Abstract:

This research aims to examine the exacerbated digital divide during the COVID-19 pandemic among racialized students, and explore how online tutoring support can meet their educational needs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was increased reliance on the use of technology to learn, live, and stay connected (Goldschmidt, 2020). Millions of students in Canada are forced to do virtual schooling from home, and internet access has been crucial for their education (Fowler, 2020). However, there is a digital divide between those who can access affordable high-speed internet and those who can not. For example, a study reported that Greater Toronto Area (GTA) residents are more likely than the Canadian average to have difficulty completing their online schoolwork due to limited access to a computer and the internet, and this difference is even more pronounced for racialized GTA residents (Environics Institute, 2021). Moreover, 34% of households in Toronto are concerned about their payment for internet bills and among low-income, newcomer, single parent, Latin American, South Asian, Black and Southeast Asian residents, this concern was more significant (Andrey, Masoodi, Malli, & Dorkenoo, 2021).

The three critical elements of the digital divide, which is access, affordability, and skills, cause some students unable to participate in online learning (Zalaznick, 2020). Although education is one of the strongest drivers of social mobility in Canada, there is a gap between academic achievement, equal outcomes in employment, and health. In addition, anti-black racism and other forms of discrimination have a significant impact on these outcomes for racialized groups (Brown & Tam, 2017).

To support racialized students' educational attainment, we implemented the Study Buddy project based on their needs. This project aims to support parents struggling to balance their work and support children’s education through online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This free program matches parents and students with student tutors to help them by online tutoring. We discuss the current project outcomes and future tasks to improve this project.

Keywords:

Covid, tutor, tutoring, racialized, pandemic, online, virtual, school, schooling, digital, divide, ontario, gta, toronto, newcomer, low-income, access, skills.