A STUDY ON ENHANCING DIGITAL LITERACY AMONG RURAL TEACHERS BASED ON STUDENT DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

Oct 15, 2026

The digital transformation of education intensifies the need to enhance digital literacy among rural teachers. Moving beyond a teacher-centric paradigm, this study investigates the issue through students’ developmental needs, grounded in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory. Data from rural teachers and students in Guangxi, China, shows a structural mismatch: students strongly require cybersecurity, personalized respect, and digital self-actualization, while teachers show systemic deficiencies aligned to these dimensions. The supply-demand gap also shifts across educational stages. Results recommend a demand-driven, student-centered improvement approach.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

The Value of Rural Teachers' Digital Literacy

Practical Challenges of Rural Teachers' Digital Literacy

Practical Pathways of Rural Teachers' Digital Literacy

Research Design

Theoretical Foundation

A STUDY ON ENHANCING DIGITAL LITERACY AMONG RURAL TEACHERS BASED ON STUDENT DEVELOPMENT NEEDS Yue Zhao and Jiachao Wei School of Education Science, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, 530299, China ABSTRACT The digital transformation of education underscores the need to enhance digital literacy among rural teachers. Moving beyond the prevailing teacher-centric paradigm, this study innovatively examines this issue through the lens of student developmental needs, grounded in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory. Empirical data collected from rural teachers and students in Guangxi, China, reveals a pronounced structural misalignment: while students exhibit strong developmental needs for cybersecurity, personalized respect, and digital self-actualization, teachers demonstrate systemic deficiencies in the corresponding dimensions of digital literacy. This supply-demand gap is further compounded by the evolving nature of student needs across educational stages. The study concludes that enhancing rural teachers' digital literacy requires a fundamental shift towards a demand-driven, student-centered approach. It accordingly proposes strategic recommendations for establishing a precision training system, implementing differentiated support across educational stages, and integrating equity education with local cultural elements to effectively bridge this critical gap. KEYWORDS Rural Teachers, Digital Literacy, Student Developmental Needs, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory, Enhancement Strategies 1. INTRODUCTION While digital transformation increases demands on rural teachers' digital literacy, existing research remains largely teacher-centric, neglecting student development needs. This study addresses the gap by adopting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to empirically explore how student needs can guide teacher digital literacy development, proposing a needs-oriented pathway for rural education transformation. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW A review of existing literature reveals a predominant focus on the value, challenges, and enhancement strategies of rural teachers' digital literacy from institutional and teacher-centric perspectives, with a notable scarcity of research investigating this issue through the lens of student developmental needs. 2.1 The Value of Rural Teachers' Digital Literacy As a core element driving the digital transformation and high-quality development of rural education, the value of digital literacy among rural teachers is multi-faceted: from the perspective of educational equity, it enables teachers to transcend geographical limitations and integrate high-quality urban resources through platforms like "Dual-Teacher Classrooms," thereby narrowing the urban-rural resource gap and bridging the "digital divide," as highlighted by Yang et al. (2024) and confirmed by Zhao (2024); in teaching practice, Ma(2024) indicates that high-level digital literacy supports the use of big data for personalized instruction and innovative teaching models, enhancing classroom efficiency and enabling precise regulation; ultimately, for teacher professional development, Xie Ji et al. (2024) propose that digital technology provides accessible online channels for continuous skill iteration . 2.2 Practical Challenges of Rural Teachers' Digital Literacy However, the development of digital literacy among rural teachers faces multiple challenges: at the intrinsic motivation level, Gong et al. (2025) note that some teachers influenced by traditional concepts view digital technology merely as an auxiliary tool, demonstrating low training participation willingness and insufficient time/energy due to heavy workloads; at the competency level, Yu and Zhang (2024) survey of 1,127 Henan teachers revealed overall low digital literacy (average 2.873/5), with particular weaknesses in digital social responsibility (2.458) and application skills (2.724), while Quaicoe & Pata's (2020) Ghana study showed a pronounced disconnect between teac

FAQs

What gap does the study address in rural teachers’ digital literacy research?

Existing research is largely teacher-centric and neglects student developmental needs. The study shifts to a student-centered lens to guide teacher digital literacy development.

How do the findings describe the mismatch between student needs and teacher digital literacy?

Students show strong needs related to cybersecurity, personalized respect, and digital self-actualization, while teachers demonstrate systemic deficiencies in corresponding digital literacy dimensions.

What approach does the study propose to enhance rural teachers’ digital literacy?

It recommends a demand-driven, student-centered approach, including a precision training system, differentiated support across educational stages, and integrating equity education with local cultural elements.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aria Callaghan