PERCEPTIONS AND SOCIOEMOTIONAL CHALLENGES OF RURAL ADULT TEACHERS REGARDING ICT IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

This exercise seeks to identify the perceptions and socio-emotional challenges faced by adult rural teachers in Colombia when implementing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their professional teaching-learning practice. The study is based on the theory of complex thinking and the contributions on teachers' emotions, inferring that the integration of technologies in education is an integral phenomenon where emotional, technological, pedagogical, social and cultural aspects converge. The digital divide in Colombian rural contexts is not only linked to limitations of connectivity or technological access, but also includes a socio-emotional dimension, manifested in the stress and anxiety experienced by older teachers due to the limitations of their environment and the need to update their practice. The proposed analysis generates a reflection on connectivity, the diverse emotions of teachers in the face of the use of technologies, the application of new pedagogies and the integration of ICT in rural education. As a result, three key dimensions are identified: the emotional dimension, which analyzes the emotional barriers and facilitators for the appropriation of technologies; technology, related to digital skills and ease of use; and pedagogical, which addresses adaptation in historically disconnected contexts. Teachers' emotions are seen as both personal and socially context-influenced constructs, and can act as facilitators or barriers to technological appropriation. Technology anxiety, stress from the pressure to update and resistance to change are not only individual obstacles, but responses typical of isolated environments or with significant inequalities. Therefore, a holistic and multidimensional approach is proposed to address the integration of ICT in Colombian rural education, recognizing the interconnection between emotional, technological and pedagogical aspects.