Reimagining Primary Education in the Age of Intelligent Technologies: Systemic Transformation, Human-centered Pedagogy and Ethical Digital Futures

Abstract

The rapid expansion of intelligent digital technologies is not merely enhancing primary education but fundamentally redefining its epistemological foundations, pedagogical structures, and institutional responsibilities. While previous research has emphasized technological integration and instructional innovation, this study advances a systemic and human-centered perspective on digital transformation in early schooling. Drawing upon interdisciplinary literature, the paper reconceptualizes primary education as a dynamic socio-technical ecosystem shaped by artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, adaptive systems, and data-driven infrastructures. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative research design based on a systematic and integrative literature review. Academic publications, policy reports, and empirical studies related to digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and pedagogical innovation in primary education were examined. Sources were selected through purposive sampling from major academic databases, and the collected material was analyzed using thematic content analysis in order to identify recurring conceptual patterns, emerging educational practices, and policy implications related to intelligent technologies in primary education. Rather than focusing exclusively on tools and outcomes, the analysis interrogates how digital innovation restructures power relations, professional identities, equity frameworks, and developmental paradigms. By synthesizing constructivist epistemology, the TPACK model, and contemporary governance scholarship, this study proposes a multidimensional framework for sustainable digital transformation. It concludes by articulating strategic policy priorities and research directions necessary for ethically grounded and developmentally appropriate innovation in primary education.