Digital Divided: Literature Review

One social inequality issue in education today is the digital divide. The digital divide is an unfortunate reality in schools today, and it describes the gap between those who have access to technology and the internet and those who do not. This gap has a particular effect on students since there are implications regarding student opportunity and achievement. With technology being a permanent part of society that will continue to grow, the digital divide is an area of concern that will also likely grow. Therefore, this issue must be a priority to teachers, the community, and the world. In my research, I review articles that present research and discourse on the topic of the digital divide. Korupp and Szydlik (2005) argue that human capital, social capital, and family context play a role in what causes the division between technology access. Further, the digital divide may have a particular effect on students from low socioeconomic status families. These effects include less exposure to learning opportunities and critical thinking, lower levels of social and academic achievement, and a lack of digital literacy skills (Rowsell et al., 2017). In this presentation, I will present research and the findings of discourses on the digital divide. More specifically, the focus will be on how the digital divide evolved and why it is an issue. Additionally, recommendations for teachers and school leaders to bridge the digital divide gap will also be discussed in my presentation.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/urs2021tch/1001/thumbnail.jp