Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2025

Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology
Published on: September 28, 2022
Does COVID-19 persistently affect educational inequality after school reopening? evidence from Internet search data
1School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
The literature has extensively documented how Covid-19 affects educational inequality, but it remains unclear whether such an effect persists after school reopening. This paper attempts to explore this issue by investigating the search gap for learning resources in China. I categorized learning resources into four types: "school-centered resources", "parent-centered resources", "online tutoring agencies resources" and "in-person tutoring agencies resources". Using Internet search data, I found that nationwide search intensity for learning resources surged when schools were closed, and such search behaviors remained after schools reopened. I also found that high socioeconomic status households had better access to school- and parent-centered resources, and online tutoring resources, even after schools reopened. Given its persistent impact on learning, the pandemic will likely widen educational inequality over extended periods.
Related Concept Videos
Bullying
Bias in Epidemiological Studies
Pareto Chart
The Pareto chart is named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who described the Pareto...
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Chi-square Analysis
The chi-square test was developed by Pearson in 1990.
The first step of performing a Chi-square analysis is to establish a null hypothesis, which assumes that there is no real...

