Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.COVID-19 lockdown

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Experiences of COVID-19 lockdown among older people in Aotearoa: Idyllic or dystopian?
    (Cambridge University Press, 2023-10-02) Breheny M; Stephens C
    The COVID-19 pandemic prompted concern about the wellbeing of older people, however, there have also been accounts of increased sense of community in response to the disruption of established routines. To explore how older people experienced lockdown in Aotearoa/New Zealand, we analysed 635 written comments on the 2020 wave of the Health, Work and Retirement longitudinal survey of people aged 55-85 years. Using narrative genre analysis, we discuss two narratives of lockdown: a narrative of lockdown as 'idyllic' and a 'dystopian' narrative of distrust. Using the idyllic narrative, people described pleasant activities and linked these stories to earlier times when community life was less time-pressured and people were more connected to one another. The dystopian narrative was used to describe politicians and the media as untrustworthy and to depict new vulnerabilities created by the rules of lockdown. These narrative genres provide different positions for older people. In the idyllic narrative, older people are treasured and supported by younger community members, whereas in the dystopian narrative older people feel abandoned and manipulated. These genres draw on possible late-life futures that are familiar to older people: either treasured or discarded. Identifying these narrative genres reveals the different vulnerabilities older people experience. This information can be used to support older people to experience security and to flourish in uncertain times.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Digital divide framework: online learning in developing countries during the COVID-19 lockdown
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2022) Mathrani A; Sarvesh T; Umer R
    This article showcases digital inequalities that came to the forefront for online learning during the COVID-19 lockdown across five developing countries, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. Large sections of population in developing economies have limited access to basic digital services; this, in turn, restricts how digital media are being used in everyday lives. A digital divide framework encompassing three analytical perspectives, structure, cultural practices and agency, has been developed. Each perspective is influenced by five constructs, communities, time, location, social context and sites of practice. Community relates to gendered expectations, time refers to the lockdown period while locations are interleaved online classrooms and home spaces. Societal contexts influence aspects of online learning and how students engage within practice sites. We find structural issues are due to lack of digital media access and supporting services; further that female students are more often placed lower in the digital divide access scale. Cultural practices indicate gendered discriminatory rules, with female students reporting more stress due to added household responsibilities. This impacts learner agency and poses challenges for students in meaningfully maximising their learning outcomes. Our framework can inform policy-makers to plan initiatives for bridging digital divide and set up equitable gendered learning policies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Rural–Urban, Gender, and Digital Divides during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Multi-Layered Study
    (MDPI AG, 9/05/2023) Mathrani A; Umer R; Sarvesh T; Adhikari J
    This study explores digital divide issues that influenced online learning activities during the COVID-19 lockdown in five developing countries in South Asia. A multi-layered and interpretive analytical lens guided by three interrelated perspectives—structure, cultural practices, and agency—revealed various nuanced aspects across location-based (i.e., rural vs. urban) and across gendered (i.e., male vs. female) student groups. A key message that emerged from our investigation was the subtle ways in which the digital divide is experienced, specifically by female students and by students from rural backgrounds. Female students face more structural and cultural impositions than male students, which restricts them from fully availing digital learning opportunities. Rich empirical evidence shows these impositions are further exacerbated at times of crisis, leading to a lack of learning (agency) for women. This research has provided a gendered and regional outlook on digital discriminations and other inequalities that came to the forefront during the COVID-19 lockdown. This study is especially relevant as online learning is being touted as the next step in digitization; therefore, it can inform educational policymaking and help build inclusive digital societies and bridge current gender and regional divisions.