Addressing the Deepening Digital Divide

This new global report by Oxford University Press explores the digital divide in education and puts forward recommendations for policymakers and educators to future-proof the education system and narrow a divide that unfairly disadvantages millions of learners all over the world.

The findings identified some clear issues that need to be addressed to resolve the digital divide globally, and support learners’ prospects. They include:

• Limited digital skills are nearly as great a barrier to learning as access to technology.
• The most disadvantaged learners have been disproportionately affected;
• Six in 10 teachers identified engaging students in online lessons as the main challenge to learning
• Parents and carers should play a bigger role in supporting digital learning.

The report captures the views of 1,557 school and English language teachers from 92 countries—including the UK—on the digital divide, including the barriers to effective teaching and learning, and the impact of the divide on learners’ development.

Key Findings:

• Limited digital skills are nearly as great a problem as access to technology: poor digital access (i.e. physical access to the internet or a device) was the biggest barrier to digital learning, cited by 68 per cent of teachers as a problem. A lack of digital competency ranked a close second, with 56 per cent of respondents reporting that teachers and learners alike lacked the skills to make digital learning a success.
• Engaging students in online lessons was a bigger challenge than costs, education funding, or digital infrastructure: teachers felt their greatest challenge during the pandemic was engaging students in online lessons—a difficulty reported by six in ten teachers (61 per cent).
• Disadvantaged students have been significantly affected by the shift to digital learning: 70 per cent of teachers said the most disadvantaged students lost learning due to limited or no access to digital devices. 44 per cent of respondents felt that the wellbeing of disadvantaged students had been particularly negatively affected during the pandemic.
• Teachers want parents to play a bigger role in their child’s digital learning: half of the teachers surveyed (50 per cent) said a lack of parental understanding of digital tools/platforms limited the effectiveness of support available to their children; and 58 per cent said disadvantaged students tended to receive less educational support from their parents and families.

OUP has made the following recommendations to address the deepening digital divide:

• A greater focus on independent learning: students who take an active role in their learning will be more engaged in their education, leading to better outcomes. Independent learning gives students valuable screen-free time and removes some of the pressures disadvantaged students feel to be online for a full day when struggling with poor internet connection, limited access to a device, or high data costs.
• Build digital competency skills among educators, students, and parents: OUP’s report reveals that a lack of digital competency among teachers, students and their parents is holding back digital learning to a worrying degree. A move from sporadic ‘upskilling’ to ‘always-skilling’, in which teachers have regular training touchpoints, will ensure that digital knowledge does not become outdated.
• Target resources to address both ends of the digital divide: the report urges governments around the world to prioritize investments that support affordable access to reliable internet connections and devices. Governments should actively collaborate with teachers and students and use their recent experiences to inform future policy and curriculum development: with a focus on free resources to address the skills gap, and on wellbeing and mental health.

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