ISSN: 2226-6348
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Digital learning offers opportunities to support primary Science through visualisation, simulation, inquiry and collaboration, but technology use alone does not guarantee improved learning. This concept paper develops a process-oriented framework explaining how digital learning may become pedagogically effective in primary Science education. A structured literature search was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar, yielding 548 initial records. Ten focal sources were purposively selected for the evidence map and conceptual synthesis; the 548 records are not the number of studies included. The main evidence window was 2022–2026, with foundational theoretical and policy sources retained where relevant. The proposed framework connects Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) with learner readiness and learning-ecosystem conditions. It proposes that outcomes depend on alignment among Science content, pedagogy and technology, teacher digital-pedagogical competence, and contextual readiness. These conditions shape learning processes such as prediction, visualisation, investigation, evidence recording and explanation, which may support engagement, conceptual understanding, Science process skills and achievement. The framework offers a Science-specific account of the conditions and mechanisms through which digital learning may create pedagogical value.
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