How and in what ways is international university students’ learning mediated by technology on a pre-degree programme academic skills course?

Abstract

Technology-mediated learning research in higher education tends to give attention to the technology tool rather than the detail of mediation. However, the interaction between a user and technology is complex and cannot be simplified to notions of tool use. Understanding mediation is of importance as it lies at the heart of the interaction between a user and educational technology. Consequently, this research investigated the mediation process of students’ interaction with educational technology and the learning management system and third-party resources being used at the University of Birmingham. The research employed a case study approach which applied qualitative methods that focused on the context, thoughts and actions of the user. Verbal protocols, group interviews and student diaries were used to obtain data from a sample of 11 international student participants that were taking a 4-week university preparation course at Birmingham University. Activity theory framework and additional concepts of multivoicedness, privileged voice and engagement theory were applied to analyse the qualitative data collected. Analysis of the data highlighted several determinates of student interaction with education technology that indicate educational technology is a means to access content and learn rather than a technology that motivates the learner and drives learning itself. The analysis of data also informed and shaped four notions that help to describe the mediation process and what takes place when students use educational technology: poly-motives, super-objective, privileged voice and stimulus means. The four notions provide a language that helps to explain the process of user mediation with technology that identify moments of struggle and tensions that students’ experience when using technology. There is an urgency to extend research on mediation when students use technology and a better understanding of what is actually taking place for learning to occur is needed. This research is a starting point that questions the assumptions being made with educational technology and the systems used to engage the user.

Date of Award	19 Feb 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Shona McIntosh (Supervisor) & Reka Ratkaine Jablonkai (Supervisor)