Professional development responses to digital education barriers in primary schools: A systematic review

This systematic review analyzes how professional development (PD) initiatives support primary school teachers in integrating digital education (DE) into classrooms. Based on the findings of eight studies, it examines the barriers addressed, the PD features employed, and their effectiveness. Most reviewed programs targeted teacher-centric barriers, such as beliefs, knowledge, and confidence, using active learning and content-focused instruction. However, external barriers—including institutional support, assessment practices, and sustainability—were rarely considered. The findings highlight a disconnect between PD design and systemic conditions, emphasizing the need for DE-PD that aligns with school contexts and supports sustained pedagogical change. • Review of PD initiatives for DE in K-6, focusing on barriers, features, and effects. • PD programs focus on internal barriers: teacher knowledge, confidence, and attitudes. • External barriers—resources, institutional support, assessment—remain underexplored. • Contextually aligned, long-term PD better enables sustainable DE integration. • Lack of DE assessment tools hinder progress tracking and instructional adaptation.