THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY IN THE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF SMK ACCOUNTING TEACHERS

Abstract

At present, technological developments occur very rapidly in line with the needs of more and more human life, so technology becomes what is needed. Technology makes possible the development of science which   produces higher quality and more advanced human resources in the future. One thing that is developing is the process of using digital technology in various aspects, one of which is in the field of education. Education personnel in schools, one of which is the teacher, are required to have digital skills to support the implementation of learning in schools. Teachers in who carry out learning need to have mastered competencies, one of which is professional competence. Digital literacy possessed by teachers is expected to be able to support professional competencies that must be mastered by teachers as capital in learning. This article aims to find out the importance of digital literacy in the professional competence of SMK Accounting teachers. The research in this article uses a quantitative method with a sample of SMK Accounting teachers in Central Java. The results of the study indicate that there is a positive influence of digital literacy on the professional competence of SMK Accounting teachers. The magnitude of the influence of digital literacy on the professional competence of SMK Accounting teachers is 28.9%. This means that if the teacher has good digital literacy, then the teacher's professional competence is also well-established. The importance of digital literacy for teachers is that it can provide the ability to access and understand the right digital media to explore the required learning materials. In addition, digital literacy can support teachers in developing competencies, especially professional competence as capital in implementing learning. Teachers as the main actors in learning are expected to have qualified digital literacy that can be implemented in developing professional competencies to improve the quality of learning.

Keywords: digital literacy, professional competence, vocational high school, accounting teacher