Distance learning, families, and digital divide: lessons from school closure
Abstract
The school closure produced by the Covid-19 pandemic turned the learning process into a distance education practice, mainly based on the intensive use of communication technologies. Based on the analysis of the results of an online survey answered in March 2020 by more than 35.000 families with children between the ages of 3 and 18, this article explores the consequences of the digital divide on the learning opportunities of students during confinement. The analysis highlights the interaction with other educational -different school responses- and social aspects -different possibilities of study support- to explain the different distance learning opportunities for students. The digital divide, in its various forms, the confinement conditions or the unequal family cultural capital generated unequal learning opportunities among students. The conclusions of the article point out the lessons learned from this experience to ensure equal educational opportunities in non-face-to-face educational contexts.
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References
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