Strengthening Digital Literacy of Elementary School Teachers in Underdeveloped, Frontier, and Outermost (3T) Areas through Community-Based Training in the TPACK Perspective

This study aims to explore how community-based training strengthens the digital literacy of elementary school teachers in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas through the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) perspective. The study addresses the problem of unequal digital capacity among teachers in remote schools, where limited internet access, device availability, and professional development opportunities shape how technology is used in learning. This research used a qualitative case study design and was conducted in Alasa Talumuzoi District, North Nias Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia, from February to May 2026. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, limited participatory observation, documentation, and focus group discussions involving elementary school teachers, principals, training facilitators, and school supervisors. Thematic analysis identified four main themes: digital literacy as contextual problem-solving, peer support as a source of confidence, TPACK-based lesson design as a bridge between technology and pedagogy, and local constraints as drivers of adaptive teaching practice. The findings show that teachers understood digital literacy not only as technical skill, but as the capacity to select, adapt, and apply digital tools according to classroom goals, student readiness, and local infrastructure. This study contributes to TPACK literature by showing that technology integration in 3T schools requires attention to social, geographic, and infrastructural realities.