Technology acceptance and social justice in rural higher education

A qualitative study of learning management systems and curriculum delivery

Dados Bibliográficos

ID22166288
AutoresSello Mokoena (0000-0002-2188-9107, University of Zululand), Oluwatoyin Ayodele Ajani (0000-0001-6545-0203, University of KwaZulu-Natal), Nontobeko Prudence Khumalo (0000-0002-0792-8771, University of South Africa)
Ano2026
Volume11
Data de publicação2026-06-24
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoFrontiers in Education (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X
EditoraFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/feduc.2026.1861671
OpenAlexW7165771374
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas53

Introduction This qualitative study investigated how undergraduate pre-service teachers at a rural, historically disadvantaged university in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, experience and navigate the use of the institutional Learning Management System (LMS) for curriculum delivery. It specifically examined the extent to which structural and institutional conditions enable or constrain equitable LMS participation. Methods Using purposive sampling, 40 undergraduate students enrolled in a Bachelor of Education programme were selected to represent varying year groups, socio-economic backgrounds, and LMS engagement levels (determined via self-reports and lecturer interaction patterns). Data were collected over six weeks through semi-structured interviews (45-75 minutes) in private or neutral venues. Trustworthiness was ensured via a 14-week data engagement period, member checking with a subsample ($n = 4$), peer debriefing, and reflexive journaling. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, combining inductive coding with a deductive phase drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Social Justice Theory. Results The findings indicate that while pre-service teachers recognize the LMS as an essential tool for accessing learning materials, assessments, and communication, meaningful engagement is severely constrained by structural inequalities. These include limited device access, unreliable internet connectivity, prohibitive data costs, and inadequate institutional support. Viewed through a social justice lens, these challenges reflect systemic failures in redistribution, recognition, and representation. Discussion The study reveals a critical disconnect between technological acceptance and educational equity, demonstrating that positive perceptions of LMS functionality are insufficient without enabling material and institutional conditions. By utilizing an integrated TAM-Social Justice framework, this study advances existing scholarship by demonstrating how individual technology acceptance is deeply mediated by, and cannot be disentangled from, structural inequity

Curriculum · Data collection · Disadvantaged · Higher education · Implementation · Learning Management · Qualitative property · Qualitative research · Reflexivity · Thematic analysis · E-Learning and COVID-19 · Gender and Technology in Education · Online and Blended Learning