DIGITAL INEQUALITY AS A DETERMINANT OF EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES AND SOCIAL INCLUSION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM DIFFERENT SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15547/tjs.2026.2.004Keywords:
Digital inequality, higher education, digital competence, socio-economic status, educational outcomes, social inclusion, mediation analysis, international studentsAbstract
The digitalisation of higher education has intensified debates about the role of digital inequality in shaping students’ educational and social experiences. This study examines digital inequality as a multi-level social phenomenon and analyses its role as a mediating mechanism between students’ socio-economic status and their educational outcomes and social inclusion. Drawing on survey data collected from 300 Bulgarian and international students enrolled at the same university, the study employs correlation analysis, multiple linear regression models, and mediation analysis to test the proposed conceptual framework. The results demonstrate that socio-economic status significantly predicts both digital access and digital competence, confirming the structural nature of digital inequality. Digital competence emerges as a stronger predictor of educational outcomes and social inclusion than formal access to digital technologies, highlighting the importance of secondary digital inequality related to skills and effective use. Mediation analysis further reveals that the effects of socio-economic status on educational outcomes and social inclusion are partially mediated by digital resources and, to an even greater extent, by digital competence. Comparative analyses by nationality indicate that differences in prior digital preparation and national educational contexts continue to shape students’ digital capital, even within a shared institutional environment. The findings underscore that digital inequality in higher education should be understood not merely as a technical or infrastructural issue, but as a complex social process that requires targeted institutional and educational interventions. The study contributes to the literature by empirically demonstrating the mechanisms through which digital inequality influences academic performance and social inclusion, and by offering evidence-based implications for policy and practice in increasingly internationalised higher education systems.
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