Digital Divides and Educational Resilience: Global Evidence from COVID-19 School Disruptions

• In Event: Bridges and Barriers: Factors Shaping Students' Resilience and Persistence

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that digital preparedness could protect learning while creating new vulnerabilities. Using PISA 2022 data from 21,629 schools across 80 countries, this study employed machine learning and weighted linear regression analyses to examine associations between digital infrastructure, remote instruction capacity, and reading performance. Findings revealed a “digital dependency paradox”: while technological capacity enabled educational continuity, schools with advanced digital systems showed unexpected sensitivity to closure duration. The 80-point performance gap between OECD and non-OECD countries persisted despite similar disruption levels, suggesting institutional factors matter more than resource availability. The results challenge linear development assumptions and highlight the need for governance-specific crisis preparedness strategies that account for both technological capacity and institutional resilience in building equitable educational futures.

Authors

• Nirmal Ghimire, University of North Carolina - Wilmington

• Kouider Mokhtari, University of Texas - Tyler

• Eleni N. Pappamihiel, University of North Carolina - Wilmington