Perspective Chapter: The Digital Divide in a Global Emergency - How Technology is Shaping Academic Performance in Diverse Communities

Aruna Kallon

A chapter in Academic Performance - Students, Teachers and Institutions on the Stage from IntechOpen

Abstract: Inequity in access and use of technology influenced by factors such as race, income, or geography has long been in existence and continues to be impactful today. Owing to its sheer scale, the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has only deepened this disparity, particularly for students from low-income families, rural locations, and other disadvantaged groups with limited digital resources available to them. This review synthesizes research examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated digital divides in education globally. Key studies find that the abrupt shift to remote learning spotlighted profound disparities in technology access and digital literacy across student demographics. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds faced heightened barriers to accessing devices and internet connectivity and utilizing technology effectively for remote instruction, inhibiting academic progress. However, research also notes opportunities to reimagine more innovative, digitally enabled education models if digital equity gaps are addressed. Findings underscore that efforts to confront systemic inequities and marginalization must accompany technology access to enable diverse students to thrive academically during global crises necessitating remote learning. The central thesis asserts that policies providing equitable access to technology are crucial in supporting academic success, mitigating social and economic inequality, equipping students for employment in the future, and developing digital citizenship skills.

Keywords: digital divide; global emergency; pandemic-era digital disparities; educational disparities; academic achievement gaps; socioeconomic disparities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ito:pchaps:317501

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.113923

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