TY - JOUR
T1 - The digital divide in inclusive classrooms
AU - AlSadrani, Badriya
AU - Alzyoudi, Mohammed
AU - Alsheikh, Negmeldin
AU - Elshazly, Elazab Elazab
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The authors and IJLTER.ORG. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/3/1
Y1 - 2020/3/1
N2 - The digital divide affects equity in inclusive classrooms. It can create a gap in accessing information-communication-technology (ICT) resources or inequalities in skills and effective use. The present study is a qualitative SWOT analysis; it explores teachers' views on access and use issues that widen the digital divide in inclusive classrooms in the UAE. Six teachers from intermediate and secondary-level schools were interviewed to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with ICT use and access in their inclusive classrooms. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed, using thematic analysis. The study found that, although all of the students, irrespective of disabilities, have equal access to ICT resources, various factors-including a lack of training, insufficient resources, heavy workloads, and a shortage of human resources-are expanding the digital divide in inclusive classrooms. This study discusses ways to overcome the challenges and implications; it recommends research avenues for future studies.
AB - The digital divide affects equity in inclusive classrooms. It can create a gap in accessing information-communication-technology (ICT) resources or inequalities in skills and effective use. The present study is a qualitative SWOT analysis; it explores teachers' views on access and use issues that widen the digital divide in inclusive classrooms in the UAE. Six teachers from intermediate and secondary-level schools were interviewed to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with ICT use and access in their inclusive classrooms. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed, using thematic analysis. The study found that, although all of the students, irrespective of disabilities, have equal access to ICT resources, various factors-including a lack of training, insufficient resources, heavy workloads, and a shortage of human resources-are expanding the digital divide in inclusive classrooms. This study discusses ways to overcome the challenges and implications; it recommends research avenues for future studies.
KW - Digital divide
KW - Disabilities
KW - ICT
KW - Inclusive classroom
KW - SWOT
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U2 - 10.26803/ijlter.19.3.5
DO - 10.26803/ijlter.19.3.5
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85084411289
SN - 1694-2493
VL - 19
SP - 69
EP - 85
JO - International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research
JF - International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research
IS - 3
ER -