Who Changed the Destiny of Rural Students, and How?: Unpacking ICT-Mediated Remote Education in Rural China

Abstract

The proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has shown great promise in addressing educational challenges facing rural areas. However, the complex rural context poses significant challenges to the effective utilization of these technologies. This paper examines the empirical integration of live-streaming-based remote classrooms (LSRC) through a qualitative study in rural China. Our findings suggest that while LSRC enables rural students equal access to high-quality educational resources, its practical integration faces numerous challenges. In particular, we emphasize the crucial role of local teachers in addressing these challenges, ultimately achieving the desired improvement of students' learning outcomes. We also examine the impact of LSRC on the original rural education ecosystem. Building upon our findings, we call for a reconsideration of interaction paradigms and evaluation systems of ICT-mediated rural education, emphasizing the significance of rural teachers. We conclude by discussing the implications for future ICT-mediated technology interventions in rural settings.