Virtual learning environments and teachers’ digital competencies in Peruvian education

Abstract

The present study aligns with the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Quality Education, it highlights the importance of robust virtual learning environments as key enablers of interactive, adaptive, tech teaching methods and learning processes. Under a context of accelerated digital transformation, the research aimed to determine the relationship between virtual environments and teachers’ digital competencies in an educational institution in Lambayeque, Peru, during 2024. A basic quantitative methodology was adopted, using a non-experimental, cross-sectional correlational design. The sample was composed of 51 teachers picked through non-probabilistic convenience sampling, and data were collected through the application of two structured questionnaires that assessed perceptions of virtual learning environments and levels of digital competencies. The results revealed a strong and statistically significant positive association between virtual environments and overall digital competencies (Spearman’s rho = 0.800; p < 0.001). The second variable was divided into three dimensions. Virtual environments showed a very strong association with technical competencies (rho = 0.901), a moderate association with educational competencies (rho = 0.581), and a weak association with programmatic competencies (rho = 0.120). These differentiated relationships gave us empirical evidence that virtual environments do not influence all the competencies uniformly, underlining the need for targeted strategies and teacher training policies aligned with inclusive, equal and high-quality education goals.