Teachers’ Perceptions of Digital Technology Integration in Public and Private Sector Elementary Schools: An Exploratory Pilot Study

Abstract

Digitization in education has become a strategic move of the 21st century in the need to make education more effective and learning more effective. In this exploratory pilot study, the researcher compares and examines the perceptions of public (n=39) and private (n=29) sector elementary school teachers in Islamabad, Pakistan, about the use of digital technology in teaching practice. The study uses the PEAU-T (Perceptions of Ease of Access and Use of Technology) paradigm and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to explore perceived effectiveness of technology by teachers and barriers to integration, institutional support, and pedagogical benefits of digital tools using a 20-item self-report questionnaire. Analysis using an independent t-test and Pearson correlation revealed that teachers across both sectors are generally positive toward the use of digital technologies (m = 4.04/5); there are major disparities regarding infrastructural issues, training opportunities, and institutional support. Teachers of the public school, especially, complain of time constraints as the only statistically significant difference (t = 2,351, p = 0.022; Cohen’s d= 0.58). School type correlated weakly and non-significantly with overall perception (r = -0.163, 95% Confidence interval -0.387, 0.078). The findings tentatively suggest that the public-private perception gap is narrower than assumed, shedding light on the necessity of specific policy responses from fair distribution of resources, to structural factors (workload, time management). Considering the pilot nature and small sample, these results are provisional and recommend time audits, peer coaching, TPACK-aligned training and replicating the study with larger sample.