Focus and Scope

Aims of the Journal

Educational Technology in Developing Countries (ETDC) focuses on how educational technologies are designed, adopted, regulated, and contested within education systems in developing countries. The journal seeks to advance evidence-based, contextually grounded, and interdisciplinary research that situates digital innovation within concrete institutional, cultural, and political-economic contexts, including schools, madrasas, pesantren, universities, Islamic higher education institutions, and vocational settings.

ETDC positions educational technology as both a transformative and contested force for expanding educational access, improving learning quality, reducing structural inequalities, and contributing to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to quality education, inclusion, innovation, institutional development, and equitable partnerships across the Global South.

Scope of Coverage

ETDC publishes in-depth studies across the following thematic areas:

Pedagogy and Digital Learning Design

E-learning, blended and mobile learning, low-bandwidth instructional design, learning analytics, AI-assisted instruction, and assessment innovation in resource-constrained learning environments, with particular attention to equitable and quality learning outcomes (SDG 4, SDG 9).

Educational Technology in Muslim and Culturally Plural Societies

The digital transformation of madrasah, pesantren, Islamic higher education, and culturally diverse educational settings, including how technology is negotiated within religious, ethical, linguistic, and sociocultural contexts to promote inclusive educational participation (SDG 4, SDG 10, SDG 16).

Teachers, Lecturers, and Digital Capacity Building

Pre-service and in-service teacher development, TPACK and related frameworks, digital pedagogical competence, professional learning, and labor conditions shaping technology adoption in developing-country contexts (SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 9).

Governance, Policy, and Political Economy of Educational Technology

National and sub-national policy, public–private partnerships, data governance, digital sovereignty, platform dependency, and the transfer or localization of Northern edtech models in Global South education systems, with attention to institutional accountability and collaborative governance (SDG 9, SDG 16, SDG 17).

Equity, Inclusion, Sustainability, and Educational Justice

Gender, disability, rurality, refugee and minority education, digital divides, and the long-term financial, environmental, and institutional sustainability of educational technology initiatives beyond pilot stages, with emphasis on reducing inequalities and ensuring inclusive access to education (SDG 4, SDG 5, SDG 10, SDG 13).