The Digital Divide in Canadian Schools

							  The Digital Divide
in Canadian Schools

      E. Dianne Looker
 Sociology, Acadia University

        Victor Thiessen
Sociology & Social Anthropology
      Dalhousie University
            ISSUES
Increasing emphasis on information &
communication technology (ICT)
Importance of equity
The “digital divide”
        - between users and non-users
        - among users
Focus on youth in Canadian schools
         Data sets
General Social Survey – Cycle 14
(15-24 year olds - 1999)
Youth in Transition Survey/
Programme for International
Student Assessment
(15-16 year olds – 2000)
Second International Technology in
Education Survey
(Senior high schools – 2000)
Measures of equity
Gender, rurality, class
 (Independent variables)
Use/non-use
Access to hardware, software &
tech. support at home & school
Amount of use
Type of use
    Measures, cont’d
Reasons for use
    - School/study
    - Personal interest
Attitudes to ICT
    - Importance of working with ICT
    - Computers are fun
    - Use computers out of interest
Self reported levels of competence
               Results
                    GENDER
Little difference in use
Little difference in computers at home
Males more programming, spreadsheets,
graphics, data entry & games
Females learn more for study;males for
personal interest
Males more likely to use ICT for fun, to say
computers are interesting, important
More males say they have excellent
computer skills
        Rural- urban
No differences in use
Few differences in types of use
(more urban use Internet)
Fewer rural have computer in home
Rural use computers less at home
Rural use computers more at school &
library
No differences in attitudes
No differences in skill level
Rural-urban from SITES
Urban more coordinators & more formal
coordinators
Rural coordinators have other duties
Urban more computers/student
Urban more ICT for specific subjects
Urban more opportunities for teacher
training & knowledge transfer
Rural less access to high speed Internet
    Parental ed. (SES)
Low SES less use
Low SES fewer computers in home & use
less at home
Little difference in school use
Low SES less of several types of use
Low SES use for study rather than interest
Low SES less likely to say “important to work
with computers”
Low SES lower rating of ICT skills
         Conclusions
Little difference in levels of use
Some differences in access in home
Public investment in ICT affects access
Small but important differences in attitudes,
use and levels of expertise
Differences in attitudes affect use
Differences in Internet access can exacerbate
structural inequities
 Cautious optimism