Teachers’ Acceptance and Application of Educational Technology in Teaching the 21st Century Learners

The global push for 21st-century learning emphasizes technology's role in developing essential student skills. In the Philippines, particularly in rural areas like Cebu Province, integrating technology faces obstacles such as inadequate infrastructure, limited device access, and insufficient teacher training. Understanding these regional dynamics is vital for effective educational policy.This study examined how teachers at three elementary schools in a rural district of Cebu Province embrace and use technology to instruct students in the twenty-first century. By employing a descriptive-correlational research design, the study sought to ascertain the degree of technology application proficiency among teachers, their general acceptance and utilization of technology (assessed using a scale modified from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, or UTAUT), the correlation between teaching experience and technology application skills, and the perceived barriers to technology integration. According to the results, teachers generally have a high degree of acceptance of technology (mean score of 94.29 out of 120), which suggests that they feel positively about using technology in the classroom. Regarding their technological use, the research also examined the perceptions of the UTAUT factors (effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, enabling conditions, behavioral intents, self-efficacy, and anxiety) by the teachers. "Limited or unstable internet connectivity at school" (3.40 mean) and "Unequal student access to devices at home" (3.00 mean) emerged as the most major perceived obstacles to technology deployment. Conversely, the least significant hindrance (mean of 8.23) was "Believing that standardized testing doesn't appreciate the skills obtained through technology use.The research also examined the relationship between the UTAUT elements and teaching experience and technological application skills. The Pearson's r values of 0.117 and 0.105 indicate a weak, positive linear trend. This indicates that how long they have been teaching does not appear to make much difference in their acceptance or capabilities.