Article Abstract

In the digital era, digital technologies avail multifarious platforms and resources to benefit women teachers in educational processes. For effective teaching, digital literacy of women teachers plays a crucial role in learning outcomes. This descriptive study aimed to explore the digital literacy levels of women teachers based on their demographic variables. A sample of 330 women teachers were selected by multi-stage sampling technique from Govt. Aided School and Madrasah under West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) and West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education (WBBME). Data were collected using a self-standardized tool, ‘Digital Literacy Tool for Secondary Education Teachers’ (DLTSET), having content validity and high reliability coefficient (Cronbach\'s Alpha = 0.94). By descriptive analysis, only 28.79% of women teachers were found above moderate level of digital literacy, while 71.21% of women teachers not above average level, which further reflected a digital divide among women teachers. The TGT and PGT women teachers belonging to UR, OBC, SC, and ST were found to have the digital literacy to the same extent (54-55% approx.). Thus, the digital divide among women teachers reflected in findings is noticeable for educational policymakers and administrators to incorporate digital literacy contents into teacher education curricula and develop strategies and frameworks for digital literacy, competency and skill development program for women teachers in school and Madrasah under WBBSE and WBBME boards.
Keywords: Digital Divide, Digital Literacy, Educational Technology, Secondary Education, Women Teachers