A Q-Methodology of Preservice Teachers’ Cognition of Digital Literacy: A Philippine Case Study in Resource-Rich and Resource-Limited Settings

Abstract

This study aims to determine the existing digital literacy notions of Filipino preservice in two universities: one is a resource-rich context while the other is a resource-limited context. Contexts were determined based on the observed availability of digital tools. Twenty (20) preservice teachers each from two universities were invited for interviews after which they were again requested to arrange statements culled from the interviews. Utilizing the Q-sort methodology, a method that determines the standpoints of participants by their ranking of statements, three dimensions were identified: the portrait of balance, portrait of responsibility and portrait of support. The portraits represent the themes identified after participants determined the ranking of their statements. As evidenced on the results, the pre-service students in the resource-rich context identified themselves with the portrait of support and responsibility while those from the resource-limited context concentrated heavily on the portrait of balance. The differences in the viewpoints identified how the preservice teachers’ access to resources has impacted their cognition of digital literacy.