Purposeful Actions in Leadership of Learning Processes: A Mixed Methods Study of Classroom Management in Digital Learning Environments

Abstract

Most Norwegian primary and secondary pupils now have access to their own computer or tablet at school (1:1 access), and 1:1 access to information and communication technology (ICT) has a variety of implications for teachers’ classroom management practices and leadership of learning processes. This doctoral thesis explore the experiences and needs that arise in the field of practice as premises for why classroom management is changing.

In order to solve real-life challenges, we must first understand them, and the thesis explore how we can understand the challenges primary and secondary teachers are facing in their 1:1 ICT classroom management practices. Using a qualitatively driven mixed research design, the thesis seek to contribute to the field of classroom management in 1:1 learning environments by combining emic and etic viewpoints and perspectives within a pluralistic pragmatist framework. In this partly sequential and partly convergent (concurrent) mixed methods design, qualitative and quantitative strands occurred across chronological phases, and the research questions were interrelated and partly evolved during the study. The doctoral thesis consists of three articles and an extended synopsis.

Across the studies, the thesis finds that the complex relationship between digital competence and classroom management was affected by teachers’ professional understanding and knowledge base beyond technology. The thesis therefore suggest that the challenges and opportunities primary and secondary teachers face in technology-rich learning environments are not merely related to technology but also to teachers’ understanding of knowledge domains and the flexibility required to manage and lead adapted and highly complex learning environments. As a result, the thesis proposes increasing awareness of the importance of teachers’ self-reflection about their roles and pedagogical beliefs as a starting point for purposeful classroom management actions and strategies in ICT learning environments.