📄 Abstract
This qualitative multiple-case study examines how digitalization unfolds in contrasting rural and urban public secondary schools. Guided by Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory, the study analyzes operational bottlenecks, teacher workarounds, and systemic policy limits using field interviews (N=10), focus group discussions (N=6), and a systematic review of over 80 policy documents and studies. Findings show that technology adoption depends on environmental readiness and administrative flexibility rather than hardware presence alone. While rural schools face physical isolation, power deficits, and acute device shortages, urban schools encounter network congestion, large cohort sizes, and restrictive asset accountability policies. To maintain instruction, teachers adopt offline software, informal peer mentoring, community Wi-Fi solutions, and cascade training via Learning Action Cells. However, high-access urban environments present emerging pedagogical risks, notably student reliance on generative AI for cognitive offloading, whereas off-grid rural areas risk wider achievement gaps. Effective digital transformation requires context-specific funding, adaptable governance, and clear pedagogical guardrails rather than uniform hardware delivery.
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📚 How to Cite:
Shereyl C. Samocino , BEYOND TECHNICAL UPGRADES: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIGITALIZATION IN RURAL AND URBAN SECONDARY PUBLIC SCHOOLS , Volume 12 , Issue 7, July 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) , Pages: 956 - 962 ,