The Digital Divide in Online Education in China During the Covid-19 Pandemic

In recent years, online education has become more and more popular. While many countries see information and communication technology as an effective way to combat education inequity, there remains debate on whether it actually bridges the gap or widen it. Some scholars argued that there may be differences in internet access, internet skills and offline benefits drawn from internet among students with different backgrounds. These differences are also known as the ‘digital divide’. This research uses the data from the Online Learning Survey of High School Students in China during the pandemic to analyze the influencing factors of the first, second and third-level digital divide. The study found that: 1. the first-level digital divide was primarily presented as equipment quantity and network quality problems during the pandemic. The results show that higher SES is associated with better ICT equipment and network. 2. students from socially advantaged groups are more adaptable to online teaching during the pandemic. 3. While large-scale online learning has alleviated the negative impact of the pandemic on students’ learning, the offline benefits vary for students with different social backgrounds.