Navigating the digital divide: An in-depth exploration of ICT devices, knowledge, belief, usage, and attitude in educational settings

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo

Information and communication technologies (ICT) increasingly shape modern education, influencing how teachers access information, design instruction, and support student learning. This study examines how demographic factors and teachers’ ICT device ownership relate to their knowledge, beliefs, usage, and attitudes. Using a survey of 160 university students in Almaty, Kazakhstan, mediation analysis tested how beliefs connect attitudes to ICT usage. Results show significant correlations among ICT knowledge, attitudes, and usage; beliefs partially mediate, while attitudes exert a strong direct effect, and gender/grade show no significant differences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Defining ICT in educational settings

ICT availability vs teaching practice

Mixed evidence on learning outcomes

Importance of inclusion and equitable access

COVID-19 and teachers’ online ICT use

Research aim and theoretical framing

Contemporary Educational Technology, 2026, 18(2), ep654 ISSN: 1309-517X (Online) OPEN ACCESS Research Article Navigating the digital divide: An in-depth exploration of ICT devices, knowledge, belief, usage, and attitude in educational settings Zhansaya Bakytbekova 1* 0009-0008-0634-0491 Mary F. Rice 2 0000-0002-8138-512X Esad Esgin 3 0009-0005-0132-9857 Guldina Kamalova 1 0000-0001-6406-8897 Shirinkyz Shekerbekova 1 0000-0003-4778-4132 1 Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN 2 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA 3 Independent Researcher, Athens, GREECE * Corresponding author: [sungirlkz1@gmail.com](sungirlkz1@gmail.com) Citation: Bakytbekova, Z., Rice, M. F., Esgin, E., Kamalova, G., & Shekerbekova, G. (2026) . Navigating the digital divide: An indepth exploration of ICT devices, knowledge, belief, usage, and attitude in educational settings. Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(2), Article ep654. [https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18530](https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18530) ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT | Received: 10 Nov 2025
Accepted: 12 Apr 2026 | Information and communication technologies (ICT) play an increasingly important role in modern education, shaping how teachers access information, design instruction, and support student learning. Understanding the factors that influence ICT engagement among teachers is therefore critical for effective technology integration. This study explored the relationships between demographic factors, technology ownership, and teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, usage, and attitudes toward ICT in educational settings. The study involved 160 university students from Almaty, Kazakhstan, who completed a comprehensive survey assessing their ICT device ownership, knowledge, usage frequency, and attitudes toward ICT. Mediation analysis was conducted to investigate the role of beliefs in the relationship between attitudes and ICT usage. The findings revealed significant correlations between ICT knowledge, attitudes, and usage. Although beliefs about ICT partially mediated the relationship between attitudes and usage, attitudes had a substantial direct effect on ICT usage. Gender and grade level did not show significant differences in ICT engagement. The findings suggest that fostering positive attitudes towards ICT among teachers is crucial for enhancing its integration in educational settings. These findings provide practical views about teacher education and policy by highlighting the importance of increasing positive attitudes toward ICT to support more effective and meaningful integration of technology in educational settings
Keywords: ICT in education, digital divide, ICT knowledge, technology integration, belief mediation | | --- | --- | | INTRODUCTION | | In educational settings, information and communication technologies (ICT) systematically organizes a set of data transmission tools, information resources, interaction protocols, hardware-software, and organizational and methodological support. Four key parts can be considered when defining ICT in education: an instrument that relates to learning about ICT, a supporting tool, a medium for educational objectives, anda tool for school organization and management. Using ICT in educational settings used to be more skillsbased, such as uploading a document, or maneuvering a mouse—but modern ICT use has been reconceptualized toward an arrangement of complex digital literacies that involve complex decision making about what tool to use, how to critically evaluate information, and where to share products and artifacts made with programs and applications on devices (Rice & Bailon, 2023). Because of the shifting definition and the increased demands for pedagogical complexity, ICT availability in schools does not automatically result in shifts in teaching practices. Teachers must use the ICT they have (Reddy & Babu, 2024) . While researchers agree that ICT can im

FAQs

What research question does the study address about ICT engagement?

The study investigates relationships between demographic factors, ICT device ownership, and teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, usage, and attitudes toward ICT in educational settings.

How was the study conducted and what data were collected?

A survey collected information on ICT device ownership, knowledge, usage frequency, and attitudes among 160 university students from Almaty, Kazakhstan.

What did the mediation analysis reveal about beliefs and attitudes?

Beliefs about ICT partially mediated the relationship between attitudes and ICT usage, while attitudes still showed a substantial direct effect on ICT usage.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo