Revisiting the Digital Divide in Online Teaching—An Analysis of Urban-Rural Differences in Online Learning among Middle School Students

Abstract

In recent years, many studies have pointed out that the new digital divide has become an important factor affecting educational equity. This study takes the perspective of online teaching and learning to test again whether the old digital divide is really bridged and whether the new digital divide exists. Using data from a large-scale online research in a province as a carrier, 359,519 valid data were analyzed using analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. The study found that, overall, teachers and families provide good support in online learning, and students learn better. The device divide has been basically closed. There were urban-rural differences in both teacher IT competency and family involvement. Notably, rural students have a higher rate of cell phone ownership than urban students. Rural students have significantly higher sustained willingness to learn online than urban students. However, the independent learning ability, learning psychology, and online communication learning in rural online are not as good as expected. The learning process of students in rural areas was obscured by the perceived usefulness of online learning. Therefore, the study recommends shifting from a focus on equipment in rural areas to a focus on the technological literacy of teachers and students; focusing on the learning process of rural students; and promoting parental involvement in their children’s education as “media mentors”.