Development and Validation of a Model Teacher-Based Smart-Collab Framework for Accelerating Educators' Digital Competence in Public Junior High Schools

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and validate a Model Teacher-Based Smart-Collab Framework as a strategy for accelerating educators’ digital competence in public junior high schools in West Lombok Regency, Indonesia. The study employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach integrated with the Delphi technique to achieve expert consensus on the proposed framework. The research process consisted of a preliminary study, needs analysis, development of Prototype I, expert validation through two rounds of Mini Delphi, framework revision, and the development of the final product in the form of an operational guidebook. The participants included experts in educational management, educational technology specialists, and educational practitioners selected purposively based on their expertise. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and validation questionnaires and analyzed using qualitative and quantitative approaches. The findings revealed that the Smart-Collab Framework was developed based on four core components: Model Teachers, Teacher Learning Communities, Digital Technology Integration, and Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation. The framework is operationalized through six stages: identifying digital competence needs, collaborative planning, sharing practice, mentoring and action learning, collaborative reflection, and monitoring with follow-up actions. Validation results indicated that the framework achieved a mean score of 4.49 (89.8%) in the first Delphi round and increased to 4.83 (96.6%) in the second round, both categorized as highly feasible. The improvement demonstrates that the revision process successfully strengthened the conceptual, practical, and technological aspects of the framework. Therefore, the Model Teacher-Based Smart-Collab Framework was found to be valid and feasible as a collaborative, reflective, and sustainable professional development model for enhancing educators’ digital competence. This study contributes a comprehensive framework that integrates teacher digital competence, professional collaboration, and the strategic role of model teachers within a unified professional development system.