Using Activity Theory to Problematize the Role of the Teacher During Mobile Learning

Pamela Cowan and Ryan Butler

SAGE Open, 2013, vol. 3, issue 4, 2158244013516155

Abstract: Research to date in mobile (m-)learning has focused mainly on the learners and the processes they utilize when learning using mobile technologies. This action research study considers the role of the teacher in (m-)learning—the responsibilities, the pedagogies employed in teaching when using mobile devices, and also the changing levels of power and control in the m-learning context. Activity theory (AT) is used as the lens through which the teacher’s role during m-learning is analyzed. The findings propose an enhanced AT model assuming a three-dimensional (3D) representation that encapsulates the teacher at the heart of the activity system radiating power and control to maintain the balance between the components necessary for effective learning. In addition, the term “adaptive framing†is used to denote the changing power dynamic and level of control in activity systems using the proposed enhanced model.

Keywords: mobile learning; activity theory; adaptive framing; geography curriculum (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244013516155 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:3:y:2013:i:4:p:2158244013516155

DOI: 10.1177/2158244013516155

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in SAGE Open
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().