Lack of focus on a specific technology

As  I  have  described  in  Chapter  Two,  many  studies  relating  to  impacts  of  technology  in  education   have  tended  to  choose  a  specific  technology  and  study  its  impact.  Such  studies  were  clearly  focussed   on  a  technology  and  its  impact,  as  expressed  through  the  outcomes,  rather  than  focussing  on  the   person  using  the  technology  and  their  relationships  with  it.  This  investigation  does  not  identify  any   specific  technology  or  explore  how  it  is  experienced  by  students.    

While,  for  the  most  part,  the  university’s  learning  management  system  (MyLO)  is  central  to   this  investigation,  the  use  of  hardware,  for  example  smart  phones,  tablets,  laptops  and  even  standard   telephones  was  also  part  of  the  discussion  where  relevant  or  when  raised  by  participants.  However,  it  

is  the  impact  which  technologies  have  on  student  engagement,  as  perceived  by  the  students  and  their   tutors  that  is  the  main  way  that  technologies  contribute  to  the  intent  of  the  investigation.  

3.10   Conclusion  

I  have  argued  thus  far  that  research  based  on  survey  instruments  has  been  found  wanting  when   studying  distance  online  student  perceptions  of  student  engagement  particularly  in  terms  of  its   representativeness.  This  investigation  aimed  to  understand  the  participants’  perceptions  of  student   engagement  as  they  study  online,  in  the  distance  mode  by  researching  their  lived  experiences.  I  have,   however,  accepted  prevailing  definitions  of  student  engagement  as  a  starting  point  for  my  research,   thus  avoiding  the  temptation  to  create  a  disconnect  with  other  research  by  ignoring  existing  

definitions  and  establishing  a  new  or  alternate  definition  within  the  context  of  this  study.  

Deciding  upon  an  interpretive  design,  allowed  me  to  provide  a  more  detailed  and  personal   view  of  student  engagement  with  respect  to  this  group  of  participants.  With  this  decision,  however,   came  the  responsibility  of  accepting  the  constraints,  procedures  and  protocols  that  underpin  the   integrity  of  the  whole  project.  I  have  described  these  here  and  applied  them  to  the  context  to  enable   you,  the  reader  to  test  for  yourself  whether  I  have  met  the  standard.

In  developing  an  understanding  of  student  engagement  and  the  implications  of   technology  for  it  in  distance  online  learning,  this  investigation  has  chosen  a  research  design   less  used,  but  demonstrably  fit  for  purpose.  

Chapter  Four:  Introducing  the  Participants  

4.1   Introduction  

In  his  insightful  play  (and  later  movie),  Educating  Rita,  Willy  Russell  (1981)  paints  a  vivid  and   sometimes  confronting  image  of  the  significant  changes  which  take  place  in  a  young  working  class   woman’s  life  as  she  studies  with  the  then  fledgling  Open  University  of  the  United  Kingdom  (OUUK).   It  is  a  story  of  self-­‐‑discovery,  not  only  for  her,  but  for  her  tutor.  While  Russell  does  not  specifically   canvass  technological  issues  relating  to  the  distance  experience  (indeed  it  is  the  face-­‐‑to-­‐‑face  

experience  of  Rita’s  relationship  with  her  tutor  on  a  university  campus  that  underpins  the  story  line),   the  powerful  individual  and  social  transformative  forces  which  come  into  play  through  such  non-­‐‑ traditional  approaches  to  higher  education  are  cast  in  stark  relief.  These  transformative  forces  are  not   solely  tied  to  courses  and  institutions,  but  also  act  on  and  through  the  tutors,  the  students  and  their   peers,  family  and  friends,  and  the  learning  environments  in  all  their  forms.  

University  study  for  Rita  as  a  mature  age  student  is  more  than  the  ‘rite  of  passage’  that  she  sees   in  the  younger  students  she  meets  on  campus.  It  may  have  begun  as  a  desire  for  life  change  or   improvement,  but  it  becomes  a  journey  of  discovery  and  renewal  (for  her  and  her  tutor  Frank).  The   alertness  of  Frank,  to  the  possibility  of  transformation,  and  his  willingness  to  support  her  engagement   with  her  new  life  of  study,  impact  significantly  on  Rita’s  metamorphosis.  In  her  engagement  with  the   processes  of  her  study  and  the  people  involved,  Rita  experiences  her  education  as  a  phenomenon   both  in  its  different  parts  as  it  relates  to  her  peers,  tutor  and  family,  and  as  a  whole.  

In  contrast  to  this,  the  literature  review  (Chapter  2)  shows  that  much  of  the  recent  research  into   higher  distance  education,  particularly  that  which  comes  from  a  technology  perspective,  focuses  on   learning  outcomes,  student  perceptions  of  their  learning  experience  with  specific  pieces  of  learning   technologies  or  comparisons  of  improvements  in  learning  approaches.  The  methodological  approach   of  this  investigation  privileges  a  personal,  individual,  experiential  and  relational  view  of  technology   and  its  impacts,  in  contrast  to  many  of  the  earlier  studies  into  student  engagement  (Agre  as  cited  in  

Friesen,  2009).  It  also  allows  some  observations  to  be  made  about  the  impact  of  the  use  of  technology   on  tutors.  

None  of  the  participant  students  in  this  investigation  has  experienced  Rita’s  conflicts.  However,   there  are  elements  of  her  situation  to  be  found  in  their  experience.  They  are  similar  to  Rita  in  that  they   were  new  to  higher  education.  Also,  while  not  able  to  name  engagement  as  an  experience,  each   participant  speaks  of  characteristics  which  fall  under  a  description  of  engagement.    

However,  before  investigating  student  engagement,  tutor,  and  technology  interaction,  one   issue  regarding  research  design  needs  to  be  addressed:  that  is  the  nature  of  the  participants.  As   discussed  in  Chapter  Three,  I  am  not  dealing  with  a  representative  group  of  participants.  They  are,  in   effect,  self-­‐‑selected,  so  who  they  are  becomes  an  important  part  of  this  investigation.  Insights  into   their  life  stories  help  understand  their  current  place  and  experience.  In  Heideggerian  terms  (van   Manen,  1990),  their  lifeworlds  need  to  be  recognised,  reflected  upon  and  affirmed  as  a  significant  and   meaningful  part  of  the  investigation.  Their  positive  response  to  the  email  request  for  participants   already  brands  them  as  having  some  level  of  engagement  with  their  studies  and  some  desire  to  make   a  contribution  to  my  research  into  student  engagement.  For  example,  Wanda  said  that  she  intended  to   continue  postgraduate  studies  herself  and  was  keen  to  discuss  my  experience  and  test  some  of  her   ideas  to  see  if  she  was  (in  her  terms)  being  realistic.  Tricia,  feeling  very  isolated,  offered  to  be  a   participant  in  the  hope  of  contributing  to  an  improvement  of  the  course  experience  for  others  and   increasing  her  contact  with  others  in  the  academic  enterprise.  In  essence,  each  student  participant   entered  the  interviews  with  a  positive  attitude,  an  interest  in  helping  and  a  desire  to  engage  with  me   and  my  investigation.  They  are  introduced  below  so  that  at  least  some  part  of  their  background,  their   experience  of  distance  education  and  technology  and  its  impact  on  their  engagement  can  be  more   clearly  understood  in  context.

While  student  participants  and  the  technologies  which  they  use  in  their  learning  are  central  to   this  investigation,  the  role  which  tutors  play  in  student  engagement  cannot  be  ignored.  Technology   needs  to  be  considered  within  its  human  context  (Idhe,  1990)  and  tutors  along  with  peers,  family,  

friends  and  colleagues  comprise  a  significant  portion  of  that  human  context.  A  technology  cannot  be   considered  as  an  inert  object.  At  the  point  of  use  by  the  tutor,  they  are  as  one.  So  at  least  a  basic   knowledge  of  the  tutor  is  also  important  to  fully  understanding  this  investigation.  Therefore,  there   will  be  an  introduction  to  the  participant  tutors  following  the  introduction  of  the  participant  students.    

The  participants  in  this  study  may  have  partitioned  their  lives  into  various  roles:  for  example   student  and  parent;  tutor  and  spouse.  The  fact  that  they  are  conscious  of  their  movement  between   roles  and  the  impact  of  each  on  the  other  becomes  yet  another  part  of  the  dynamic  of  this  

investigation.