This work was supported by the Zhejiang Association for Adult and Vocational Education Research Project (Grant No. 2024-73) and Zhejiang Provincial Education Science Planning Project (Grant No. 2025SCG379).
Abstract
Digital transformation has become a central force in China’s educational modernization; however, the growing dependence on technology in vocational classrooms continues to expose a persistent gap between technological integration and actual learning outcomes. This study argues that teacher digital competency should extend beyond technical proficiency to include a capacity for digital care—the ability to use technology to foster equity, engagement, and emotional connection. Drawing on Noddings’ ethics of care and Tang’s framework of digital care within teacher digital competency, the study develops the IPE-BOPPPS Integrated Framework, which integrates the Intention–Practice–Effect (IPE) cycle of ethical teaching with the structured pedagogical design of the BOPPPS model. Through multiple-case analysis of vocational teaching practices, five recurring digital care action patterns are identified and synthesized into a Teacher Digital Care Competency Model. The findings suggest that the framework offers a meaningful lens for understanding teachers’ digital competence, learner engagement, and reflective professional growth, contributing to a more hu-man-centered approach to digitalized vocational education.
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