Digital Divide within the Context of Language and Foreign Language Teaching

摘要

Digital divide, the existence of which is commonly familiar but unknown as a concept, influence the lives of human beings to a notable extent. Access to information and communication technologies is one of the most significant indicators revealing digital divide. Within this framework, digital divide has a remarkable influence in various areas ranging from education to economy and from art to industry. In this paper, the links between digital divide and language and foreign language teaching are explained taking the cause-effect relationships into account. Under its links to language, the factor of “English” and multilingualism are emphasized. Under its links to foreign language teaching, subjects like teaching materials, language testing, multiple intelligences and learning styles, and foreign language education for physically-handicapped students are discussed.