Abstracts Education

Appropriation of formal and informal learning technology in higher education: the case of Saudi students in home country and in Australia

by Mona Mesfer M Alshardan

Currently, students in higher education utilise a wide range of technologies, some of which have been formally provided and mandated by universities (e.g., learning management system (LMS)) whilst others are more informal and used voluntarily (e.g., social networking sites (SNSs)). Both types of technologies provide many advantages to the learning process, including increased communication with peers and academics and better engagement with learning content. Despite the extensive research on the adoption and use of various formal and informal learning technologies, little is known about how these different platforms are appropriated simultaneously within higher education systems. This qualitative interpretive research is composed of three studies that explore the appropriation of formal and informal learning technologies by Saudi students in higher education in their home country and in Australia. The findings of this research show how technology appropriation patterns of the same technology differ in different educational contexts. Specifically, the thesis explores the transition of students’ attitudes and behaviours towards the appropriation of formal and informal learning technologies based on their physical relocation from Saudi Arabia to Australia. The research provides a new context-oriented model as an extension of Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) with concepts from networked learning to explain students' appropriation of technologies in their learning interactions. The model describes the appropriation process undertaken when students deal with formal and informal learning technologies while addressing the structures of the technology, the environment and the individual characteristics that influence this process. Moreover, the model shows the emergent social and technological structures in the appropriation process and the intended and unintended learning outcomes. Recommendations are provided based on the research findings for different stakeholders involved in students’ learning experiences, including academics, administrators and policymakers in higher education in both Saudi Arabia and Australia.