The Interplay of Technology and Tradition: Redefining Education in the Digital Age.
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Abstract
This qualitative research investigates the rapid incorporation of digital technology into educational settings and its dynamic relationship with traditional teaching methods. It aims to understand the implications of this interaction for redefining education in the context of the digital era. Employing an interpretive and constructivist-phenomenological framework, data were collected through 32 semi-structured interviews and four focus group discussions involving teachers, students, parents, and school administrators from both urban and rural areas. This was further enriched by classroom observations and reviews of institutional policies regarding digital adoption. The analysis utilized Braun and Clarke's six-phase reflexive thematic approach, enhanced by ongoing memo-writing and peer debriefing to ensure reliability. Five interrelated themes emerged from the data: digital tools functioning as extensions of pedagogical practices; the simultaneous erosion and preservation of established rituals; the formation of a hybrid pedagogical identity among educators; cultural continuity facilitated through digital means; and a landscape of unequal access that influences all aforementioned aspects. The results indicate that technology and tradition are not adversarial but rather mutually constitutive elements within a negotiated, hybrid educational culture. In this environment, digital tools enhance traditional values such as mentorship, oral transmission, and community while also altering the roles, rituals, and relationships associated with these values. This study provides an empirically grounded, context-aware analysis of this negotiation process and suggests important considerations for policy-making, teacher training, and equitable design in digital pedagogy..
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