Brazilian Digital Learning Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Impact on Socio-Educational Gaps

Abstract

To understand how the policies adopted in different parts of Brazil affected learners and learning outcomes and have contributed to widening the digital divide in the country, the researcher conducted an exploratory study with different actors based on semi-structured interviews. The interviewees for this inquiry were a teacher from a public school in Rio de Janeiro, a policymaker working in the secretary of education of Manaus, and a policy analyst working for a non-governmental organization focused on public education. The interviews were conducted in 2021 and centered on each interviewee's perspectives according to their professional standpoint. Based on the questions presented to the interviewees, some topics emerged in the analysis and focused on how educational policies during the pandemic affected three specific groups: students, families, and teachers. The findings suggest that the lack of unifying guidelines from the Ministry of Education made states and municipalities develop strategies constricted by the scarcity of resources at their disposal. Another conclusion is that, despite regional variations, similar issues arose in different parts of Brazil. A last relevant finding was that the digital divide could not be understood independently of other gaps, such as those related to socioeconomic status.