Toward Sustainable Digital Equity in Greek Primary Schools

Teacher Self-Efficacy, Student Engagement, and Bundled Professional Development Policies

Bibliographic Data

ID22042985
AuthorsGeorgios Polydoros (0000-0002-0924-5923, University of Crete), Christos Zisis (0009-0003-4389-0429, University of Crete), Ilias Vasileiou (0009-0001-0530-4463, University of Crete), Alexandros-Stamatios Antoniou (0000-0001-6225-6085, University of Crete), Charis Polydoros (University of Crete)
Year2026
Volume16
Issue6
Pages899
Publication date2026-06-05
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci16060899
OpenAlexW7163878340
LanguageEN
References cited37

This study examined how digital equity conditions and bundled professional development policies are associated with sustainable teacher learning, self-efficacy, and student engagement in Greek primary schools. A total of 460 in-service teachers from urban, suburban, and rural areas participated in the study. Data were collected through Likert-scale measures assessing information systems use, TPACK-aligned professional development outcomes, teacher self-efficacy, implementation challenges, and student engagement. The analysis included ANOVA, MANOVA, OLS regression with interaction terms, and theory-informed indirect-pathway models. The findings indicated that infrastructure funding alone was not significantly associated with teacher capacity or student engagement after the introduction of relevant controls. More consistent associations emerged when funding was combined with mandated and time-protected professional development, together with minimum connectivity standards. Teacher self-efficacy was consistent with a partial indirect pathway between information systems use and student engagement, while stronger indirect associations were observed among early-career teachers. In addition, a bundled governance index was associated with narrower urban–rural disparities in teacher capacity. The findings suggest that sustainable digital equity in primary education depends not only on access to resources but also on coherent professional support structures that are associated with teacher confidence, instructional continuity, and long-term engagement. Implications are discussed for the design of sustainable professional development policies in teacher education and primary schooling

Academic achievement · Corporate governance · Educational Equity · Faculty Development · Professional development · Student engagement · Sustainable development · Digital literacy in education · Educational Assessment and Improvement · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

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