Is Online Teaching Widening Educational Inequality? A Study Based on 13,176 Questionnaires of Primary and Secondary Schools in Jiangsu Province

Abstract Based on the questionnaire survey data of 13,176 primary and secondary school students in Jiangsu Province, this study found that class has a significant impact on students’ online learning effect: the learning effect of students from elite families is better than those from non-elite families. Online teaching depends on the equipment provided by students’ families and their participation in education. In both of these areas, elite families enjoy major advantages over non-elite classes, largely guaranteeing the learning effect of their children. In addition, there are certain urban-rural differences in the provision of equipment and educational participation, and the online learning effect of rural students is more dependent on their family’s participation in education. Therefore, in the process of promoting the informatization of education, attention should be paid to class and urban-rural differences.