The Digital Divide in Higher Education: A socio-cultural study from an Educational perspective on students of the Faculty of Education at Tanta University

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Foundations of education Department - Faculty of Education- Tanta university- Egypt

Abstract

This study aims to expose the digital divide and its three indicators (access, skills, and use) among students of the Faculty of Education at Tanta University. Methodology utilized in the study included the descriptive method with the help of questionnaire Form. The Study Population consists of (1016) students from different disciplines in the college, the study concluded that of the digital divide between students was medium for the three indicators. Also, There are statistically significant differences for the (gender) variable, considering the access and digital skills axis’ in favor of male students, also, there are statistically significant differences between the members of the population sampling according to the variable of "household income, with regard to the digital access indicator. The study concluded that there are statistically significant differences between the sample members with regard to the variable "English language proficiency" of the three gap indicators. Accordingly, The study proposes a set of mechanisms to bridge the digital gap between students, the most prominent of which was: The importance of the university's support for students to buy computers or laptops at low prices and giving compulsory courses such as computer science and English Language for all grades, and other mechanisms.

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Main Subjects


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