Development Model of Factors Influencing the Adoption of Online Education Platforms for Promoting Educational Equity in Chinese Higher Education

Abstract

 In the era of digital education, fostering online education for sustainable development emerges as a critical challenge, particularly in bridging the digital divide that hinders equitable access to digital education technologies. This study aims to uncovers the impact of the digital divide on higher education students' engagement with online education platforms aimed at education equality. Additionally, it seeks to assess the mediating roles of equity in resource allocation and educational process fairness. Leveraging online surveys, data were amassed from students across Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Nanjing University, and SouthWest JiaoTong University, encompassing a diverse cohort of 449 individuals with varying degrees and experiences in utilizing online education platforms for learning about sustainable development. Employing structural equation modeling, the analysis revealed that the digital divide adversely impacts both the equity of resource distribution and the fairness of the educational process, thereby deterring the adoption of online education platforms for education equality. Conversely, equitable resource distribution and a fair educational process were found to positively influence platform adoption. Importantly, equity in resource distribution and educational process fairness were identified as critical mediators between the digital divide and the utilization of online education platforms for education equality. These findings underscore the necessity of enhancing equity in resource distribution and the educational process to mitigate the digital divide's negative effects, thereby fostering greater engagement with online education platforms among higher education students for sustainable development.

Keywords: online education, sustainable development, SDG4, equality, digital divide, educational resources, educational process