Date of Graduation

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

EdD

College

College of Education and Human Services

Department

Curriculum & Instruction/Literacy Studies

Committee Chair

Reagan Curtis

Committee Co-Chair

Mete Akcaoglu

Committee Member

Malayna Bernstein

Committee Member

Ugur Kale

Committee Member

Richard T Walls

Abstract

The issue of digital divide is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. It centers on various dimensions of information and communication technology (ICT) access including physical access, motivation, skills, and actual usage of digital technologies. The examination of digital divide is helpful in taking necessary measures to remove or at least minimize the problem of digital divide. The past research does not provide adequate literature on digital divide among higher education faculty especially in the context of developing countries.;I developed and validated a quantitative survey instrument to examine digital divide among higher education faculty in terms of their access to information and communication technologies at motivational, physical, skills, and usage levels. The survey was used in a cross-sectional design to provide a broad view of Pakistani faculty's motivation to adopt digital technologies, their physical access to various ICTs, their digital skills, and actual use of such technologies by them. The data were collected from 322 faculty members working in public and private sector universities in Sindh, Pakistan. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regressions.;In addition, I investigated the digital gap among the faculty in respect of their personal and positional categories including their age, gender, academic disciplines, and university type. The dissertation also attempted to examine the relationship between faculty's instructional usage of ICT and other dimensions of ICT access. The findings from this study indicated that faculty's endogenous motivation, physical access to ICT at university, and general usage of ICT predicted their instructional usage of digital technologies.;The findings of the study are discussed with theoretical and practical implications. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations are provided for educational administrators and policy makers. The dissertation ends with directions for future research.

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