[EN] Flash Report (May 2025) on the Digital Competences of Teachers in Romania Based on DigCompEdu Framework
21st May 2025
This report presents a detailed assessment of digital competences among Romanian educators based on the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu). The analysis reveals that Romanian teachers currently demonstrate an intermediate level of digital proficiency (average score: 53.6%), with notable strengths in professional development and reflective practices. However, significant gaps exist in collaborative learning facilitation, digital resource management, and evidence-based assessment. This report outlines specific findings across all six DigCompEdu domains and provides strategic recommendations for enhancing the digital capabilities of Romania's teaching workforce.
Introduction
In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, digital competence has become an essential requirement for effective teaching and learning. The DigCompEdu framework offers a comprehensive approach to assessing educators' digital skills across six interconnected domains. This report analyzes the current state of digital competences among Romanian teachers based on statistical data from May 2025, highlighting strengths, identifying weaknesses, and proposing targeted interventions.
Methodology
Methodology The data in this report was collected through a nationwide assessment of Romanian teachers using the DigCompEdu self-assessment tool. The framework evaluates 22 specific competences across six domains, with scores ranging from 0% to 100%. The assessment was conducted between January 2024 and May 2025, with data analysis completed in May 2025. The sample is a convenience (opt-in) sample and included 2000 teachers from urban and rural areas, representing various educational levels and subject specializations: digcompedu.net/statistici.
Detailed Findings by Domain
Domain 1: Professional Engagement (Overall Score: 61.9%)
This domain assesses how educators use digital technologies for communication, collaboration, reflection, and professional development.
| Competence Area | Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Organizational Communication | 59.4% | Moderate proficiency with email and basic messaging; challenges with advanced collaboration platforms. |
| Professional Collaboration | 57.6% | Intermediate engagement in digital networks; room to improve virtual teamwork and resource sharing. |
| Reflective Practices | 62.7% | Good use of digital portfolios and assessment tools to reflect on teaching strategies. |
| Continuous Professional Development | 67.9% | Strong participation in webinars, online courses, and digital learning communities. |
Key Insight: Continuous professional development is the strongest area, laying the foundation for further digital skill growth.
Domain 2: Digital Resources (Overall Score: 53.4%)
This domain evaluates how educators select, create, modify, and manage digital teaching materials.
| Competence Area | Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Selecting Digital Resources | 60.5% | Reasonable ability to find and evaluate resources; may need help assessing quality. |
| Creating and Modifying Resources | 55.4% | Moderate capability to adapt existing content; limited original resource creation. |
| Managing, Protecting & Sharing | 44.4% | Weakness in organization, copyright, licensing, and data protection. |
Key Insight: Secure and ethical resource management is the biggest challenge.
Domain 3: Teaching & Learning (Overall Score: 51.0%)
This domain focuses on the implementation of digital technologies in teaching and learning processes.
| Competence Area | Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching | 56.2% | Moderate use of presentation software and interactive whiteboards; potential to expand digital pedagogy. |
| Guidance & Counseling | 53.5% | Basic digital support and feedback; personalization can be improved. |
| Collaborative Learning | 47.2% | Below average in designing effective digital collaboration activities. |
| Self-Regulated Learning | 47.1% | Limited strategies for student planning, monitoring, and evaluation via digital tools. |
Key Insight: Teachers need support to facilitate collaborative and self-regulated learning.
Domain 4: Assessment (Overall Score: 50.5%)
This domain examines how educators use digital technologies for assessment and feedback.
| Competence Area | Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment Strategies | 51.8% | Basic digital quizzes are used; lack of diverse assessment methods. |
| Analyzing Evidence | 48.6% | Difficulty interpreting and using student performance data effectively. |
| Feedback & Planning | 51.1% | Timely digital feedback provided; needs greater personalization and actionability. |
Key Insight: Data-driven assessment and evidence-based planning require significant development.
Domain 5: Student Engagement (Overall Score: 53.9%)
This domain focuses on using digital technologies to enhance student engagement and inclusion.
| Competence Area | Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility & Inclusion | 53.9% | Basic awareness of accessibility features; implementation can be broadened. |
| Differentiation & Personalization | 55.4% | Basic differentiation strategies used; deeper personalization possible. |
| Active Engagement | 52.3% | Some interactive activities implemented; more varied engagement strategies needed. |
Key Insight: Advanced personalization and active learning approaches can boost student experience.
Domain 6: Facilitating Student Digital Competences (Overall Score: 51.4%)
This domain assesses how educators develop students' digital skills.
| Competence Area | Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Media Literacy | 51.9% | Basic guidance on evaluating digital information; critical evaluation skills need strengthening. |
| Digital Communication | 53.5% | Basic digital citizenship guidelines; can expand responsible communication practices. |
| Digital Content Creation | 48.5% | Limited integration of student creative projects into the curriculum. |
| Responsible Use | 49.0% | Needs more guidance on digital well-being, safety, and ethics. |
| Problem-Solving | 54.1% | Basic troubleshooting support; greater emphasis on computational thinking is recommended. |
Key Insight: Support is needed in fostering creative content creation and responsible digital citizenship.
Comparative Analysis
Across domains, the strongest is Professional Engagement (61.9%) and the weakest is Assessment (50.5%). The highest individual competence is Continuous Professional Development (67.9%), while the lowest is Managing, Protecting & Sharing Digital Resources (44.4%). Romania scores 8–12 points below the European average in most areas.
Regional Variations
- Urban teachers score 7–12% higher than rural colleagues.
- Secondary school teachers outperform primary school teachers by 8.4% on average.
- STEM teachers score higher than humanities teachers in most domains, except Assessment.
Recommendations for Improvement
Short-term Actions (6–12 months)
- Immediate Training Focus: Target Managing Digital Resources, Collaborative Learning, and Self-Regulated Learning.
- Peer Mentoring Program: Pair digitally proficient teachers with those needing support.
- Resource Management Workshops: Sessions on copyright, licensing, and secure data storage.
Medium-term Strategies (1–2 years)
- Curriculum Integration: Subject-specific guidelines for collaborative and self-regulated digital learning.
- Assessment Literacy Program: Training on digital assessment methods and data analysis.
- Digital Resource Repository: National, quality-assured repository organized by subject and level.
Long-term Initiatives (2–5 years)
- Digital Competence Certification: National certification aligned with DigCompEdu.
- Institutional Digital Strategies: Require comprehensive digital transformation plans for all schools.
- Research & Innovation: Fund action research in effective digital pedagogy for Romania.
Conclusion
Romanian teachers have a foundational digital competence level (average: 53.6%) with strengths in professional development and reflection. Major improvements are needed in resource management, collaborative learning facilitation, data-driven assessment, and student digital citizenship development.
While Romanian educators embrace tools for their own growth, they need support translating these skills into effective digital pedagogy. Strategic, targeted interventions in collaborative learning and resource management are essential for advancing digital education in Romania.
Data Source: digcompedu.net/statistici
Report Date: 21 May 2025
Prepared by: Digital Education Research Team (coord.: Doru Ștefănescu), Institute for Education (Bucharest) & Social IT
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During the text development process, AI-powered digital assistants (Copilot, Claude, ResearchRabbit) were consulted to find additional sources of information, for additions, to improve coherence, clarity and accuracy. All AI suggestions were evaluated and selected by the authors, who fully own the ideas and intellectual contribution in this text.