CHALLENGES IN TEACHER EDUCATION FOR THE EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES: FROM DIGITAL COMPETENCE TO PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE

Abstract

This study analyzes how continuing teacher education has contributed to transforming teachers’ digital competences into effective pedagogical practices for integrating digital technologies. An integrative literature review was conducted using the CAPES Journals Portal, covering peer-reviewed, open-access publications from 2020 to 2026 in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Of the 161 publications initially identified, 45 were preselected and 19 comprised the final corpus. The analysis revealed five interrelated dimensions: the transition from technical to techno-pedagogical competence; training and transfer to practice; the distinction between perceived and demonstrated competence; individual, pedagogical, and institutional/contextual factors; and the sustainability of changes. The findings indicate that digital competence is a necessary but insufficient condition for effective pedagogical integration of technologies. Training shows greater potential for transfer when it combines technological and pedagogical knowledge with contextualized application, experimentation, reflection, and collaboration, supported by favorable institutional conditions. However, self-reported measures predominate, while evidence based on performance, direct observation, and longitudinal follow-up is less frequent, limiting conclusions about transfer and sustainability. The study concludes that continuing teacher education can foster the pedagogical integration of digital technologies when conceived as a contextualized process of professional development, although gaps remain regarding the mechanisms, conditions, and long-term sustainability of these transformations.