Conference Program

Across contemporary education systems, teachers and principals play a decisive role in shaping both the quality and the democratic character of schooling. Research shows that digitalisation has reshaped pedagogical and organisational demands on teachers (Selwyn, 2016) and that digital tools can enhance accessibility, participation, and learning for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) (Eady & Lockyer, 2013; Duque et al., 2024). Yet limited attention has been given to how organisational conditions, particularly school leadership, shape teachers’ digital competence in ways that matter for inclusion, equity, and democratic participation.

This study examines how teachers’ perceptions of school leadership relate to their self‑reported digital competence to support students with SEN. The analysis draws on cross‑sectional data from 285 in‑service teachers enrolled in Swedish special education training programmes, using the SELFIE survey (European Commission, 2025), grounded in the DigCompOrg framework (European Commission, 2022) and complemented with a SEN‑specific digital competence module.

Findings show a consistent and significant positive association between school leadership and teachers’ digital competence in supporting students with SEN, robust after adjusting for teacher collaboration, infrastructure and equipment, and demographic variables. Teacher collaboration contributes positively, aligning with research on collegial cultures (Castaño Muñoz et al., 2023), while the nonsignificant effect of infrastructure reflects the uniformly high digital access in Swedish schools (Munoz et al., 2018).

These results indicate that teachers’ digital competence develops through organisational conditions shaped by school leadership rather than through individual efforts alone. Prior research highlights principals’ roles in setting direction, allocating resources, and fostering innovative pedagogical cultures (Hallinger, 2011; Leithwood et al., 2020; Dexter, 2011). Consistently, teachers who perceive that school leaders articulate a clear digitalisation strategy, involve staff in its development, and support experimentation with technology report higher competence in designing accessible digital learning resources, assessing SEN‑related needs, and promoting participation for all students.

The study contributes to debates on teacher professionalism, working conditions, and school effectiveness by showing that school leadership is more strongly associated with teachers’ SEN‑focused digital competence than material conditions or demographics. This aligns with findings that competence development is most effective when embedded in whole‑school strategies supported by leadership (Joya et al., 2025) and with research emphasising digital competence as essential for inclusive teaching (Cabero‑Almenara et al., 2022; Instefjord & Munthe, 2016).

A further contribution is the link to the democratic mission of schooling. Inclusive digital practices expand participation, communication, and agency for pupils with SEN, dimensions central to democratic education. Digital technologies can strengthen communication, motivation, and engagement (Holmgren, 2024; Mukhtarkyzy et al., 2025), but only when teachers have both competence and organisational support to use them meaningfully. By promoting adaptive instruction, accessible communication, and active involvement, school leaders help ensure that pupils with SEN can exercise their right to equitable and democratic learning opportunities.

Taken together, the findings highlight school leadership as crucial for enabling teachers to translate digitalisation into pedagogically meaningful and democratically oriented practices for pupils with SEN.