Having access to the Internet and acquiring the skills necessary to use, question, and create in a digital environment have become essential to living and working in the 21st century. Yet, this move to digitalization has created a digital divide between those who have broadband "access" and the "skills and attitudes" to…

Equitably expanding technology access among K-12 students has long been viewed as critical for equalizing educational opportunities. But these interventions may influence students' academic outcomes in unexpected ways. Prior research suggests key technological resources, like broadband Internet, are a double-edged sword, conferring both…

At the 2024 ALA conference, the authors presented their exploration of the internet access challenges faced by graduate students at a STEM university in Ghana. This research highlighted how unreliable, expensive, and intermittent internet affects academic life, particularly for students off-campus. Despite the university's solid on-campus…

Digital literacy development begins in early childhood and contributes to a widening digital divide. The present study examines the complex interplay between family socioeconomic status (SES), home digital resources (HDR), parental mediation (PM), and early digital literacy development in young children. A survey titled Home Digital Practice…

This research note presents the key findings of a small-scale, mixed-methods international study which explored the challenges and opportunities of online schooling for the educational inclusion of Newly Arrived Migrant and Refugee Students (NAMRS). The study was conducted in 2022 in England, Germany and the Netherlands and the findings are based…

Equity is crucial in maintaining human rights in the education sector. It has become more crucial due to the abrupt global spread of coronavirus and the initiation and affordances of unequal accessibility to online teaching, specifically in resource deficit peripheral countries like Bangladesh. Hence, it seems pertinent to explore if online…

Purpose: In today's educational landscape, technology has become an undeniable force in shaping pedagogical approaches and even the definition of learning itself. But this path contains many obstacles. Within the higher education ecosystem, the digital divide -- the disparity in access and use of technology -- is proving to be a significant…

This publication outlines the Digital Equity Framework--a set of principles, guidelines, and policy recommendations designed to bridge the digital divides at the state level, for K-12 systems, and for higher education. It introduces three frameworks for digital equity, designed to lay the groundwork for learners to fully participate in society…

For decades, the field of educational technology (ed-tech) has been characterised by overoptimism and lofty promises that often fail to materialise. This research investigates the narrative claims or hype of ed-tech across diverse education contexts in seven Asian-Pacific countries. It uses a qualitative meta-analysis of research reports developed…

The focus of this research was to examine the learning characteristics and perceptions of college freshmen and sophomores at a small liberal arts university who identify as Generation Z. Born between 1995 and 2012, research is inconclusive on how this cohort learns and whether the educational needs and expectations of this generation are being…

Background: Developments in digital technologies have transformed how people interact with the world, offering employment, education, communication, health benefits and entertainment. Research has shown that not everyone can easily access digital content, particularly people with intellectual disabilities. Despite internet access being recognised…

The digital age has opened up new and exciting opportunities for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in universities. But, is going digital reinforcing the existing social inequalities? This qualitative research examines the three levels of digital divide and digital inequality among learners at India's National Open University, IGNOU. The findings…

In the United States, many school districts are already aware of the "digital divide"--a phenomenon that manifests as an inequity in technology use and availability, limiting the opportunities available to students who are often already at a disadvantage due to socioeconomic factors. Some districts have taken steps to reduce the digital…