Literatures that inform this study fall into two clear disciplinary areas: (1) Education; (2) ICT/Digital Technology. Education, as a mirror of society, has changed significantly over the last fifty years. Howard and Mozejko (2015) identified three ages of technology integration in education: i) pre-digital (before the 1970s), ii) the introduction of the personal computer (1970s onwards) and iii) the advent of the Internet (1990s onwards). Each ‘age’ has influenced educational reforms and policies which have continually emphasised the need for increased effectiveness (Cuban, 2001). These reforms and policies are based on values of investment in terms of economic, societal and cultural outcomes.

The European Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) is a policy initiative aimed at assisting EU Member States in adapting their education and training systems to the digital era in a sustainable and effective manner (European Commission, 2021). The action plan focuses on two key areas: improving the use of digital technology for both teaching and learning by closing the gap between the use of digital technology in everyday life and in education; and planning for practitioners to develop relevant Digital Skills and Digital Competences by introducing a wide range of digital competences encompassing knowledge, attitudes, and skills.

Digital competence is a skillset that includes the use of technology, information, multimedia and communication skills and knowledge (Esteve-Mon, et al, 2020). A person with a high level of digital competence will possess the knowledge and attitudes that enable the confident, creative and critical use of technology and information systems.

The European Framework for Educators' Digital Competence (DigCompEdu) is a framework that defines what it means to be digitally competent as an educator. The framework is available to educators at all levels of education, from primary to higher and adult education, including FET, special needs and non-formal learning environments. It serves as a general framework to support digital pedagogy and expertise in the use of digital tools for teachers in the development of educator-specific digital competencies across Europe (Redecker, 2021).

The European Commission indicates that education requires highly qualified teachers, trainers and researchers. They are a key factor in contributing to high quality provision and equity in access to learning (European Commission, 2010). In any education sector, the role of the educator is more than a mechanism for the delivery of information. They are also a role model for learners to develop the ability to adapt to change and adopt new tools and methods to remain current and relevant including technical and pedagogical knowledge and skills (Redecker, 2017). High levels of investment in educational technology have resulted in significant increases in technology within the classroom.

Educators are highly qualified and skilled professionals who must have the knowledge and competence to transition the use ICT in the classroom to support the use of digital skills required and to ensure that student have knowledge of the required digital platforms in use today (European Commission, 2020).

The aim of this study is to explore the psychological conditions under which primary school teachers’ in Ireland engage and disengage with digital technologies in their professional role at work.

The objectives of the study are:

• Map professional learning and development pathways to digital competence for primary teachers.
• To contribute to what is currently known about the impact of an educator digital mindset on teacher professional identity.
• Share knowledge on how digital technologies influence the professional, personal, and situational context of primary school teachers.
• Develop a framework to support hybrid teaching learning environments in primary education.
• Identify on how leaders and managers in primary education can support the transition to digital pedagogies and expertise in the classroom

The goal is to investigate the experiences of individual teachers with an emphasis on the development of their digital competence. This study will take an interpretivist qualitative ontology which will allow the researcher to discover information through the participants views, background and experience (Schwartz-Shea and Yanow, 2012). Interviews will be the principal data collection method. Participants will also have the option of participating in a follow-up focus group. They will provide further opportunity to obtain a broader understanding, from a participant perspective, of the key constructs to emerge from the interview data. Furthermore, the data may reveal additional essential components that have yet to be uncovered. After WIT Research Ethics Committee Approval, participants will be contacted via email with an invitation to participate. They will self-select if they wish to participate in the study. The interviewee will have a choice of in person or video interviews. An interview guide will be presented before interview, the duration is anticipated to be 40-60 minutes. Interviews will be digitally recorded with prior consent by the participants as per the research ethical guidelines. After the interview and following transcription, all participants will be contacted via email for member checking. They will be invited to review their transcript to allow them to delete or add any content. They will also be invited in a follow-up interview if clarification or inquiry is required. All participants can withdraw from the study up to the consolidation and analysis of data. Consistent with qualitative methodologies, a thematic analysis of the data will construct categories or themes that capture the recurring patterns. This approach will allow the researcher to investigate the meanings that people attach to their involvement in a topic and the relevance it has in their lives (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The use of a qualitative analysis software e.g. AtlasTi will provide additional insight and support the findings.

This research is at an initial stage of design and development. While the extant literature identifies many studies of digital competence in education, McGarr and McDonagh (2019) highlight the fact that most studies on digital competence in education are from Nordic countries thus showing the lack of research on digital competence across the EU and in Ireland in particular. In order to facilitate the digital strategies put forward by the European Commission, teachers should have access to continual professional learning and development opportunities that are targeted to their needs and pedagogical discipline. Findings from this study will first, share knowledge by mapping the gaps at an individual level in teacher professional learning and development with respect to digital technologies. Second, this study will examine how teachers approach digital education innovation and contribute to what is currently known about the influence of an educator digital mindset on teacher professional identity. Third, this study will highlight the digital capability at an organisation level in primary schools and identify how leaders and managers can support the transition to digital pedagogies and expertise in the classroom including infrastructure, devices, and capacity.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. DeKare-Silver, M., 2011. E-shock 2020. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Esteve-Mon, F., Llopis, M. and Adell-Segura, J., 2020. Digital Competence and Computational Thinking of Student Teachers. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 15(02), p.29. European Comission, 2020. Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) - Education and Training - European Commission. [online] Education and Training - European Commission. Available at: [Accessed 7 November 2021]. Howard, Sarah & Mozejko, Adrian. (2015). Teachers: technology, change and resistance. 10.1017/CBO9781316091968.030. Krumsvik, R. J. (2014). Teacher Educators' Digital Competence. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 58(3), 269-280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2012.726273 McGarr, O. & McDonagh, A. (2019) Digital Competence in Teacher Education, Output 1 of the Erasmus+ funded Developing Student Teachers’ Digital Competence (DICTE) project. https://dicte.oslomet.no/ Redecker, C.,(2017) European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators: DigCompEdu , EUR 28775 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2017, ISBN 978-92-79-73718-3 (print),978-92-79-73494-6 (pdf), doi:10.2760/178382 (print),10.2760/159770 (online), JRC107466. Redecker, C., 2021. Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu) - EU Science Hub - European Commission. [online] EU Science Hub - European Commission. Available at: [Accessed 19 December 2021]. Schwartz-Shea, P. and Yanow, D., 2012. Interpretive research design. New York, N.Y.: Routledge. European Comission, 2020. Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) - Education and Training - European Commission. [online] Education and Training - European Commission. Available at: [Accessed 7 November 2021].