Abstract:
Rural schools encounter unique challenges including low socio-economic status, insufficient infrastructure, and inadequate funding, significantly affecting rural secondary teachers in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. This study explored the experiences of veteran secondary school teachers, deemed ‘digital immigrants,’ who independently integrate technology despite potentially limited exposure or training. Using purposive sampling, seven teachers were selected and data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and sharing circles. Findings revealed that digital immigrant teachers experienced: learners with greater technological knowledge and skills; technology-enhanced teaching and learning; fundamentally transformed teacher roles; shifting beliefs and perceptions about technology use; and persistent experimentation with diverse technologies. Challenges identified by teachers included a lack of training for subject-specific technology integration, limited access to technology resources, and the need to keep up with digitally-native learners while mastering new educational technologies. Therefore, the paper proposes training programs should be provided for digital immigrant teachers to enhance their technological pedagogical content knowledge, helping them adapt to the learning approaches of modern students.
