An Investigation of English Language Instructors‘ Perceptions and Experiences of Digitalization and Datafication of Higher Education

Date

2024-9

Author

Genç, Elif

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This interpretative phenomenological analysis study explores English language instructors' perceptions and experiences of digitalization and datafication in higher education. The data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with three participants, selected using criterion sampling and a snowballing approach. The participants were English teachers with 5 to 15 years of experience who worked at a specific higher education institution in Türkiye. Thematic coding was applied using a social constructivist interpretive framework in MAXQDA 24. The findings revealed mixed perceptions: Participants viewed digitalization and datafication as beneficial for themselves, students, accountability, and professional development, offering valuable insights. However, they also expressed concerns about privacy, corporate influence, and the need for cautious implementation. Participants had limited experience with datafication, while their experience with digitalization was voluntary and had various purposes. They also noted that digital tools were underutilized at their institution, suggesting that better policies could be implemented. In their experience, digital tools sometimes decreased their workload and sometimes increased it. Resistance from students to digital tools was also noted, with instructors emphasizing the importance of addressing student concerns. Participants recognized the inevitability of the transformations in the ELT profession and higher education, stressing the need for teachers to be innovative and adaptable. Despite these shifts, they underscored the importance of maintaining the human touch in teaching. Finally, they highlighted concerns that these changes might negatively affect the public perception of teachers, further emphasizing the need for adaptability.

Subject Keywords

digitalization, datafication, higher education, ELT, ELT instructors

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/111294

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis