Addressing the Digital Divide in Dalian, China Development Zone.

    As mentioned in my previous post, Dalian and specifically the Development Zone, is a juxtaposition of rural and urban, developing high-tech industry next to agriculture and fishing.

    Also with a huge population of migrant workers or a 'floating population' makes up a massive portion of the local demographic, particularly in industrial hubs like Dongjiagou, amounting upto 40% (Kaifaqu Early Knowledge, 2021).

    The floating population typically do not have a ‘hukou,’ an identification beloging to the household registration system, and this ties a citizen to public schools and social services in their birthplace, very similar to the effect of a passport holder has right’s to their country. When discussing the digital divide as defined by Brown (2020) as economic and social inequality regarding the use of, or impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). It it primarily this migrant and rural population in DongJiaGou and the lower-economic class that is mostly affected and in number of ways.

    In the study of well over 20,000 secondary education students in Spain, female students were found to use social networks more for communication, while male students are significantly more likely to engage in online gaming, leading to more acute performance drops among boys (Navarro et al, 2022). While internet access is readily available to most of the entire Chinese population, I believe it is safe to make similar usage comparisons with the student population and digital devices from the study. Navarro (2022) revealed other significant findings such as online gaming linked to lower academic scores, frequent use of the internet and digital devices outside of school are negatively correlated with academic results, and "first use" of the internet requires parental supervision to prevent long-term negative impacts on academic performance. All of these patterns prevent struggles for a ‘floating population’ as they typically have lower education, lower income and attend ‘working-class schools’, as identified by Anyon (1980) to follow mechanical, rote steps with very little decision-making or choice. Further widening the the digital divide for those who only use digital tools for primarily entertainment and consuming.

    Taking all this into account for the Digital divide in DongJiaGou, and in China in general where there is a focus on academic achievement, grades and performance-based scoring, I see more similarities with ‘working-class’ schools and a vast gap with ‘executive elite schools’(Anyon, 1980). In a traditionally industrial city, there is a risk that educational technology will be utilized to continue existing structures and prepare students for more factory jobs Dalian, rather than  innovation and creating new job opportunities. It is hopeful that there are policies in place by the Ministry of Education to shift towards more student based learning and technology based education across compulsory education in the next decade. However, my experience with policy and practice is often left with a overall disappointment for underwhelming support and knowledge by local facilities and staff on execution of these policies.

 

Figure 1 image made from prompt on 豆包

    Also a huge responsibility is placed upon teacher’s for student performance. Parents are increasingly frustrated and growing resistant to over-assigning homework tasks that often require parent’s to intervene and complete assignments for children as well as the continuing focus on academic grades as a sole determinant of success. Dalian has an aging population and is struggling to retain and attract young talented professionals, only perpetuating the ‘working-class’ education model and a need for more ‘executive elite’ skills.

 

 

Resources:

Anyon, J. (1980). Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of WorkLinks to an external site.. In Learning Power: Organizing for Education and Justice. (Oakes, J., Rogers, J., & Lipton, M).  Teachers College Press. 

 

Brown, W. (2020). Digital Divide. Retrieved from https://open.library.okstate.edu/learninginthedigitalage/chapter/the-digital-divide/

 

Navarro-Martinez, O., & Peña-Acuña, B. (2022). Technology usage and academic performance in the Pisa 2018 reportLinks to an external site.. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 11(1), 130-145.

 

开发区早知道 [Kaifaqu Early Knowledge]. (2021, May 27). 金普新区人口全解读！这些街道人口最多... [Full interpretation of the population of Jinpu New Area! These streets are the most populous...]. WeChat. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/1PBodBkZat1vy_4puXUAqg