Navigating Digital Divides: A Qualitative Exploration of EdTech Integration and Pedagogical Adaptation in Kenyan Low-Resource Primary Schools

{ "background": "The integration of educational technology (EdTech) in low-resource primary schools is a global priority, yet significant disparities in access, infrastructure, and pedagogical support persist, creating complex digital divides. Existing research often lacks nuanced, contextual understanding of how these challenges manifest and are navigated by educators on the ground.", "purpose and objectives": "This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of primary school teachers in low-resource settings as they adopt and adapt EdTech, examining the perceived impacts on their pedagogical practices and identifying the systemic and contextual factors that enable or constrain meaningful integration.", "methodology": "A qualitative, multi-site case study was conducted. Data were generated through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 24 primary school teachers and 8 headteachers, alongside non-participant observations of classroom practice in six purposively selected schools. Thematic analysis was employed.", "findings": "Findings reveal a tension between policy-driven enthusiasm for EdTech and the material realities of under-resourced schools. A dominant theme was 'adaptive resilience', where teachers developed context-specific, often offline, strategies to circumvent infrastructural barriers. Crucially, approximately two-thirds of participants reported that technology integration, where possible, had shifted their role towards facilitation but was frequently hampered by a lack of sustained professional development.", "conclusion": "The study concludes that EdTech integration in these contexts is less a linear process of adoption and more a complex negotiation of constraints, demanding significant pedagogical adaptation and localised innovation from teachers, rather than mere technical implementation.", "recommendations": "Recommendations include developing context-sensitive, practice-based professional learning communities for teachers, advocating for infrastructure policies that prioritise reliable electricity and offline-capable technologies, and designing curricular frameworks that legitimise and support pedagogically driven, rather than tool-centric, technology use.", "key words": "digital divide, educational technology, low-resource contexts, primary education, teacher adaptation, qualitative case study, Kenya", "contribution statement": "This paper provides novel empirical insight