A country-level preparedness index for digital education: infrastructure, teacher scientific-technology competence, and socioeconomic context
摘要
As education systems worldwide race towards digital transformation, increasingly driven by artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, striking contrasts are emerging. While some nations are using these tools to transform learning, others are struggling to overcome deep-rooted structural and economic barriers. These disparities directly hinder progress towards Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). To capture these dynamics, this study introduces a digital preparedness index for education, constructed using Principal Component Analysis, and applies it to 43 countries. The aim was to evaluate national performance by combining measures of technological infrastructure, human capacity for digital pedagogy, and socio-economic context. The weighted ICT index, standardized with a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1, ranged from