Assessing science teachers’ digital literacy with survey-based machine learning

Bibliographic Data

ID21501112
AuthorsRecep Benzer (0000-0002-5339-0554, Ankara Medipol University, Management Information System, Ankara, Turkey, corresponding author), Semra Benzer (0000-0002-8548-8994, Gazi University, Faculty of Gazi Education, Department of Science Education, Teknikokullar, Ankara, Turkey), Tuba Doğan (0000-0002-9891-3195, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Education, Gaziantep, Turkey)
Year2025
Publication date2025-06-23
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInformation Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0266-6669 • E-ISSN: 1741-6469
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/02666669251350669
OpenAlexW4411574021
LanguageEN
References cited22

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the urgent need for digital literacy among educators, particularly science teachers who are expected to integrate technology into remote and hybrid learning environments. This study investigates the digital literacy levels of 172 science teachers in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey using a validated questionnaire, the Digital Literacy Scale. In addition to traditional scoring methods, two machine learning classification algorithms (Support Vector Machine with Sequential Minimal Optimization, SVM-SMO, and Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network, MLPNN) were applied to analyze and classify teachers’ digital literacy levels. The results showed that most participants demonstrated an average level of digital literacy. Among the models tested, the SVM-SMO algorithm achieved the highest classification accuracy of 92%, outperforming MLPNN. This study offers an innovative contribution by demonstrating how machine learning can enhance the analysis of survey-based educational data, providing a more nuanced and automated method for evaluating teacher competencies. The findings highlight both the ongoing need for targeted digital literacy training and the practical utility of AI tools in educational research

Digital Learning · Literacy · Mathematics education · Multimedia · Pedagogy · Science education · Science learning · Sociology · Computer Science · Digital literacy in education · Online Learning and Analytics · Psychology · Technology-Enhanced Education Studies

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