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Digital equity in cultural context: exploring the influence of Confucian heritage culture on Hong Kong families

  • Cultural and Regional Perspectives
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Abstract

Our study examines digital equity in a cultural context. Many studies have used classic analytical variables such as socioeconomic status and gender to investigate the problem of unequal access to, and more recently differences in the use of, information and communication technology (ICT). The few studies that have explored cultural variables have usually focused on theory or considered culture as a background dimension. Our study’s central thesis is that cultural context plays a crucial role in shaping parents’ ICT-related child-rearing practices. In a case study of 22 Chinese students who share the Confucian heritage of Hong Kong, we demonstrate the importance of cultural dimensions of students’ ICT use, and examine how cultural values are associated with digital equity. Our findings reveal that Confucian values influence aspects of family/social relationships, in particular whether students receive adequate and appropriate ICT resources and use ICT effectively, which are essential aspects of digital equity.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Government’s Central Policy Unit, and the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKU7032-PPR-12).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Centre for Information Technology in Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

    Allan H. K. Yuen

  2. Department of International Education and Lifelong Learning, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

    Jae Hyung Park

  3. Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

    Lu Chen & Miaoting Cheng

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  1. Allan H. K. Yuen
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  2. Jae Hyung Park
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  3. Lu Chen
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  4. Miaoting Cheng
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Correspondence to Allan H. K. Yuen.

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Yuen, A.H.K., Park, J.H., Chen, L. et al. Digital equity in cultural context: exploring the influence of Confucian heritage culture on Hong Kong families. Education Tech Research Dev 65, 481–501 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-017-9515-4

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