Abstract:

The development of innovation processes also through the use of digital teaching technologies at school is one of the levers of the PNSD (National Digital School Plan, MIUR, 2015). Digital is proposed not only as an enabling tool but also as an inclusive learning environment for all students. The training of teachers in the conscious use of digital technologies is preliminary to the creation of personalised pathways and is also reported by international surveys as one of the training needs most requested by teachers (OECD, 2014).

In the wake of these considerations, the active training course (TFA) is a one-year theoretical-practical training period, provided since 2011 by Italian universities, that allows teachers to obtain the qualification as specialised teachers of educational support for disabled pupils, mandatory to take part in job competitions. One of the courses envisaged in TFA is on ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for Special Education, which proposes the use of teaching technologies and digital media to improve the learning of all students, particularly those with Special Needs.

The 75 hours course on ICT for Special Education is the framework of this study that will investigate if the training could be a protective element for teachers' well-being in the work context and for increasing the perception of professional self-efficacy (Gil-Flores, et al. 2017; OECD, 2019). Digital literacy training is expected to have a positive effect on well-being and this relationship is expected to be positively influenced based on professional self-efficacy, motivation and effectiveness in the use of technology.

The sample consisted of 176 teachers from every school and grade who attended the ICT for Special Education course between June and July 2021.

The research involved the use of quantitative and qualitative instruments and data analysis. First, a structured questionnaire was administered to the trainees. The questionnaire involved the use of nationally and internationally validated scales and is divided into eight sections:
1. socio-personal history;
2. habits in the use of digital technologies and level of digital competence;
3. subjective well-being and work well-being (Anjara et al., 2020; Sinclair & Wallston, 2004; Schaufeli, et al. 2017);
4. self-efficacy in teaching (Moé et al., 2010; Tschannen-Moran et al, 1998);
5. openness to change (Dugan, 2006; Rubat Du Merac, 2017);
6. job satisfaction (Moé et al., 2010; Pavot & Diner, 1993);
7. self-efficacy in the use of technologies in teaching (Benigno, et al. 2013; Benigno et al., 2014).; 8. perception of the training experience.

Then a self-interview was proposed to the trainees via the Flipgrid platform (Stoszkowski, 2018) to deepen the elements of the work context perceived by teachers as fundamental to feeling gratified in the profession and those experienced as a major cause of stress.

This contribution focuses on questionnaire results, to investigate the relationship between aspects of well-being, motivation and professional self-efficacy and training, as well as the perception of effectiveness in the use of digital teaching technologies.

The results presented highlight the role of training as a protective element for teachers' well-being in the work context and for the increase in the perception of professional self-efficacy, and therefore produce useful suggestions for training practice for the improvement of well-being and productivity.

Keywords:

Teachers' training, technology-enhanced learning, teachers' well-being.