Using cultural capital to analyse the digital divide experienced by students living in remote areas

This study investigated the digital learning of children living in remote areas of Taiwan and the cultural capital investments made by their parents. The interactive effects between these two factors were then demonstrated to infer the research conclusion. The results obtained were as follows: 1) the current digital learning status of students living in remote areas was satisfactory, although the scores for information accessibility were far lower than those for information application performance; 2) comparatively, the cultural capital investments made by the parents of these students were significantly lower, with embodied cultural capital scoring far less compared to objectified cultural capital; 3) the digital learning results of students from high cultural capital families were significantly superior to those for students from low cultural capital families; 4) the cultural capital investments of parents had a positive effect on the digital learning results of their children; and 5) during the digital learning process, information ethics and literacy play a mediating role between information accessibility and information application. In conclusion, the cultural depth and related behaviours inherited from parents were a factor that contributed to a digital learning divide, the effects of which warrant increased public attention.