Research shows how eTwinning supports competence development

For nearly twenty years, teachers in the eTwinning community have shared powerful stories of pupil growth – learners becoming more confident, more collaborative, more digitally aware, more open to others and more capable of taking initiative. A study carried out by the Italian National Support Organisation (INDIRE), ‘Impact Study on Pupils’ Key Competences with eTwinning’, went beyond stories to test whether this impact could be measured in schools in Italy.

Exploring key competences in eTwinning classrooms

Schools still face difficulties in translating key competences into everyday teaching practices, authentic learning tasks and meaningful assessment. eTwinning offers a relevant context to address this challenge because it naturally combines project-based learning, international collaboration, digital interaction, intercultural exchange and pupil-centred activities.

The research focused on pupils aged 14 to 16 from Italy and examined five key competences:

1. personal, social and learning to learn
2. citizenship
3. entrepreneurship
4. cultural awareness and expression
5. digital competence.

It involved 14 Italian secondary schools, 14 teachers, 28 classes and 479 pupils, with measurements taken at the start of the school year (November-December 2024) and again at the end (May-June 2025). The study involved matching eTwinning classes with control classes, both taught by the same teacher in the same school. Pairing classes like this helped reduce differences linked to teaching style, assessment habits and school context, while keeping normal classroom conditions.

Using European competence frameworks as a basis for the study

A key contribution of the study is its methodology. Before looking at impact, the research team mapped and integrated the main European competence frameworks. They used DigComp 2.2 as the reference framework for digital competence and as the structural model for the overall architecture, and drew on LifeComp, EntreComp and the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture to map the other competences. This work led to a clear structure with areas, specific competences and an eight-level proficiency scale from A1 to D2, grouped into four broad bands (A to D) and applied consistently across all five competences.

Impact is read as movement along a structured A1-D2 proficiency scale. © INDIRE

Impact was measured as progress along the A1-D2 proficiency scale. For example, a gain of 0.18 on this scale is about one fifth of a full proficiency step. This is a small but meaningful change within a much longer process of development.

Based on this structure, the team developed teacher rubrics, pupil self-assessment tools and monthly teacher logbooks, which were used together to look at the evidence from different angles. Beyond the findings, the study produced practical tools that can be reused, adapted and simplified for use in other schools and National Support Organisations.

Evidence on participation in eTwinning projects and competence development

The findings are clear and encouraging: eTwinning supports competence development in a measurable and consistent way across all five competences analysed. Pupils in the eTwinning classes in the study showed stronger development than pupils in matched control classes – a pattern that emerges from both pupil self-assessments and teacher evaluations.

The eTwinning advantage across the five competences, in pupils’ self-assessments and teachers’ evaluations. © INDIRE

At the same time, the study shows that eTwinning project quality matters. Stronger results are associated with projects that are:

• pedagogically coherent
• well integrated into the curriculum
• based on structured collaboration
• supported by purposeful use of digital tools
• enriched by reflection and pupil agency.

In other words, what matters is the quality of the learning design – the kind of design that often earns recognition through eTwinning quality labels.

Study impact: supporting schools with practical tools and frameworks

The significance of these findings goes beyond eTwinning itself. They show that competence development becomes more visible, assessable and easier to discuss when schools are supported by clear frameworks and usable tools. They also support the idea that eTwinning is not just an extra activity, but a way of working that can help schools put competence-focused education in practice.

• For teachers, the study offers support: practical tools to make the educational value of their project work more visible.
• For school leaders and policymakers, it provides evidence that eTwinning can contribute to innovation, internationalisation, digital education and key competence development.
• For the wider European community, it offers a research toolkit that can be adapted to different national contexts.

Looking ahead

The next step is to continue working on simplification, scalability and shared use of the research toolkit. Competence assessment cannot depend on one teacher alone; it requires collaboration between teachers, school-level coordination and leadership support.

As the study demonstrates that eTwinning works for pupils, the next phase could be helping more schools use this evidence and these tools to make competence development part of everyday teaching practice.

Read the full study or a short brochure with key findings to see how joining eTwinning projects can improve your pupils’ key competences.