Children's empowerment through digital learning: case studies from rural Tanzania

Abstract

Education is an important foundation for human development and child empowerment. The scarcity of teachers is a significant threat to the quality of education. Technology-enabled learning is widely acknowledged as a means of mitigating this risk. However, there is a lack of clear guidelines on how to effectively implement e-learning in rural schools. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of technology-enhanced education on children’s empowerment in rural Tanzania and generate recommendations on how e-learning can positively impact learning environments and teaching styles. Two schools with four focus groups participated in this multiple-case study. A mixed methods approach was applied integrating quantitative (teacher survey) and qualitative (observations, interviews with teachers, group discussions with pupils) research elements. The findings of the empirical study substantiate the favourable impact of digital learning on children’s empowerment, self-reliance, and self-confidence, their ability to collaborate and interact, and their performance in class.