Family Conditions and the Accessibility of Online Education: The Digital Divide and Mediating Factors

Jiafeng Gu

doi:10.3390/su13158590

Abstract

This study is an exploration of the digital divide between urban and rural areas, and it was conducted to assess the impact of the minimum living guarantee system on online education in China. The results of the research showed that 83.38% of students in low-income families have been able to participate in online education at home during the pandemic, while 16.62% of students in low-income families have been unable to do so. The absence of computers, smartphones, and broadband Internet access in low-income households reduces the likelihood of children being able to participate in online education at home. In terms of accessing online education at home, students from urban areas have obvious advantages over those from rural ones, and students from minimum living guarantee families have obvious advantages over those from marginal minimum living guarantee ones. This study also showed that the presence of online education-related amenities, including computers, smartphones, and Internet access, mediates the relationship between the subsistence allowance system, Hukou, and accessibility of online education. To address this issue, this paper includes suggestions for bridging the digital divide in online education.

Highlights

At the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly, affecting more than 200 countries and regions
The binary crosstabs show that the students who reported being able to receive online education were more likely to come from families that had access to personal computers, smartphones, and broadband Internet access
The universal transition to online education due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been an effective indicator of the opportunities and challenges that remain in ensuring equitable access to high-quality education

Summary

Introduction

At the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly, affecting more than 200 countries and regions. While the pandemic has affected the economic and social lives of people worldwide, it has severely restricted education and instruction across the globe. According to UNESCO reports released in March 2020, about 102 countries and regions worldwide suspended classroom instruction, and more than 850 million children, or half of the world’s student population, could no longer attend school due to the outbreak of the pandemic [1]. The inequities that affect access to online education have become more prominent because of the pandemic [4]. The visibility of the digital divide in online education has increased more during the COVID-19 pandemic than could previously have been imagined [5].

Results

Discussion

Conclusion