The ecological mechanism of digital technology integration: a comparative study of psychological and institutional support among university teachers in China and Kazakhstan
Abstract
Objective To explore the covariant ecological network of psychological cognition and macro-institutional environment in the process of digital technology integration among university teachers, and to compare the cross-cultural characteristics and differences between China and Kazakhstan. Methods Using a convenience sampling method, a cross-sectional survey design was adopted to collect questionnaire data from 1,650 in-service teachers from public universities in China and Kazakhstan (907 from China, 743 from Kazakhstan). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to measure the direct and indirect associations among variables, and Multi-Group Analysis (MG-SEM) was used to test the cross-cultural heterogeneity of this structural network. Results The data confirmed: (1) Digital self-efficacy is significantly and positively correlated with the frequency of technology integration behavior; (2) Technology anxiety acts as a significant mediator, wherein higher digital self-efficacy alleviates anxiety and subsequently increases technology integration frequency; (3) Although institutional support does not significantly moderate the internal psychological cognitive processes, it acts as an independent system-level resource that directly and significantly promotes higher levels of technology integration; (4) The ecological network exhibits cross-cultural invariance (path heterogeneity between groups is not significant), but teachers in Kazakhstan report a significantly higher perceived mean of institutional support than their Chinese counterparts. Conclusion The digital transformation of higher education cannot solely rely on the accumulation of hardware, but should move towards a sustainable ecological model of “psychological adaptation-institutional inclusion” two-way synergy. This empirical model provides data coordinates for the formulation of intelligent supporting policies in the “Belt and Road” multilateral education network.