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Current State of Digital Literacy Among Secondary School English Teachers in Border Ethnic Minority Regions

Shenhai Zhu, Kaichun Ruan*

Guide to Education Innovation / 2026,6(2): 148-165 / 2026-06-05 20 11

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• Information:

  Guangxi Normal University, Guilin

• Keywords:
  Border ethnic minority regions; Secondary school English teachers; Digital literacy; Teacher professional development; Empirical research
• Abstract: Taking the Ministry of Education’s Digital Literacy for Teachers framework as its foundation, this study examined the digital literacy levels of 211 secondary school English teachers working in border ethnic minority regions of Guangxi (including Chongzuo and Fangchenggang). A survey design was used. The quantitative results showed that the overall digital literacy of these teachers was above the theoretical midpoint, but a clear structural divide between “advanced awareness and lagging practice” could be observed. More precisely, scores on Digital Social Responsibility and Digital Awareness were relatively higher, while those on Digital Technology Knowledge and Skills and Digital Application lagged behind. In terms of years of teaching experience, significant differences emerged on technology-use items, with less experienced teachers scoring noticeably higher than their more experienced counterparts. When the data were examined at the dimension level, neither gender nor ethnicity produced significant overall differences, though some localized, item-specific effects were detected; school type was associated with differences in certain facets of Digital Awareness. In response to these findings, three differentiated improvement pathways are proposed: a targeted, experience-stratified professional development system, alignment of infrastructure and resources with regional disparities, and a sustained support mechanism anchored in student development.
• DOI: 10.35534/gei.0602013 (registering DOI)
• Cite: Zhu, S. H., & Ruan, K. C. (2026). Current State of Digital Literacy Among Secondary School English Teachers in Border Ethnic Minority Regions. Guide to Education Innovation, 6(2), 148-165.