ERIC Number: EJ1455365
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2332-8584
Promises and Limitations in District Digital Capacity for Education during COVID-19
AERA Open, v10 n1 2024
The roles of technology and education were at the forefront throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This mixed-methods study examines the role of the three levels of the digital divide (i.e., access, capability, and outcomes) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky. We create and analyze a new multifaceted measure of district-level digital capacity to examine the role of prior investments in technological infrastructure and the relationship with student scores in reading, math, and the ACT exam. Increased investment in digital preparedness leading up to the pandemic was protective against decreases in test scores. However, nonmetropolitan and Appalachian areas did not experience the same benefits from their digital capacity investments compared with their metropolitan counterparts. Using interview data from the summer of 2021 with 16 educators predominantly from Appalachian school districts, we discuss why these efforts to bridge the digital divide were hindered by larger, systematic challenges faced by their students.
Descriptors: COVID-19, Pandemics, Educational Technology, Mathematics Tests, Reading Tests, College Entrance Examinations, Rural Urban Differences, Achievement Gap, Educational Environment, School Districts, Policy Formation, Educational Policy, Rural Areas, Access to Computers, Poverty, Elementary Secondary Education
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Kentucky
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: ACT Assessment
Grant or Contract Numbers: P2CHD047879; T32HD007163