A Longitudinal Study on the Adoption and Impact of Educational Technology in Kenyan Low-Resource Settings,

This longitudinal study investigates the adoption and sustained integration of educational technology (EdTech) in low-resource primary schools in Kenya between 2021 and 2024. It addresses a critical gap in understanding how such interventions fare beyond initial pilot phases within authentic, constrained environments. Employing a sequential mixed-methods design, the research tracked 40 schools across three counties. Annual quantitative assessments of pupil attainment in mathematics and literacy were triangulated with qualitative data from teacher interviews, classroom observations, and focus group discussions with school leaders. Findings reveal a significant divergence between initial adoption and sustained, pedagogically meaningful use. While early enthusiasm and modest gains in pupil engagement were noted, long-term impact on learning outcomes was heavily contingent on continuous professional development, structured community involvement, and reliable technical infrastructure. Crucially, the study identifies a shift towards locally relevant, offline-capable technologies as more resilient and impactful than complex, internet-dependent solutions. The research underscores that sustainable EdTech integration in these settings necessitates strategies that move beyond mere device provision to address systemic pedagogical and infrastructural challenges holistically. It concludes that for technology to genuinely transform education, implementation must be deeply contextualised, community-embedded, and aligned with long-term, iterative capacity-building for educators.