Inverted advantage: Technology adoption and the achievement paradox in Bangladesh secondary schools during COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced education to shift from face-to-face learning to digital platforms, which exposed unequal technology access between rural and urban schools in Bangladesh. This raised the question of whether technology adoption or access hindered learning across the phases. This study examines technology utilization, digital learning comfort, and adaptation challenges among 446 secondary school students. The study used a convergent mixed-method design grounded in Fullan's theory, while critical realism was the philosophical orientation. Pre-pandemic, urban students showed better academic performance (R² = 0.196) compared to rural students (R² = 0.039). During the pandemic, there was little difference between rural and urban students (R² = 0.097 vs. 0.091). Technology utilization changed direction: a positive association with performance in rural schools (B = 0.299) but a negative association in urban schools (B = -0.372). None of the regression models reached statistical significance. After the pandemic, rural students showed a stronger recovery, with R² = 0.152. The improvement was small among urban students and did not reach the pre-pandemic baseline (R² = 0.111). The findings suggest that technology access alone cannot improve academic performance. It requires continuous feedback, teacher training, access to resources, and technology and communication support in rural schools, as well as psychosocial counselling in urban schools.