Barriers and Support Needs in Integrating Digital Literacy into Science Teaching: Experiences of Junior High School Teachers in a Ghanaian Municipality

Abstract:

This study explored the barriers experienced by Junior High School (JHS) science teachers in integrating digital literacy into science teaching and the forms of support they considered necessary for strengthening practice. Guided by an interpretivist qualitative case-study design, nine science teachers from three educational circuits in the Effutu Municipality of Ghana were purposively selected. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four interconnected barriers emerged: inadequate digital infrastructure, limited preparation for science-specific digital pedagogy, insufficient institutional and technical support, and pressures associated with instructional time and curriculum coverage. Teachers identified continuous science-specific professional development, improved infrastructure and curriculum-aligned digital resources, stronger instructional leadership and technical assistance, and collaborative professional learning as essential supports. The findings distinguish teachers’ access to digital devices from learners’ opportunities for meaningful digital participation and show that technological competence alone does not ensure learner-centred digital science inquiry. The study contributes to understanding digital literacy integration as a multilevel support ecology requiring coordinated interventions across teacher, classroom, school, and municipal levels. These findings have implications for professional development, resource provision, and implementation of digital education policies in resource-constrained contexts.