Exploring Digital Learning with Recently Arrived Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Parents in Western Sydney, Australia

This interview research aims to understand CALD parents' perspectives on how they engage with digital technologies to support their children's learning. With the increasing reliance on digital technologies, the extent to which individuals can access, afford, and use digital services effectively influences their capacity to fully participate in contemporary society. Although lack of access to technology is a significant barrier, it has been contended that the digital divide has had the most detrimental impact on those with lower levels of income, education, and employment, and that language barriers, and lack of digital skills can exacerbate digital exclusion. The impact of digital exclusion is, for example, particularly evident in Western Sydney, which has one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia, with almost 56% of the population on a low income and speaking a language other than English at home. Based on the interview data from 18 CALD parents living in Western Sydney, the study examines the factors that play a role in the ways newly arrived CALD parents participate in their school-aged children's digital learning and how they engage with technology to support their children's digital learning. The findings from the interview research pave the way for large-scale research of the same focus to provide models of parental engagement with digital learning that are essential for improving their children's educational outcomes.