Abstract
Repeatedly, it has been argued that advancements in digitalisation could be beneficial for rural areas. However, digital inequalities persist and affect rural communities as well. Schools can play a key role in bridging digital inequalities, but little attention has been paid to the specific conditions rural schools find themselves in when facing continuous digital developments. Therefore, we apply the digital inclusion lens and explore the impact of digital developments on rural schools in the German context. In 2019, we conducted 16 in-depth interviews with heads and teachers from rural elementary and secondary schools in Baden-Wurttemberg and Lower Saxony. We found that smaller rural schools especially can experience difficulties and conclude that the contribution of schools to a digital-included society is subject to a geographical lottery. This could eventually increase existing rural–urban digital inequalities and these findings are also relevant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing a sudden switch to distance learning.
Highlights
Digital developments present new opportunities as well as challenges for rural communities
Conrads et al (2017) and Dolan (2016) show that the education sector moved from accessibility divides to usage divides, yet this study demonstrated that substantially differing development stages still exist at German rural schools regarding the information and communication technologies (ICT) equipment [36,40]
While some of our findings might not be limited to rural schools, some rural-specific challenges seem to be further exacerbated by efforts to keep ICT equipment and digital literacy training updated
Summary
Digital developments present new opportunities as well as challenges for rural communities. In order to enable rural citizens to harvest new opportunities and face the challenges a digital society brings about, existing rural–urban digital inequalities should be addressed. Which rural areas are better connected can be the result of a geographical lottery [3]. In terms of internet usage, Blank et al (2018) show that demographic variables (primarily age and education) play a crucial role in rural–urban differences. These demographic differences result in geographical differences since elderly people and less educated individuals tend to be overrepresented in rural areas [4]. On a note of caution, internet usage rates are not to be equated with the actual level of digital literacy
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