Emergent Digital Equity: Exploring Educators’ Perspectives and Applications in Learning Technologies and Multicultural Education

Abstract

This dissertation is a multiple-case study that examines educators’ perspectives and applications in learning technologies, multicultural education, and how they intersect to support digital equity. Technology is evolving and has become essential in a learning environment (e.g., Graham et al., 2019; Gronseth et al., 2020; Howard et al., 2018). As classrooms in the United Stated become increasingly more diverse, there is a need to understand how educators are applying equity and technology together (e.g., Burbules et al., 2020; Dolan, 2016; Gorski, 2009; U.S. Department of Education, 2020). Digital equity is an equity-centered approach that seeks to improve students’ access to learning technologies, and advance classroom practices, curriculum applications, and educator beliefs with the intent to resolve the digital divide and prepare students to succeed in a technology-driven society. There has been little empirical research on multicultural education, learning technologies, digital equity, and the relationships between them. Four current educators participated in interviews on how they view and incorporate multicultural education, learning technologies, and digital equity. Key findings include: (1) digital equity was defined and applied as equal access to resources, (2) learning technologies and multicultural education were viewed separate from digital equity, (3) the relationship between learning technologies and multicultural education was challenging to describe, and (4) learning technologies and multicultural education intersected, but not with the purpose to support digital equity. The data indicate that digital equity is emerging as it is partially implemented in the classroom, and there is a need to modernize and expand professionally learning experiences (PLEs) as educators require more support and guidance to transform their knowledge and skills in multicultural education, learning technologies, and digital equity.