Toward Sustainable Digital Equity in Greek Primary Schools: Teacher Self-Efficacy, Student Engagement, and Bundled Professional Development Policies

This study examined how digital equity conditions and bundled professional development policies are associated with sustainable teacher learning, self-efficacy, and student engagement in Greek primary schools. A total of 460 in-service teachers from urban, suburban, and rural areas participated in the study. Data were collected through Likert-scale measures assessing information systems use, TPACK-aligned professional development outcomes, teacher self-efficacy, implementation challenges, and student engagement. The analysis included ANOVA, MANOVA, OLS regression with interaction terms, and mediation models. The findings indicated that infrastructure funding alone was not a significant predictor of teacher capacity or student engagement after the introduction of relevant controls. More consistent effects emerged when funding was combined with mandated and time-protected professional development, together with minimum connectivity standards. Teacher self-efficacy partially mediated the association between information systems use and student engagement, while stronger indirect effects were observed among early-career teachers. In addition, a bundled governance index was associated with a reduction in urban–rural disparities in teacher capacity. The findings suggest that sustainable digital equity in primary education depends not only on access to resources but also on coherent professional support structures that strengthen teacher confidence, instructional continuity, and long-term engagement. Implications are discussed for the design of sustainable professional development policies in teacher education and primary schooling.