Access Gaps Interact With Eachother: A Cognitive Investigation

Inequalities in the access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) have become an important area of concern for over a decade. Yet, theoretical attempts to understand the dynamics behind shaping these inequalities are scarce. This study draws upon the extent literature on ‘digital divide’ and explains how four different access gaps (motivational, material, skills and usage) contribute to digital divide. Revealed causal mapping (RCM) is utilized to analyze the data collected from eight same-gender focus groups in four primary schools. The revealed causal map demonstrates the interaction and linkages between different access gaps. The findings provide a theoretical account of the dynamics behind shaping digital divide and generate insights into extending the concepts of ‘access gaps’. The results place an emphasis on the centrality of motivational-related factors such as ‘Lack of Interest in IT-Related Things’ and ‘Lack of Motivation to Learn Recent Technology’ and skills-related factors such as ‘Operating Skills’, ‘Anti-Filtering Skills’ and ‘Not Having IT Background’.