TY - JOUR
T1 - The Tone of Teachers' Melody and Wellbeing in Digital Space
AU - Mirzapour, Fatemeh
AU - Şengül, Mehmet
AU - Curle, Samantha
PY - 2025/1/30
Y1 - 2025/1/30
N2 - Educational technology has become an essential component of improving education. To effectively integrate technology into their teaching practices, educators must acquire the necessary skills, which can, in turn, be a source of stress. This phenomenological study aimed to investigate the positive and negative impacts of technology on teachers' physical and social well-being. The study was conducted with 12 high school teachers (seven females and five males) in Tabriz, Iran. Six participants held a BA, while the remaining six had a master's degree, each with at least five years of teaching experience. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a narrative frame and were analysed using MAXQDA 2022. Findings indicated that the implementation of digital tools had both positive and negative effects on teachers' physical and social well-being. Positive impacts on physical well-being included time and energy savings as well as cognitive stimulation. However, negative effects included exhaustion, increased health risks, and reduced productivity. Regarding social well-being, teachers reported benefits such as enhanced global communication and easier access to and transfer of information. Conversely, negative social effects included reduced face-to-face interactions, strained family relationships, and concerns about the development of healthy technology habits among students. The study highlights the need for teachers to be well-informed about both the benefits and challenges of educational technology to foster balanced and healthy usage.
AB - Educational technology has become an essential component of improving education. To effectively integrate technology into their teaching practices, educators must acquire the necessary skills, which can, in turn, be a source of stress. This phenomenological study aimed to investigate the positive and negative impacts of technology on teachers' physical and social well-being. The study was conducted with 12 high school teachers (seven females and five males) in Tabriz, Iran. Six participants held a BA, while the remaining six had a master's degree, each with at least five years of teaching experience. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a narrative frame and were analysed using MAXQDA 2022. Findings indicated that the implementation of digital tools had both positive and negative effects on teachers' physical and social well-being. Positive impacts on physical well-being included time and energy savings as well as cognitive stimulation. However, negative effects included exhaustion, increased health risks, and reduced productivity. Regarding social well-being, teachers reported benefits such as enhanced global communication and easier access to and transfer of information. Conversely, negative social effects included reduced face-to-face interactions, strained family relationships, and concerns about the development of healthy technology habits among students. The study highlights the need for teachers to be well-informed about both the benefits and challenges of educational technology to foster balanced and healthy usage.
M3 - Article
SN - 2504-284X
JO - Frontiers in Education
JF - Frontiers in Education
ER -