Call for Special Issue, IJSPSY 2, July 2026

THEME: Bridging educational and mental health gaps through technology in low-resource settings

Guest editors

  1. Phumuzani Mpofu: Department of Psychology, Wits University, South Africa 

Email: phumuzani.mpofu@wits.ac.za 

  1. Prof Favourate Y. Sebele Mpofu: Department of Accounting, National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe
  1. Sithulisiwe Bhebhe, Department of Education, University of Eswatini, Eswatini

The International Journal of Studies in Psychology (IJSPSY) is a peer-reviewed journal, published by the Global Association of Educational and Research in Psychology (GAERPSY). It is indexed in the DOAJ and listed on accredited journals, as well as in the Department of Higher Education and Training in South Africa, Sabinet, and African Journals Online (AJOL). 

Rationale

The integration of technology in education offers significant opportunities for learning, engagement, and skill development. However, students and educators in low-resource contexts often face limited access to devices, internet connectivity, and trained personnel, which constrains the effective use of digital tools (Navas-Bonilla et al., 2025; Sepadi et al., 2025). At the same time, mental health challenges among learners and teachers have intensified due to educational disruptions and socio-economic stressors (Fu et al., 2020; Kola et al., 2021). Despite global interest in digital interventions, there is limited research on how these tools can be adapted and implemented to support both educational outcomes and psychosocial well-being in under-resourced settings (Mdpi, 2025; Muñoz-Najar et al., 2021).

This special issue aims to bridge this gap by examining the intersection of technology, education, and mental health in low-resource settings. Contributions may address innovative digital interventions, teacher preparedness, accessibility, and the impact of technology-mediated learning on students’ mental health (UNESCO, 2023; World Health Organization, 2022). By generating contextually relevant evidence, the issue aims to inform policies and practices that promote inclusive and equitable education, while supporting the well-being of students and educators. Ultimately, this collection seeks to provide actionable insights for leveraging technology to enhance both learning and mental health outcomes in marginalized educational settings.

Scope of the special issue

We invite original research that explores how digital technologies intersect with education and mental health in low-resource contexts, including rural and underserved LMIC settings. Submissions may examine digital inequalities, access barriers, and pedagogical innovation affecting learner and educator well-being (UNESCO, 2023; Navas-Bonilla et al., 2025). Research on technology-mediated mental health interventions, mobile and social media tools for mental well-being, and culturally tailored digital supports is encouraged (Mhkhanyakude, South Africa study; digital tools and well-being frameworks) (see Masvingo District and South Africa mobile mental health research). Contributors should address risks and protective factors such as digital literacy, cyber-wellness, stress, and emotional regulation in educational environments (school-age digital well-being review). We welcome work that highlights lived experiences, resilience, coping strategies, and educator perspectives on technology use and psychosocial outcomes (Sepadi et al., 2025). Policy analyses, ethical considerations (including online safety and data privacy), and contextually grounded frameworks relevant to the Global South and low-resource settings are highly relevant. Methodologies from quantitative, qualitative, mixed, and participatory designs are suitable. This issue aims to advance equitable, context-aware knowledge to better inform psychologically supportive and technology-enhanced education.

Methodology papers

Contributors are encouraged to adopt methodologically rigorous and context-sensitive designs that align with the realities of low-resource educational settings. Quantitative studies may employ cross-sectional or longitudinal survey designs to examine relationships between technology use, academic practices, and mental health outcomes, using validated and culturally adapted psychometric instruments (Boateng et al., 2018; Van de Vijver & Leung, 2021). Qualitative approaches, including in-depth interviews, focus groups, narrative inquiry, and phenomenology, are strongly encouraged to capture lived experiences, meanings, and coping processes related to technology-mediated education and mental well-being (Braun & Clarke, 2021).

Mixed-methods designs are particularly recommended to integrate statistical trends with contextualized experiential data, thereby strengthening explanatory power and policy relevance (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2023). Contributors are encouraged to situate their work within contextually appropriate theoretical frameworks, such as the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, Cultural Historical Activity Theory, ecological systems theory, or decolonial and indigenous frameworks relevant to Global South contexts (Kola et al., 2021; UNESCO, 2023).

Participatory, community-engaged, and transformative methodologies are welcomed, especially where research seeks to empower marginalized learners, educators, or communities and address structural inequalities in access to technology and mental health support (Mertens, 2019; Wallerstein et al., 2020). All studies should demonstrate ethical sensitivity to issues of digital privacy, power asymmetries, informed consent, and psychological risk, particularly when using online data collection tools in low-resource settings (WHO, 2022; Lupton, 2017).

Empirical studies

Empirical research from low-resource contexts demonstrates that technology-mediated education has profound implications for mental health, shaped by structural inequalities in access to technology, infrastructure, and digital literacy. Studies across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America show that limited connectivity, device scarcity, and abrupt transitions to online or blended learning are associated with increased stress, anxiety, disengagement, and academic strain among students and educators (Kola et al., 2021; UNESCO, 2023; Munoz-Najar et al., 2021). Quantitative and mixed-methods studies further indicate that technostress, digital fatigue, and surveillance-oriented educational technologies are associated with depressive symptoms and reduced well-being, particularly among students at under-resourced universities and schools (Wang et al., 2020). At the same time, qualitative research highlights how supportive digital pedagogies, peer interaction, and flexible technology use can mitigate distress and foster resilience, underscoring the importance of contextually responsive implementation (Reimers & Schleicher, 2020).

Within this empirical landscape, the journal welcomes articles addressing topics such as digital inequality and its psychological consequences; technostress and digital fatigue among students and educators; mental health experiences of learners in online, blended, or mobile learning environments; technology-enabled counselling, peer support, and psychosocial interventions in educational settings; culturally adapted digital mental health tools in LMICs; educator well-being and coping in technology-driven education; student resilience and informal support systems; ethical issues including data privacy, surveillance, and power asymmetries; policy and institutional responses linking educational technology and mental health; and indigenous, decolonial, and Global South frameworks (e.g., Ubuntu) informing technology use in education. Empirical intervention studies demonstrate that low-cost, mobile-based mental health supports can reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms when culturally tailored and integrated within educational systems (Fu et al., 2020), highlighting the need for further evidence that integrates educational outcomes, mental health, and equity in low-resource contexts.

Submission criteria

  • Original research papers (6000-8000 words) are invited.
  • Manuscripts will be accepted for publication in the English language.
  • Empirical studies are preferred, but conceptual/theoretical papers will be considered.
  • Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies are permitted.
  • Manuscripts should address an important but overlooked aspect/topic.
  • Manuscripts should present new theoretical or conceptual ideas, accompanied by innovative, context-sensitive applications.

Submission process and time frame

Actions

Deadlines

Interested authors submit an initial abstract (250-350 words) including:

· Preliminary title of manuscript

· Full author names, contact details, and affiliations

· The aim of the study

· How the study aligns with the scope of the special section

February 15, 2026

Contributing authors are notified about the selection of abstracts and invited to submit a full manuscript.

February 28, 2026

 

The first draft of the full manuscript, along with suggestions from two possible reviewers, is to be submitted.

March 15, 2026

Feedback from the first round of reviews (two independent expert reviewers) is sent to the authors.

April 31, 2026

The revised manuscript is submitted.

May 15, 2026

Feedback from IJSPSY associate editors and editor-in-chief.

June 01, 2026

Submission of the final manuscript.

June 30, 2026

Publication of a successfully reviewed manuscript.

July 15, 2026

All submissions must be submitted SUBMIT ARTICLE. For inquiries, please contact: Dr. Mpofu at phumuzani.mpofu@wits.ac.za 

References

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Boateng, G. O., Neilands, T. B., Frongillo, E. A., Melgar-Quiñonez, H. R., & Young, S. L. (2018). Best practices for developing and validating scales for health, social, and behavioral research. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, Article 149. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00149

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328–352.https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238

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Wallerstein, N., Oetzel, J. G., Sanchez-Youngman, S., Boursaw, B., Dickson, E., Kastelic, S., & Duran, B. (2020). Engage for equity: A long-term study of community-based participatory research and community-engaged research practices and outcomes. Health Education & Behavior, 47(3), 380-390. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198120927451

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