Strategies adopted by South African teachers to overcome challenges associated with technology integration in rural schools

Nduduzo Brian Gcabashe; Abueng Rachael Molotsi

doi:10.30935/cedtech/18055

Nduduzo Brian Gcabashe ¹ ^* , Abueng Rachael Molotsi ¹

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CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 18, Issue 2, Article No: ep639

https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18055

Submitted: 23 September 2024, Published Online: 09 March 2026

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Abstract

Teachers in different contexts continue to integrate technology into their classrooms to enhance their instructional practices. However, teachers in rural villages encounter several challenges when incorporating technology in their classrooms. Therefore, this qualitative study explores the strategies adopted by teachers in schools in rural villages to overcome the challenges associated with technology integration. This study is located within the interpretive paradigm and a case study research design was adopted. The diffusion of innovation theory was employed as the theoretical lens of this study, while interviews were used to collect the data. Twelve grade 9 teachers from the secondary schools in Bojanala District in the North-West Province were selected purposefully. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The study revealed that teachers devised different strategies to overcome challenges they encounter when integrating technology into their classrooms. From this, the study concluded that teachers have accepted technology and that it adds value to their classroom instruction, hence they devise strategies to overcome the challenges associated with technology integration. Based on this, the study recommends that the government should intervene and eliminate the infrastructural challenges that teachers encounter when integrating technology into their classrooms. The study also suggests that schools should adopt peer mentoring in order to entrench technology integration among the teachers.

Keywords: challenges, instructional practices, strategies, teachers, technology integration

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Citation

Gcabashe, N. B., & Molotsi, A. R. (2026). Strategies adopted by South African teachers to overcome challenges associated with technology integration in rural schools. Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(2), Article ep639. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18055

Gcabashe, N. B., and Molotsi, A. R. (2026). Strategies adopted by South African teachers to overcome challenges associated with technology integration in rural schools. Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(2), ep639. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18055

Gcabashe NB, Molotsi AR. Strategies adopted by South African teachers to overcome challenges associated with technology integration in rural schools. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2026;18(2), ep639. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18055

Gcabashe, Nduduzo Brian, and Abueng Rachael Molotsi. "Strategies adopted by South African teachers to overcome challenges associated with technology integration in rural schools". Contemporary Educational Technology 2026 18 no. 2 (2026): ep639. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18055

Gcabashe, Nduduzo Brian et al. "Strategies adopted by South African teachers to overcome challenges associated with technology integration in rural schools". Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 18, no. 2, 2026, ep639. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18055

Gcabashe NB, Molotsi AR. Strategies adopted by South African teachers to overcome challenges associated with technology integration in rural schools. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2026;18(2):ep639. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18055