Utopia, educational technologies in rural training processes: A systematic review

The integration of educational technology (ET) into school systems has become a defining imperative of the twenty-first century. Yet rural schools continue to lag behind, constrained by distinctive geographic, social, and cultural contexts and by the accelerating pace of technological change. Within this landscape, ET has shifted from a merely instrumental tool to a catalyst that enriches teaching and learning and cultivates the key competencies needed to confront modernization and globalization. This systematic review synthesizes the strategies, models, and enabling conditions that have guided ET integration in rural schools over the past decade, aiming to identify its benefits, challenges, limitations, and contributions to narrowing educational gaps. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, 67 studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected. The analysis underscores the decisive role of context in technological integration and highlights the need for adaptive strategies that acknowledge diverse pedagogical approaches and local realities. The absence of a unified conceptual framework, together with limited coordination among structural conditions, instructional practices, and institutional policies, continues to impede the full realization of ET's transformative potential in rural schools.