How did the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbate the digital divide at secondary education: the case of two Chinese schools

Yu, Beibei, Guo, Wu Yuan, Huang, Yichao, Hu, Ye and Jia, Miaomiao 2023. How did the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbate the digital divide at secondary education: the case of two Chinese schools. Educational Studies: A Journal of the American Educational Studies Association 59 (5-6) , pp. 504-521. 10.1080/00131946.2023.2274345

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

In major public health crises, online education can play an important role in guaranteeing the continuity of education. However, whether online education can promote educational equity has been questioned widely. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed severe challenges students face in online teaching. Based on Bourdieu’s theory of cultural reproduction and 34 interviews with participants including students, parents, and teachers, this research adopted a case study approach to explore the digital divide among Chinese rural and urban secondary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was found that despite measures adopted by the Chinese government, a wider digital divide has been created between urban and rural secondary schools, and the online learning result was heavily influenced by the socioeconomic status of both the individuals and the schools they attended. More specifically, compared with urban students, rural students had less access to sui digital devices and environment, quality-parental guide and supervision, effective teachers’ instruction, and worse habitus and less ability in independent online learning. Overall, this study calls on policymakers, leaders, educators, and parents to take collective actions to create a more effective online educational environment for students from the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	0013-1946
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	7 November 2023
Date of Acceptance:	20 October 2023
Last Modified:	16 Jan 2024 14:38
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/163697

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item