Economic Development, Income Inequality, and Students' Digital Use

• In Event: 49.089 - Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: 49.089-7 - Teachers' and Students' Perceptions in Global Classrooms

Abstract

Previous literature has documented the association between parental SES students’ digital use. An unexplored issue is how this association differs between countries. We compare 61 countries by using OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009. We take digital access at home and Internet literacy as two outcome variables and examine their associations with economic growth and income inequality. Findings indicate that 1) the SES gap in students’ digital use is smaller in high-income countries and low-inequality countries. 2) High SES students in low income countries than in high income countries have relatively higher Internet literacy. We suggest that the process of technological diffusion in students’ learning process are contingent on a country’s stage of economic growth and income inequality.

Author

• Josef (Kuo-Hsun) Ma, University of Connecticut