Digital Divide Versus Inclusion in Primary Education. Perspective of Spanish Families

Abstract

The objective of this research is to analyze, from the perspective of families, the gap in the use, access and quality of use in the development of learning of Primary Education students during the confinement by Covid-19. The methodology used is mixed, analyzing the Use Gap and digital training of families through a questionnaire with 1,228 participating families and a semi-structured interview with 20 participants. Among the results, the profile of families very involved with the training of their children stands out, with sufficient means to be able to face the models of distance education. When analyzing the social characteristics of the families, significant differences were found in technological resources and in family reconciliation according to the number of children in the family unit. Access to complementary educational content varies according to the age of the parents, their academic training or professional area. The monitoring of the Government's educational website "I learn at home" shows differences according to the type of educational institution of the student. These data allow us to glimpse the existence of digital divide in distance education in Spain, where social differences prevent the development of inclusive education.