Digital competence development of future professionals: Psychological and pedagogical conditions in a rapidly transforming educational landscape

Abstract

The article examines the development of digital competence among future specialists under conditions of rapid digital transformation of higher education. The purpose of the study is to substantiate and experimentally verify the effectiveness of psychological and pedagogical conditions that ensure the formation of digital competence. A mixed-methods research design was applied, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. The structure of digital competence was operationalized through three components: motivational, operational, and value-based, with corresponding criteria and indicators. At the ascertaining stage, the distribution of competence levels was as follows: high – 11.2%, average – 56.7%, low – 32.1%, indicating a fragmented and insufficient level of development. The results demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the EG compared to the CG. The proportion of students with a high level increased to 41.1% (motivational), 38.9% (operational), and 38.4% (value), while the share of low-level indicators decreased to 11.9%, 5.1%, and 9.5%, respectively. In contrast, the CG showed only minor changes. The findings prove that the implementation of the proposed psychological and pedagogical conditions significantly enhances students’ digital competence, particularly in terms of ethical digital behavior, information processing, and technical skills. The study contributes to improving digital training models in higher education and has practical implications for designing digitally enriched learning environments.