From policy to practice: integrating ICT in Chinese rural schools

Research has often ignored the complex systemic nature of ICT integration in education, including the importance of the historical, social and political context. This study examines the content of local ICT policy plans that have been developed and how school leaders and teachers perceive their experience with ICT practices of rural schools. A mixed-method research approach was applied, involving 25 rural schools in Western China. Data was collected from multiple sources (policy documents, interviews with school leaders, focus groups with teachers, classroom observations, an ICT inventory and a teacher survey). The results revealed three types of challenges for ICT integration in rural schools: (1) guidance and learning opportunities as a political challenge, (2) ICT infrastructure and digital content as a technical challenge, and (3) teacher training and technical support as a human challenge. These challenges have implications for policymakers and practitioners when improving rural education through ICT integration.