The challenges and solutions of technology integration in rural schools: A systematic literature review

Abstract

The digital divide between urban and rural schools challenges efforts to promote technology integration in education, and contributes to growing educational inequity in many contexts. Using the most current version of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA 2020), we identified and extracted 36 articles and conference papers on the use of technology in rural schools from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. We used Critical Interpretive Synthesis to identify the challenges and solutions involved in integrating technology in rural schools. The analysis revealed 29 challenges, which were categorized using the framework of the ecological perspective into macro level, meso level, and micro level challenges. The analysis also identified solutions to the challenges discussed in these studies. By focusing on the challenges and proposed solutions at different contextual levels, this review is intended to identify what constitutes good practices when integrating technology in rural schools. Future research should focus on factors which facilitate the use of technology and how the integration of technology impacts students’ learning experiences and achievement in rural schools.