Hispanic and low-income students reported more challenges and technology problems after the shift online than non-Hispanic White and higher-income peers; rural students did not differ¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Hispanic students reported more major challenges than non-Hispanic White students (e.g., 27 versus 12 percent for home/family conflicts; 27 versus 16 percent for finding a quiet place). → Means 2020 q3 i? Hispanic students (23 percent) and low-income students (20 percent) experienced frequent internet connectivity problems more often than non-Hispanic White (12 percent) and high-income (12 percent) students; rural students (14 percent) did not differ from urban/suburban students (16 percent). → Means 2020 (2)

Evidence¶

Means 2020¶

Means, B., and Neisler, J., with Langer Research Associates. (2020). Suddenly Online: A National Survey of Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic. San Mateo, CA: Digital Promise. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/32aee7c4-5363-4d50-bc9c-a338e7dfac7e doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/98

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Group comparisons in the survey contrasted Hispanic, Black, and non-Hispanic White students on major-problem ratings for five challenges. Hispanic students reported a greater number of challenges; Black students' percentages generally fell between the other groups and did not differ statistically from either.

"Fitting the course in with home/family responsibilities, for example, was a major problem for 27 percent of Hispanic students, compared to just 12 percent of non-Hispanic White students."

Means 2020 (2)¶

Means, B., and Neisler, J., with Langer Research Associates. (2020). Suddenly Online: A National Survey of Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic. San Mateo, CA: Digital Promise. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/32aee7c4-5363-4d50-bc9c-a338e7dfac7e. doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/98

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Survey analysis compared frequencies of connectivity and hardware/software problems by race/ethnicity, household income, and community type. Hardware/software issues also varied by income: 4 percent of high-income versus 11 percent of low-income students reported them often or very often.

"Hispanic students were more likely to experience internet connectivity problems often or very often (23 percent) compared to non-Hispanic White students (12 percent), with the frequency for Black students falling in between (17 percent)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Race and Ethnicity — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Children from low-SES families were more negatively affected by COVID-19 school closures than children from high-SES families — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• The number of challenges a student experienced was strongly associated with post-COVID course satisfaction: 81 percent satisfaction with no challenges versus 32 percent with four or more — related
• Nearly half of STEM students experienced internet connectivity problems that interfered with course participation after the COVID shift to remote instruction — related
• Technology access problems during the COVID shift were more prevalent among minoritized students and students from lower-income households — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Staying motivated was the most pervasive challenge of learning remotely, and students missed instructor feedback, peer collaboration, and hands-on experiences — related
• Students in courses with guided note-taking and other active learning activities reported less difficulty with motivation and engagement after the shift online — related
• Students without home broadband or who rely only on a cell phone show a digital skill gap of roughly three grade levels and are less likely to plan for college — related
• Hispanic students reported higher frequencies of six of the seven non-technology challenges measured in the survey — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Four or more major challenges were more prevalent among women, Hispanic and minoritized students, and lower-income students — a broader claim this one bears on
• Despite more challenges, minoritized, female, and lower-income students were more likely to rate their online STEM experience as good as or better than in person — related
• Higher education digital divides are acute at MSIs, HBCUs, and TCUs, which have stark capability deficits in hardware, software, and broadband — related
• Emergency federal funding narrowed the digital access divide during the pandemic but did not close the digital use divide — related
• Digital skill gaps among U.S. workers are pronounced by race, while over 90 percent of jobs demand digital skills — related
• During spring 2020 remote instruction, internet connectivity and hardware/software problems interfered with course participation for large shares of undergraduates — related
• Motivation, internet connectivity, and hardware/software problems were widespread challenges in remote STEM courses — related
• BIPOC survey respondents were more likely than White respondents to report experiencing racial discrimination at work — related
• AI in adult education risks reinforcing existing inequalities via the digital divide, particularly for rural, low-income, and marginalized learners — related
• Distributing hardware without capable software produced no measurable effect on mathematics or language scores in a large randomized evaluation, as the article reports citing Cristia et al. — related
• Most Digital Café participants had home Internet but no one to help with everyday computer learning needs — related
• Canadian federal and provincial digital policies reflect a laissez-faire approach with near absence of consideration of affordability and digital skills for low-income adults — related
• Maintaining motivation was the most prevalent non-technology challenge students faced learning at a distance — related
• Internet connection rates in Canada differ sharply by income, with 97% of the highest income quartile connected versus 58% of the lowest — related
• The multilevel digital divide presents multiple challenges for parents in technology-integrated family–school partnerships — related
• The second-level digital divide (skills and usage gaps) limits the benefits of technology-integrated family–school partnerships for many parents — related