Technostress in Educational Digital Transformation: A Systematic Literature Review of Antecedents, Outcomes, and Institutional Responses

Abstract

Educational digital transformation expands access, flexibility, and data use, yet it also creates technology-related demands that can develop into technostress. This study synthesized empirical evidence on the antecedents, consequences, protective resources, and institutional responses associated with technostress in digitally transforming education. A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020. Structured searches of multidisciplinary and education-focused databases covered publications from January 2016 to 23 July 2026. Of 137 initially identified records, 28 empirical studies met the inclusion criteria after deduplication, screening, full-text assessment, and methodological appraisal. The thematic synthesis identified six principal demand clusters: digital overload and acceleration, system complexity and poor usability, technology invasion into personal boundaries, continuous-change uncertainty, role insecurity, and privacy or reliability risks. Technostress was associated with anxiety, fatigue, burnout, lower engagement, motivation, satisfaction, productivity, and weaker continuance intention. Digital competence, self-efficacy, organizational support, integrated system design, autonomy, boundary protection, and adaptive coping reduced these effects and could support techno-eustress. The review concludes that technostress is not merely an individual skills deficit, it is a socio-technical misfit among people, tasks, technologies, and governance arrangements. Educational digital transformation should therefore be managed as human-centered organizational change and evaluated through well-being, learning quality, service quality, and equity indicators rather than technology adoption alone.