Digital Textbook Integration and Teacher Digital Literacy: Pathways to Enhanced Pedagogical Outcomes in Chinese Secondary Schools

This mixed-methods study investigates the complex interplay between teachers’ digital competencies, digital textbook integration, and pedagogical outcomes in Chinese secondary education, framed by China’s Teacher Digital Literacy Standards (TDLS) and multimodal discourse theory. Combining quantitative structural equation modeling (SEM) and qualitative insights, the research analyzes data from 431 educators across urban and rural schools to address critical gaps in understanding how systemic factors and regional disparities shape the implementation of digital pedagogical practices. Key findings reveal that teachers’ digital skills significantly predict instructional innovation (β=0.484, p<0.001) and student learning outcomes, with urban educators demonstrating markedly higher digital application abilities than their rural counterparts (t=3.741, p<0.001). Notably, hardware infrastructure emerged as a pivotal moderator, amplifying the impact of digital awareness on usage willingness (β=0.268, p<0.001). Prolonged engagement with digital textbooks (>3 years) was associated with enhanced competencies (p<0.001), underscoring the role of sustained practice. The study advances a dialectical model that integrates technical proficiency with pedagogical growth, offering actionable strategies to bridge policy-practice divides. Practical recommendations emphasize equitable resource allocation, context-specific professional development, and institutional support mechanisms to mitigate regional biases. While constrained by cross-sectional data and self-report limitations, this research contributes theoretically to multimodal literacy frameworks and practically to China’s educational digitalization agenda, advocating for a synergistic ecosystem of "policy guidance—institutional support—pedagogical innovation" to foster educational equity and digital citizenship.