Digital transformation and educational performance in Latin America and the Caribbean: empirical evidence using panel data (2010–2024)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/asce.v5i3.1003Keywords:
Latin America, Education, Secondary education, Secondary school student, Digital transformationAbstract
Digital transformation has profoundly altered access to knowledge and educational processes; in Latin America and the Caribbean, governments have promoted initiatives to expand connectivity and narrow the digital divide. However, economic, institutional, and technological inequalities persist, limiting the impact of these measures. The objective was to analyze the relationship between digital transformation and educational performance in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru during the 2010–2024 period. A quantitative, explanatory, and longitudinal study was conducted using balanced panel data comprising 75 country-year observations; indicators for internet access, broadband, mobile telephony, GDP per capita, youth unemployment, and public spending on education were employed, with the secondary education completion rate serving as the outcome variable. The countries studied showed sustained growth in digital connectivity; internet access and mobile telephony had positive, significant effects on secondary education completion. In contrast, broadband, GDP per capita, education spending, and youth unemployment showed negative relationships with the education indicator. Peru recorded the highest average rate of school completion, while Mexico showed the lowest performance. Digital transformation fosters educational performance when it expands effective access to the internet and everyday technologies; however, technological infrastructure alone does not guarantee better results. Institutional quality, pedagogical strategies, and socioeconomic conditions determine how effectively digital resources are utilized in education.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Patricia Equilea Veizaga , Adrián Jhair Flores Equilea , Daniel Alberto Iriarte Barrios, Ramiro Fernando Jaramillo Villafuerte , Washington Oswaldo Luna Bastidas
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