The Role of Digital Competence in the Classroom Leadership of New Teachers in Fars Province

The present study aimed to investigate the role of digital competence in the classroom leadership of new teachers. The study was applied in terms of purpose and used a descriptive-analytical methodology. Moreover, the data were collected according to the quantitative approach. The population included all graduates of Farhangian University in Fars Province who started teaching during the academic years from 2016 to 2021. Using Cochran's formula and the available sampling method, 238 people were selected as a statistical sample from 4500 new teachers. The data were collected using the EU Standardized Digital Competence Questionnaire (as cited in Gümüş & Kukul, 2023) and the Classroom Leadership Scale (Karabağ Köse, 2019). Using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, the instruments' reliability was determined at 0.96 and 0.95 for the EU Standardized Digital Competence Questionnaire and the Classroom Leadership Scale, respectively. Data were analyzed using the t-test to determine the status of the research variables, Pearson's correlation coefficient for investigating simple relationships between the variables, stepwise regression analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis for determining the construct validity. The study results showed that the new teachers' digital competence was (in general) above average, and only one component (i.e., creating digital content) was evaluated at an average level. Furthermore, a significant relationship was observed between the components of digital competency and classroom leadership. Ultimately, the results of the stepwise regression indicated that new teachers' digital competence could explain around 30% of their classroom leadership