Improving Digital Literacy of Rural Primary School Teachers: A Case Study in Northern Guangdong, China
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/evr5ma75Keywords:
Rural Teachers' Digital Literacy, Urban-Rural Digital Divide, Teacher Professional Development, Chinese Educational InequalityAbstract
This study investigates the digital literacy of rural primary school teachers in northern Guangdong, China, where rapid educational digitization coexists with persistent urban-rural disparities. Through a questionnaire-based research approach (N=192 valid responses) and institutional analysis, we identify three critical bottlenecks: (1) a cognitive-practical dissonance (awareness mean=3.73 vs. application mean=3.25), (2) adaptive barriers in technology integration (only 28.6% problem-solving success rate), and (3) motivational-innovative disconnection (84.1% value lifelong learning but 10.8% demonstrate innovative teaching).Multidimensional assessment reveals a hierarchical competence pattern: digital ethics (M=4.62) > technical knowledge (M=4.05) > application skills (M=3.80). The findings highlight systemic constraints including aged teacher demographics , resource scarcity, and homogeneous training models.
Downloads
References
[1] UNESCO. (2018). UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265403.
[2] Selwyn, N., Hillman, T., Eynon, R., Ferreira, G., Knox, J., Macgilchrist, F., & Sancho-Gil, J. M. (2021). Digital technology and the futures of education: Towards 'non-stupid' optimism. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377071
[3] Ministry of Education of China. (2022). Strengthening teacher development in basic education for the new era plan. [in Chinese].http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A10/s7034/202204/t20220413_616644.html.
[4] Ministry of Education of China. (2022). Teacher Digital Literacy.[in Chinese].http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A16/s3342/202302/t20230214_1044634.html
[5] Tourón, J., et al. (2018). "Teachers' digital competence in Spain". Computers & Education, 118, 97-110.
[6] United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. A/RES/70/1.https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
[7] Trust, T., Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2022). 'Together we are better': Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & Education, 185, 104518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104518
[8] Shang, J. (2021). Understanding rural teachers' participation in online professional learning: Empirical evidence from China. Computers & Education, 168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104206
[9] Xiao, J., & Qiu, X. (2022). "Designing online professional learning communities for developing teachers' digital competencies". British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(4), 901-919.https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13221
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Education and Humanities

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.







