The impact of digital inequality on information literacy education for marginalized students

The growing digital inequality among marginalized students has been found to significantly hinder the development of essential information literacy (IL) skills, including digital access, socioeconomic positioning, prior exposure to technology, and digital proficiency. Digital inequality—defined as disparities in access to technological resources and online services—has been shown to exacerbate educational gaps among marginalized populations, thereby impeding the acquisition of foundational IL competencies such as locating, evaluating, and effectively using information. In this study, key barriers to digital inclusion were identified, and strategies were proposed to promote equitable IL education. Data were collected from 1,500 participants, comprising students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and varying levels of digital engagement, as well as teachers involved in IL instruction. A structured questionnaire was employed to obtain quantitative data, while qualitative insights were gathered through interviews with educators and program coordinators. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 29.0.2, where descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant responses, and chi-square tests were conducted to explore the relationship between digital access variables (e.g., device ownership, internet connectivity) and IL competency levels (e.g., the ability to search for, evaluate, and use information). The paired t-test was applied to assess the effectiveness of digital inclusiveness programs by comparing IL skill levels among underprivileged students before and after targeted training. The findings revealed that IL education has been adversely affected by technological disparities, which slow down instruction, necessitate basic computer literacy, and hinder the participation of digitally disadvantaged students in online learning. To mitigate these challenges, it is recommended that IL education incorporate preliminary computer literacy training and adopt inclusive pedagogical approaches, such as group-based projects, instructional videos, gamified content, and digital learning resources, to support both digitally disadvantaged and advantaged learners.