Research on the Current Situation of Educational Digital Transformation of Rural English Teachers in Hunan Province from the Perspective of Self-Determination

Abstract

With the advancement of educational digitalization, the digital literacy of rural teachers has become a crucial factor influencing the high-quality development of education. Based on Self-Determination Theory, this study investigates the current situation of educational digital transformation among rural English teachers in Hunan Province. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 371 teachers from 14 prefecture-level cities. The findings reveal that teachers’ overall digital literacy is at an upper-medium level. The dimension of ethical responsibility scored the highest, indicating that teachers have a full understanding of the normative nature of digital ethics; the autonomy dimension is at a relatively high level, but there is an imbalance between cognition and action internally; the scores of the support environment dimension, application ability dimension, and knowledge and skills dimension are relatively low, reflecting insufficient competence and sense of belonging. Drawing on the three core needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in Self-Determination Theory, this study comprehensively proposes three improvement paths: encouraging teachers to participate in the planning of changes and digital innovation, scientifically designing training content and developing local resources for English teaching, and enhancing emotional support and the fit of rural teachers’ identities. The aim is to stimulate teachers’ intrinsic motivation and facilitate their digital transformation, providing theoretical insights and practical references for the development of rural teacher teams.