Civic Knowledge and Civic Skills as Enabling Conditions for Digital Citizenship: Examining Their Scope and Limits Among Pre-Service Elementary Teachers
Abstract
The rapid expansion of digital technologies has increased the urgency of developing responsible digital citizenship, yet existing studies have predominantly explained digital citizenship from the perspectives of digital literacy and technological competence, with limited attention to the contribution of civic competence. Addressing this gap, this study examined the extent to which civic knowledge and civic skills function as enabling conditions for digital citizenship among pre-service elementary school teachers. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed involving 56 participants, and the data were analysed using multiple linear regression. The findings indicate that both civic knowledge and civic skills are significantly associated with digital citizenship, with civic skills demonstrating a stronger contribution. However, the model explained only 38.7% of the variance in digital citizenship, suggesting that responsible digital citizenship is shaped not only by civic competence but also by broader contextual factors, including digital literacy, digital self-efficacy, institutional support, technology access, and learning environments. Conceptually, this study advances the literature by positioning civic knowledge and civic skills as enabling conditions rather than deterministic predictors of digital citizenship. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of integrating civic competence with authentic digital learning experiences, including project-based learning, ethical decision-making, critical evaluation of online information, and collaborative digital activities within teacher education programmes. These findings provide a conceptual and practical foundation for strengthening civic education in preparing future elementary school teachers for responsible participation in increasingly complex digital societies.
References
Agus, A. A., Rizal, A., Muhajir, M., & Jamalong, A. (2025). From awareness to action: rethinking high school civic education for the digital generation in Indonesia. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2534156
Al-abdullatif, A. M., & Gameil, A. A. (2020). Exploring students’ knowledge and practice of digital citizenship in higher education. IJET: Internasional Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 15(19), 122–142. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i19.15611
Alkhalaf, A. K. (2024). University students’ perpceptions and practices of online co-construction of digital citizenship competencies. IJET: International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 19(8), 32–47. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v19i08.52543
Assante, G. M., Popa, N. L., & Momanu, M. (2022). How personal values and critical dispositions support digital citizenship development in higher education students. Frontiers in Psychology, October, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.990518
Azis, A., Maftuhin, M., & Nugraha, D. M. (2021). Citizenship education in the Covid-19 Era: How to become a digital citizen ? Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 18(2), 207–216. https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v18i2.40833Jurnal Civics
Branson, M. S. (1998). The Role of Civic Education (Calabasas, Issue September). CA: Center for Civic Education.
Buasuwan, P., Suebnusorn, W., Butkatunyoo, O., Lalitpasan, U., Srilapo, N., Sarnswang, S., Suksiri, W., Wiboonuppatham, R., & Sripongpankul, S. (2022). Re-envisioning a “skills framework” to meet 21st century demands: What do young people need ? Frontiers in Education, October, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.1004748
Çemçem, G. D., Cemcem, D., & Investigation, R. (2023). Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers’ Levels of Digital Citizenship, Digital Wisdom, and Digital Fluency. International Journal of Technology in Education (IJTE), 6(3), 364-384. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.427
Choi, M. (2016). A Concept Analysis of Digital Citizenship for Democratic Citizenship Education in the Internet Age. Theory & Research in Social Education, September, 1–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2016.1210549
Dolezal, D., Motschnig, R., & Ambros, R. (2025). Pre-Service Teachers’ Digital Competence: A Call for Action. Education Sciences, 15(2), 160. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020160
Falloon, G. (2020). From digital literacy to digital competence: the teacher digital competency (TDC) framework. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(5), 2449–2472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09767-4
Guerrero Elecalde, R., Contreras García, J., Bonilla Martos, A. L., & Serrano Arnáez, B. (2024). Digital and Social-Civic Skills in Future Primary Education Teachers: A Study from the Didactics of Social Sciences for the Improvement of Teacher Training in Competences. Education Sciences, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14020211
Gutiérrez-Aguilar, O., Turpo-Gebera, O., Chicaña-Huanca, S., Laura-de-la-Cruz, K. M., Pérez-Postigo, G., Diaz-Zavala, R., & Ccoya, I. O. (2024). Digital skills and digital citizenship education: An analysis based on structural equation modeling. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 14(3), 738–755. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.2436
Hamayel, H. J., & Hawamdeh, M. M. (2022). Methods used in digital citizenship: A systematic literature review. Journal of Digital Educational Technology, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.30935/jdet/12520
Hidayat, O. S., Suntari, Y., & Nabilah, L. (2024). Development Of a gamification based visual novel game in class IV elementary school civics learning. DIDAKTIKA: Jurnal Pendidikan Sekolah Dasar, 7(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.21831/didaktika.v7i1.65053
Inamorato dos Santos, A., Chinkes, E., Carvalho, M. A. G., Solórzano, C. M. V, & Marroni, L. S. (2023). The digital competence of academics in higher education: is the glass half empty or half full? International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(9). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-022-00376-0
Japar, M., Casmana, A. R., Adha, M. M., & Fadhillah, D. N. (2021). Students’ Perspektives on Civic Education through Digital Citizenship in the Virtual Era. European Journal of Educational Research, 13(1), 89–102. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.13.1.89
Jones, L. M., Mitchell, K. J., & Beseler, C. L. (2024). The Impact of Youth Digital Citizenship Education: Insights from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Outcome Evaluation of the Be Internet Awesome (BIA) Curriculum. Contemporary School Psychology, 28(4), 509–523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-023-00465-5
Karayol, M., Murathan, T., Erdogan, R., Akarsu, M., Bas, M., & Norman, G. (2025). Investigating the relationship between digital citizenship levels and cyberbullying attitudes of university students. Frontiers in Psychology, October, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1664397
Kilinc, E., Tarman, B., & Yussupova, S. (2023). The association between college students` participation behavior and social media use. Research in Social Sciences and Technology, 8(2), 56–67. https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.2023.11
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development (2nd ed.). Prentice-Hall.
Kwiatkowska, W., & Wiśniewska-Nogaj, L. (2022). Digital skills and online collaborative learning: the study report. The Electronic Journal of E-Learning, 20(5), 510–522. https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.20.5.2412
Martzoukou, K., Panayiotakis, I., Herbert, N., Grey, E., & Macdonald, N. (2025). ‘Maddie is Online’: A creative learning path to digital literacy for young people. Computers in the Schools, 42(4), 388–417. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2023.2276736
Merjovaara, O., Eklund, K., Nousiainen, T., Karjalainen, S., Koivula, M., Mykkänen, A., & Hämäläinen, R. (2024). Early Cildhood Pre-Servce Teachers’ Attitudes Towerds Digital Technologies and Their Relation to Digital Competence. Education and Information Technologies, 29(12), 14647–14662. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12237-y
Momdjian, L., Manegre, M., & Gutierrez-Colon, M. (2025). A study of preservice teachers’ digital competence development: Exploring the role of direct instruction, integrated practice, and modeling. Evaluation and Program Planning, 109(December). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2025.102538
Moynihan, D., Scully, D., Gorman, A., & Leahy, M. (2026). Where there’s a will, is there a way? Exploring digital competence in pre-service teachers’ intentions to use technology. European Journal of Teacher Education, 00(00), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2026.2680942
Mulder, M. (2014). Conceptions of Professional Competence. Springer International Handbooks of Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8902-8
Ng, W. (2012). Can we teach digital natives digital literacy? Computers & Education, 59(3), 1065–1078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.04.016
Ohle-peters, A., Ludewing, U., & McElvany, N. (2024). Can we foster pre-service teachers’ competences for digital collaboration? Frontiers in Education, 9(October). https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1455074
Oliver, R., Herrington, J., Herrington, A., & Reeves, T. C. (2007). Representing Authentic Learning Designs Supporting the Development of Online Communities of Learners. Journal of Learning Design, 2(2). https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.5204/jld.v2i2.36
Örtegren, A. (2024). Philosophical Underpinnings of Digital Citizenship Through a Postdigital Lens: Implications for Teacher Educators’ Professional Digital Competence. Education and Information Technologies, 29(4), 4253–4285. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11965-5
Örtegren, A., & Olofsson, A. D. (2024). Pathways to professional digital competence to teach for digital citizenship : social science teacher education in flux digital citizenship : social science teacher education in flux. Teachers and Teaching, 30(4), 526–544. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2024.2342860
Phattanajureephan, C., Ruangmontri, K., & Namwan, T. (2026). Components and indicators of digital citizenship among teachers in private schools under the office of the private education commission, northeastern region. Journal Oe Education and Learning, 15(1), 446–454. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v15n1p446
Prasetiyo, W. H., Naidu, N. B. M., Tan, B. P., & Sumardjoko, B. (2021). Digital citizenship trend in educational sphere : A systematic review. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 10(4), 1192–1201. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v10i4.21767
Rakhmawati, Y., & Murti, R. C. (2024). Exploring the profile of numerical resilience in elementary pre-service teachers: A portrait of readiness to face challenges of the 21st century. DIDAKTIKA: Jurnal Pendidikan Sekolah Dasar, 7(2), 102–111. https://doi.org/10.21831/didaktika.v7i2.80538
Redecker, C. (2017). European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (Y. Punie (ed.)). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2760/159770
Riyanto, D. M. R., Setiawan, R., & Choudhury, A. S. (2025). Cultural Literacy in Elementary School Students: A Systematic Study on Character Building. DIDAKTIKA: Jurnal Pendidikan Sekolah Dasar, 8(1), 24–32. https://doi.org/10.21831/didaktika.v8i1.87570
Rychen, D. S., & Salganik, L. H. (20023). Key Competencies for a Successful Life and a Well-Functioning Society. Honrefe & Huber.
Siddiq, F., Hatlevik, O. E., Olsen, R. V., Throndsen, I., & Scherer, R. (2016). Taking a future perspective by learning from the past e A systematic review of assessment instruments that aim to measure primary and secondary school students’ ICT literacy. Educational Research Review, 19, 58–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2016.05.002
Syahrizal, I., & Firdaus, F. M. (2026). Primary School Teacher Education Students’ Perceptions of the Use of ChatGPT in Language and Literature Teaching. DIDAKTIKA: Jurnal Pendidikan Sekolah Dasar, 8(2), 193–206. https://doi.org/10.21831/didaktika.v8i2.96004
Tadlaoui-brahmi, A., Çuko, K., & Alvarez, L. (2022). Digital citizenship in primary education: A systematic literature review describing how it is implemented. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 6(1), 100348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2022.100348
Tinmaz, H., Lee, Y. T., Ivanovici, M. F., & Baber, H. (2022). A systematic review on digital literacy. Smart Learning Environments. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00204-y
Tnibar-Harrus, C., & Latorre-Medina, M. J. (2025). Profiling Competences for the Development of Digital Citizenship in Teacher Education. World Journal on Educational Technology: Current Issues, 17(3). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.18844/wjet.v17i3.9441
Tondeur, J., Roblin, N. P., Braak, J. Van, Voogt, J., & Prestridge, S. (2016). Preparing beginning teachers for technology integration in education: ready for take-off ? Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 5139(June). https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2016.1193556
Trixa, J., & Kaspar, K. (2024). Information literacy in the digital age: information sources, evaluation strategies, and perceived teaching competences of pre-service teachers. Frontiers in Psychology, 15(March). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1336436
UNESCO. (2023). Digital citizenship in Asia-Pacific Translating competencies for teacher innovation and student resilience. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/digital-citizenship-asia-pacific-translating-competencies-teacher-innovation-and-student-resilience?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Usmi, R., Jatiningsih, O., & Sari, M. M. K. (2024). Analysis of living values in the textbook of civic education in higher education. KnE Social Sciences, 604–615. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v9i2.14883
Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (2004). What Kind of Citizen? The Politics of Educating for Democracy. American Education Research Journal, 41(2), 237–269. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312041002237
Winarno. (2019). Paradigma Baru Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan (Tarmizi (ed.); 4th ed.). Bumi Aksara.
Zahrah, F., & Dwiputra, R. (2023). Digital citizens: efforts to accelerate digital transformation. JSKP: Jurnal Studi Kebijakan Publik, 2(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.21787/jskp.2.2023.1-11
Zeng, M., Abdullah, Z., & Cheah, K. S. . (2025). Pre-service Teachers’ Digital Competence: A Systematic Review of Factors, Frameworks, and Global Patterns. International Jounal of Leanrning, Teaching and Education Research, 24(8), 218–247. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.24.8.10
Zhang, L., Yang, C., & Zheng, Y. (2026). Digital competence for sustainable education of pre-service teachers: a systematic literature review (2014 – 2024). Frontiers in Psychology, 12(January). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1710983
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 David Lailelleru, Octavian Muning Sayeti, Ari Wibowo, Fathurrohman, Ferry Muhamad Firdaus, Ella Kusuma Wardani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
