Digital Divide and University Students’ Online Learning amidst Covid-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

Abstract

Abstract The advent of digitalization has been hailed as a remedy to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it has also brought to light the existence of a digital divide, exacerbating the hardships faced by those who are digitally excluded. Amidst the turmoil of the crisis, there has been limited attention given to addressing the digital divide in developing countries including Malaysia. In response, Malaysian universities swiftly transitioned to online learning to curb the spread of the contagion. Nonetheless, this rapid shift has inadvertently marginalized underprivileged students, hindering their access to the benefits of online education. Employing the three-level digital divide framework, this study aims to probe into the extent of the digital divide among Malaysian university students and evaluate its progression. Through mean score and frequency analyses, we assessed the magnitude of the digital divide among these students. Furthermore, we employed partial least squares structural equation modeling to gauge the flow of the digital divide from the initial level to the third level. Subsequently, we examined the mediating roles of material access, digital skills, and digital usage. The findings revealed that the digital divide persists across all three levels among university students in Malaysia. The path analysis lends support to all proposed hypotheses, with the exception of digital usage as a predictor of student satisfaction and as a mediator.