Pedagogical Empowerment of Elementary School Teachers in Remote Areas through a Community-Based Digital Literacy Program
TL;DR
The findings show that community support functions as a bridge between digital competence and meaningful classroom practice in remote schools by showing that teacher empowerment did not emerge only from technical training, but from repeated practice, peer collaboration, local problem solving, and reflective classroom use.
Abstract
This study aims to explore the pedagogical empowerment of elementary school teachers in remote areas through a community-based digital literacy program, focusing on how teachers experience, interpret, and adapt digital literacy within limited educational settings. The study used a qualitative approach with an instrumental case study design conducted from March to May 2026 in three public elementary schools in Seko District, North Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, limited participant observation, and documentation involving 15 informants, consisting of 9 teachers, 3 principals, 2 facilitators, and 1 community representative selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis identified four main themes: digital literacy as pedagogical confidence, community support as a learning ecology, contextual adaptation of digital tools, and structural barriers to sustainable practice. The findings show that teacher empowerment did not emerge only from technical training, but from repeated practice, peer collaboration, local problem solving, and reflective classroom use. This study contributes to TPACK-based teacher development by showing that community support functions as a bridge between digital competence and meaningful classroom practice in remote schools. The study implies that digital literacy programs should be designed as continuous, contextual, and participatory mentoring supported by school leaders and education policy. Future research should examine the long-term effects of such programs on student engagement, learning outcomes, and teacher professional identity.