Norm First, Practice Lagging Far Behind: Analysis of the Factors Determining the Digital Literacy of Rural Teachers in China

Abstract

To promote the use of digital tools in school education, it is important to understand teachers' digital literacy and explore the best ways to develop it. This study used an extended UTAUT model to examine Chinese rural teachers' digital literacy development. Self‐reported questionnaires were collected and analyzed. The study reveals that the digital literacy of rural teachers is not as low as expected, although some significant heterogeneities were observed across rural demographic groups. There was a pronounced disparity between theoretical understanding of digital skills and practical implementations. The heterogeneity helps to reveal an interlocking sociocultural mechanism, which encompasses individual digital skill acquisition trajectories and a path‐dependent career development pattern for rural teachers. These findings contribute to a better understanding of how to support rural teachers' development of digital literacy.