Educational Access in the Digital Era: An Empirical Analysis of the Digital Divide among Marginalized Students.
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Abstract
The digital transformation of the education sector has enabled the rise of online learning platforms. This transformation, however, is not without its challenges, as not everyone has the same access to the resources necessary to engage in this online learning. The lack of access to digital resources has been termed the digital divide. This study analyzes the other challenges that the digital divide poses in access to learning opportunities for marginalized students and learning outcomes during the ongoing digital era of education. The focus of this research is the impact of access to the internet, digital devices, and knowledge of using digital resources (digital literacy) on students’ education. The study is a case study of rural parts of Haryana, India. Primary data was collected via structured questionnaires and informal interviews with secondary and higher secondary students of the rural, socio-economically marginalized sample. The data collected expounds the challenges that students face during their learning processes, the dearth of smartphones, lack of internet connectivity, digital illiteracy, and the lack of finances to facilitate a learner's access to digital learning. The digital divide theory illustrates the challenges and barriers faced by students in accessing educational resources, virtual classrooms, and other digital learning materials.
Are the limited study time and academic engagement of students caused by the reliance on shared family devices? Research shows that socioeconomic status and gender — as well as the lack of infrastructure in rural regions — determine students' capacity to take advantage of digital education. While the government has attempted to implement(ed) measures to foster digital learning and educational inclusion, the gaps in implementing these measures continue to affect marginalized learners. This means that there is a pressing need for the formulation of inclusive policies that address the issues of digital inequity and access to technology-based education in a just manner. Improved digital infrastructure in rural areas, provision of affordable devices, and the creation of digital literacy programs will help to narrow the educational divide and provide inclusive learning opportunities to the digitally marginalized in the new digitally inclusive learning ecosystem
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