Examining the digital divide in access to and use of information and communication tools and capabilities among high school students
Subject Areas : Research in Curriculum Planning
1 - Department of Educational Technology, the Institute for Research and Development in the Humanities (SAMT), Tehran, Iran;
2 - Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran
Keywords: Digital Divide, use of technology, access to technology, information and communication technology,
Abstract :
The present study was conducted to examine the digital divide in access to and use of information and communication tools and capabilities among high school students in terms of gender, type of school, grade and socio-economic status. The research design was causal-comparative and the statistical population of the study consisted of all high school students, who were attending high school during the academic year 2018-19 in Sanandaj, Iran. Samples of 300 students (160 boys and 140 girls) were selected from that population randomly, using a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Data were collected by ICT Familiarity Scale and Socio-Economic Status Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests. The results showed a significant difference in the level of access to ICT at home in terms of the type of school, grade and socio-economic status, but there was no significant gender difference. Also, there was a significant difference in the level of access to ICT at school in terms of the type of school and socio-economic status, but that was not significant in terms of gender and grade. In addition, there was a significant difference in use of ICT (at home and school) in terms of the type of school, grade and socio-economic status. However, there was no significant gender difference in use of ICT among students. In general, the results of this study showed the digital divide in the access and use of ICT in high schools and educational policymakers can use this evidence to make policies that promote educational justice.
ACARA. (2015). National Assessment Program—ICT literacy years 6 & 10. Report 2014. Sydney, Australia: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
Adepoju, Olayinka Eunice (2017). Demographic factors affecting ICT utilization by undergraduate students in Nigeria. International Journal of Library and Information Science Studies, Vol.3, No.2, pp.20-33.
Aman Ullah, Mohammad, Alam, Mohammad Manjur, Alahi, Ahmed Shan-A, Rahman, Mohammed Mahmudur, muhammad masum, Abdul Kadar, akter, Nasrin (2019). Impact of ICT on Students‘ Academic Performance: Applying Association Rule Mining and Structured quation Modeling. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, Vol. 10, No.8.
Appianing J. & Van Eck R. N. (2015). Gender Differences in College Students’ Perceptions of Technology- Related jobs in Computer Science. International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 7(1), 28- 56.
Basavaraja, M T & Kumar, Sampath (2017). Gender Disparities in the Use of ICT: A Survey of Students in Urban Schools. Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice. 5. 39-48.
Basu, B. (2021). Digital Divide and Inequities in School Education during
Covid-19: An Exploratory Study, Journal of Development and Management Studies XISS, Ranchi, Vol. 19, No. 4, October-December 2021, pp. 8977-8993
Barakabitze, A.A., Lazaro,A.W., Ainea,N., Mkwizu,M.H., Maziku,H., Matofali,A.X., Iddi,A., Sanga,C. (2019). Transforming African Education Systems in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Using ICTs: Challenges and Opportunities, Education Research International, https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6946809
Chinyamurindi, W. & Shava, H. )2015(. An Investigation into e-learning Acceptance and Gender Amongst Final Year Students’, South
African Journal of Information Management 17(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v17i1.635
Comi, S.L., Argentin, G., Gui, M., Origo, F. and Pagani, L., (2017). Is it the way they use it? Teachers, ICT and student achievement. Economics of Education Review, Vol.56, pp.24-39.
Conrads, J., Rasmussen, M., Winters, N., Geniet, A. and Langer, L. (2017). Digital Education Policies in Europe and Beyond: Key Design Principles for More Effective Policies , EUR 29000 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. DOI:10.2760/462941
Ebadi, R. (2005). ICT and education, (in Persian). The Publication of the Institute for Development of Educational Technology and Smart Schools, Second edition.
Eslami, A., Mahmoudi, A., Khabiri, M., Najafian, S.M. (2012). Determining the socio-economic status in motivating citizens to participate in recreational sports. Journal of Applied Research in Sports Management, 2(3), 89-104.
Fernández-Gutiérrez, M., Gimenez, G. and Calero, J. (2020). Is the use of ICT in education leading to higher student outcomes? Analysis from the Spanish Autonomous
Communities. Computers & Education, Vol.157, p.103969.
Fraillon, J., Ainley, J., Schulz, W., Friedman, T., & Gebhardt, E. (2014). Preparing for life in a digital age: The IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study international report. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. Retrieved from https://www.springer.com/gp/book/978331914221
Golzar Moghadam,J., Kian, M., Geramipour, M., Mahdavinasab, Y. (2021). Analysis of scientific products in the field of augmented reality technology in education, Research in Curriculum Planning, Vol 18. No 43 (continus 70), Pages 76-92.
Gu, J. (2021). Family conditions and the accessibility of online education: the digital divide and mediating factors. Sustainability, 13 (15), p. 85-90. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158590
Heinz, Jana. (2016). Digital Skills and the Influence of Students’ Socio-Economic Background. An Exploratory Study in German Elementary Schools. Italian Journal of Sociology of Education. 8. 186-212.
Kian, M. (2019). A Comparative Study of ICT Programs in Basic Education in Australia, Finland and Iran. Iranian Journal of Comparative Education, 2(3), 383-406. doi: 10.22034/ijce.2020.103834
Kozma, Robert & Vota, W.S.. (2014). ICT in developing countries: Policies, implementation, and impact. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-3185-5_72
Lotfi, H, Emamjomeh,M.R, Ahmadi, G.A, Alireza, A, Hatami, J. (2022). Identifying the principles governing the experimental science curriculum based on actor-network theory based on the meta- Synthesis approach, Research in Curriculum Plannin, Vol 19. No 45 (continus 72)spring, Pages 1-17
Mahboudi, Hamid Reza & Farrokhi, Farahman & Ansarin, Ali. (2017). A Review on Application of Computers in Education Inside and Outside of Iran. Advances in Language and Literary Studies. 8(4). DOI: 10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.4p.29
Mbugua, S.N., Kiboss, J. & Tanui, E. (2015). Influence of integration of information communication technology in teaching on students’ academic performance. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(24), 7-13.
Milis K., Wessa P., Poelmans S., Doom C., Bloemen E. (2008 ). The Impact of Gender on the Acceptance of Virtual Learning Environments. ICERI 2008. International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation. 17th-19th November 2008, Madrid Spain.
Mubarak, F., Suomi, R. and Kantola, S.-P. (2020). Confirming the links between socio-economic variables and digitalization worldwide: the unsettled debate on digital divide, Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 415-430. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-02-2019-0021
Nayak, K.V., Alam, S.(2020). The digital divide, gender and education: challenges for tribal youth in rural Jharkhand during Covid-19. Decision 49, 223–237. doi: 10.1007/s40622-022-00315-y
Nouri, A., Zandi, T., Etemadizade., H. (2022). A canonical correlation analysis of the influence of access to and use of ICT on secondary school students’ academic performance, Research in Learning Technology, 30:2679 http://dx.doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v30.2679
OECD (2001).Understanding the Digital Divide, OECD Digital Economy Papers, No. 49, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/236405667766
OECD (2015), Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection, PISA, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264239555-en
OECD (2017), "Students' use of ICT outside of school", in PISA 2015 Results (Volume III): Students' Well-Being, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264273856-17-en.
OECD. (2018). PISA 2018: Draft analytical frameworks. Paris, France: OECD Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/pisa/data/PISA-2018-draft-frameworks.pdf
OECD (2019) PISA 2021 ICT Framework, OECD Publishing, Paris, [online] Available at:
https://www.oecd.org/pisa/sitedocument/PISA-2021-ICT-framework.pd
Otiang'a, Ruth & Ayere, Mildred. (2019). influence of Integrating Information Communication Technology (ICT) on performance in chemistry among public secondary schools in Kisumu County. International Journal of Scientific Research and Innovative Technology Vol. 6 No. 1.
Qodratnama, A., Haidarnejad, S., Davoudi, I. (2012). Relationship between socio-economic status and physical activity of Shahid Chamran University students. Applied Research in Sports Management, 5(16), 5-20.
Ritzhaupt, Albert D., Liu, Feng, Dawson, Kara & Barron, Ann E. (2013). Differences in Student Information and Communication Technology Literacy Based on Socio-Economic Status, Ethnicity, and Gender: Evidence of a Digital Divide in Florida Schools. JRTE Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 291–307.
Rodrigues, Margarida; Biagi, Federico (2017). Digital technologies and learning outcomes of students from low socio-economic background: An Analysis of PISA 2015, EUR 28688 EN, doi: 10.2760/415251
Scherer, R. & Siddiq, F. (2019). The relation between students’ socioeconomic status and ICT literacy: Findings from a meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 138(1), 13-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.04.011
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2014), Information and communication technology (ICT) in Asia: A comparative analysis of ICT integration and e-readiness in schools in Asia. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.15220/978-92-9189-148-1-en
Van de Werfhorst, h., Kessenich, e., Geven, s. (2022). The digital divide in online education: Inequality in digital readinessof students and schools, Computers and Education Open, Vol 3, Vol.3,Art,100100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2022.100100
Wardhani, B., Dugis, V., & Saad, M. S. (2018). On the digital divide: role of the University of the South Pacific in enhancing education in the Pacific countries. Engineering and Technology Education, 16(1), 36–41.
_||_