Abstract
An important goal of this study is to examine the causes of the digital learning divide and the differential effects of ICT use in education on the outcomes of students from socially advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds. This chapter examines the research literature and discusses the theoretical foundations of the digital divide. The discussion begins with an elaboration of three types of digital divide that emerged with the rapid development of digital technology and the growing reliance on ICT in schools, followed by an analysis of digital inequalities at home and in school by students’ socioeconomic status. We suggest that students from socially advantaged families are more likely to use ICT at home for educational and productive purposes, feel more comfortable to apply their digital skills in school and receive more rewards from teachers, and eventually benefit from ICT use more than students from disadvantaged families. This discussion lays the foundation for our empirical analyses in Chaps. 4 through 7.
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Ma, J.KH., Cheng, S. (2022). Literature on the Socioeconomic Digital Learning Divide. In: Adolescent Well-Being and ICT Use. Human Well-Being Research and Policy Making. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04412-0_3
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