Fostering Digital Citizens Without Digital Infrastructure: A Critical Realist Case Study of Teacher Educators' Experiences in New Universities of Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

With the application of a critical realist approach, the current qualitative study examines how teacher educators working in newly established universities in the Punjab region of Pakistan strive to create digitally literate citizens, despite the severe limitations of the digital infrastructure. The study examines the mechanisms, structures, and contexts that inform the teaching and learning of digital citizenship within resource-poor environments through in-depth interviews conducted with 15 teacher educators from three universities established after 2010. The results demonstrate the complex relationship between systemic obstacles to digital citizenship development, such as inadequate internet connectivity, limited technological resources, and a policy gap relevant to educators, and the innovative pedagogical approaches that educators can employ to foster digital citizenship competencies. The findings indicate that teacher educators engage in adaptive practices that extend beyond traditional definitions of digital literacy, prioritizing critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and collaboration in problem-solving, rather than relying solely on the use of technology. In this way, the study helps to comprehend how digital citizenship education can be redefined to respond to poorly digitalized environments, and this knowledge may be helpful to policymakers, educational institutions, and international development organizations engaging in similar environments in the Global South.