Digital inequality at home. The school as compensatory agent. (July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: González-Betancor, Sara M.; López-Puig, Alexis J.; Cardenal, M. Eugenia
• Is Part Of: Computers & education. Volume 168(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-07
• Subjects: Cultural and social implications -- Distance education and online learning -- Media in education -- Secondary education -- Teaching/learning strategies -- 21st century skills; Education -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Education -- Periodicals; Computers -- Periodicals; Computer-Assisted Instruction -- Periodicals; Éducation -- Informatique -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 370.285
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104195
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-1315

Abstract

Abstract: Following the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 crisis, the forced digitization of teaching at all levels of education has highlighted the social problem of digital inequality at home. The article addresses this issue by looking at the role of both social background, as measured by socio-economic-status (SES), in this inequality, and that of schools. A multidimensional approach to digital inequality is proposed, incorporating the frequency and quality of use of digital media, as well as ICT access. To this end, multiple structural equation models are estimated using data from the last PISA cycle (2018), for a total of 161, 443 students from 6261 schools and 21 European countries, to check the influence on each of these three dimensions of both the SES and the integration of ICT in schools. The results confirm that for most European countries: (1) access to ICT at home is influenced to a greater extent by the family's SES than by the integration of ICT at school; (2) both the frequency and quality of use of ICT at home are influenced more by the integration of ICT at school than by the SES of the family, while in some countries the influence of the social aspect is practically irrelevant. Therefore, the integration of ICT in schools emerges as a compensatory measure for the social inequalities of students and may contribute to the reduction of digital inequality. Highlights: Social background and school ICT integration influence digital inequalities at home. Digital inequality is analyzed through access, frequency of use and quality of use. ICT access at home is influenced to a greater extent by the family's SES. ICT frequency of use at home is influenced mostly by school ICT integration. ICT quality of use at home is more affected by school ICT integration than by SES.