of views between the two groups. According to the lecturers, the most commonly applied strategy in the preparation of student teachers is the role model approach, whereas, from the students’ perspective, authentic experience is the least used strategy. Recommendations are provided for improving teacher training programmes with a view to enhancing the pedagogical digital competence of future teachers.