From Technical Operations to Deep Integration: A Conceptual Study on Enhancing the Digital Pedagogical Competencies of Rural Teachers

Abstract

Purpose: Against the backdrop of the educational digital transformation, the urban-rural digital divide has shifted from disparities in hardware infrastructure to an imbalance in teachers’ digital competencies. Existing teacher training programs predominantly focus on singular technical operations, resulting in a practical dilemma for rural teachers characterized by the fragmentation of their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) composite knowledge structure and prolonged stagnation within basic application tiers of the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) model. Consequently, technological integration struggles to penetrate core pedagogical workflows. As a conceptual paper, this study proposes a “three-stage progressive” competency enhancement pathway—defined here as a sequential development framework spanning scene-driven technology acquisition, lesson plan reconstruction, and community co-creation—to systematically remediate the disjointed pedagogical knowledge architecture of rural teachers. This mechanism aims to drive a structural transformation between digital technologies and disciplinary teaching models, thereby fostering transformative digital agency among rural educators. Ultimately, this theoretical framework provides a usable design tool and theoretical support for the high-quality development of educational digitalization in rural contexts.