Examination of the relationship between information and communication technology competencies and communication skills

This study aimed to explore the impact of different dimensions of communication skills, namely competence (COMP), self-esteem (SELF), social communication challenge (SCC), and listening-speaking (LI-S) on the utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) for student support (SS) and instructional design (ID). This study implemented inferential statistical methods to explore the impact of different dimensions of communication skills on the utilization of ICT among pre-service teachers. A sample of 324 pre-service teachers from Kazan Federal University was examined, utilizing validated scales adapted to the Russian context, with data analyzed using structural equation modeling to identify complex relationships between variables and to ascertain potential differences according to gender and department. The results demonstrated a significant positive relationship between participants’ perceived COMP in communication skills and their information and communication technology competencies (ICTCs), both in SS and ID. This suggests the need for targeted training to enhance educators’ communication competencies for optimal ICT utilization. Conversely, SELF and LI-S communication skills did not significantly influence ICTCs, indicating that these elements do not necessarily result in more effective ICT use in educational contexts. However, handling SCCs was positively associated with ICTCs in ID but not for SS, indicating a nuanced relationship between different communication skills and areas of ICT utilization. The study findings provide implications for professional development programs and underline the importance of certain dimensions of communication skills in leveraging ICT in education. Further research is recommended to verify these findings across different populations and educational settings.