Spante, M., Sofkova Hashemi, S., Lundin, M. & Algers, A. (2018). Digital competence and digital literacy in higher education research: Systematic review of concept use. Cogent Education, 5(1), Article ID 1519143.
University West, School of Business, Economics and IT, Divison of Informatics.
Digital competence and digital literacy are concepts that are increasingly used in public discourse. However, how the concepts are used and how they are defined remains unclear. This paper presents a systematic review of research where these concepts are used in higher education research. The aim is to establish an understanding of referencing strategy to digital literacy and digital competence over time, disciplines, countries, methods and level of analysis. Three databases were used in the systematic literature review: Web of Science, Scopus and Education Resources Information Centre. We delimited the search to title, abstract and keywords in the databases. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed publications written in English. Initially 107 publications between 1997 and 2017 were found, with 28 addressing digital competence and 79 digital literacy. Our review demonstrates that there is a range of definitions used in higher education research. They vary depending on if the concepts are defined by policy, research or both and whether they focus on technical skills or social practices. This review indicates directions for further research in higher education i) do more research based on critical perspectives to avoid commonsensical use of the concepts, ii) take the development of definitions of these concepts seriously iii) avoid cross-referencing incompatibilities and finally iv) engage in critical investigations regarding the legitimacy of policy over research in the domain of higher education research.
University West, Department of Social and Behavioural Studies, Division for Educational Science and Languages.
The article reports on a study where teachers in early primary school were presented to tools to approach texts and meaning-­making from a multimodal perspective. The study aims to develop knowledge of enabling and constraining factors for the development of a multimodal assessment practice. To do so, we examine how teachers’ understanding of quality in students’ multimodal texts is manifested in assessments, and how this relates to available tools. The findings are discussed with the help of Bernstein's (1990; 2000) theoretical frame-­work and focus on the conditions for teachers' work and learning. The study demonstrates teachers’ attention to multimodal text quality as ability to follow writing conventions, organize text and communicate content with several interacting resources. Available tools shape and broaden what is noticed. However, to give content to the meta-­language further knowledge on the use of different semiotic resources is needed. The study hereby raises the importance of interdisciplinary perspective on multimodal assessment.
Cederlund, K., Godhe, A.-L. & Sofkova Hashemi, S. (2017). Subject culture in motion :: competing discourses in literacy education. In: Kerge, Krista & Puksand, Helin (Ed.), Cultures, Arts & Verbal Communication:: Book of abstracts. Paper presented at ARLE 2017: The 11th conference of the International Association for Research in L1 Education: Cultures, Arts & Verbal Communication in L1 Education; June 15-17, 2017, Tallinn University, Estonia (pp. 33-34).
University West, Department of Social and Behavioural Studies, Division for Educational Science and Languages. Göteborgs universitet, Inst. för didaktik och pedagogisk profession, Göteborg.
In this paper we examine competing discourses of established and emerging practices in literacy education in relation to technology. Our intention is to highlight contextual and relational aspects, which are largely absent in discussion concerning education when the aim is to find effective, best practice solutions. Grounded on empirical research findings, we strive to expand the current discussion by problematizing the relation between technology and literacy in a subject culture in motion. As classroom practices are made up of many different and often competing discourses this paper attends to the historical development of L1 and discusses tensions at classroom and system levels (Bernstein, 2000; Engeström, 2009). We demonstrate how the conditions and role of technology in the classroom tends to move from a focus on the effective use of technology, which separates the digital from L1-education, towards discourses including social practices and socio-political aspects (Ivanic, 2004). Moreover, the need for a meta-awareness addressing the multiplicity and diversity of communication channels and media will be problematized in regard to teachers’ professional development, changes in curricula and the boundary between the L1-subject and aesthetics.
Cederlund, K. & Sofkova Hashemi, S. (2016). Assessing multimodal texts: practice development and support for teachers´ learning. In: The 8th international conference on Modality: Multimodal Landscapes. Paper presented at 8icom The 8th inernational conference on Modality. Cape Town, South Africa, 7th – 9th December 2016.
As digital technology is becoming increasingly more common in the classrooms, students are creating screen-based texts that incorporate various modalities. Previous studies show that even if students’ texts are multimodal, the complexity in multimodal text composition are not the subject to established assessment practices privileging verbal and written language. Assessment practices signal which knowledge is legitimate and influence how teaching is organized. How teachers acknowledge and assess multimodal aspects and how practice development in this matter can be supported thereby becomes important issues to address.
This study was conducted within the project Digital Arenas in Literacy Practices in Early Primary School (DILS) where teachers from three classes in different schools worked together in workshops to develop literacy teaching. The empirical material consists primarily of the participating teachers written assessments of student texts, before and after an intervention where the teachers were introduced to multimodal perspectives and concepts for analyzing and assessing multimodal texts. The text material was further complemented by video-recordings of this workshop and the teachers’ discussions. Exploring how the teachers understanding of students’ multimodal texts is manifested in their assessments, the study highlights the challenges education and teachers face. The results shows how a lack of a meta-language to describe quality and development in multimodal text-composing results in assessments influenced by established assement practices focusing formal language aspects. Access to such meta-language provided more focus on the use, balance and interrelations of modalities for communicative effect. The implications of what knowledge and practices that are made available to teachers are discussed, and further research on how to implement multimodal assessment practices in the pedagogical practice is suggested.
University West, School of Business, Economics and IT, Division of Media and Design.
Cederlund, K. & Sofkova Hashemi, S. (2016). ”Här styrker bilden texten”: Att utveckla en multimodal bedömningspraktik. In: SMDI 12 TEXTKULTURER Tolfte Nationella konferensen i Svenska med Didaktisk inriktning.Karlstads universitet 24-25 november 2016: . Paper presented at SMDI 12 Nationella konferensen i Svenska med Didaktisk inriktning.
Genom den tekniska och mediala utvecklingen lever vi idag i ett multimedialt samhälle där det skrivna ordet inte bara är ett bland flera kommunikationsmedier utan också integreras med bild, film, ljud och tal. Läsande och skrivande har alltid varit multimodalt men den digitala teknologin möjliggör än större komplexitet i de multimodala uttrycken. Tidigare forskning har visat att även om elever komponerar multimodala texter så omfattar inte etablerade bedömningspraktiker komplexiteten hos multimodalt textskapande. Bedömningspraktiker signalerar vad som är legitim kunskap och påverkar hur undervisningen utformas. Kunskap om hur lärare uppmärksammar och bedömer multimodal texthantering samt hur praktikutveckling på området kan understödjas får därmed betydelse för utvecklingen av svenskämnets didaktik. I föreliggande studie undersöks när en grupp lågstadielärare erbjuds redskap för att betrakta texter utifrån design och samspel mellan olika semiotiska resurser. Det empiriska materialet består av filmade observationer av lärarnas kollegiala samtal och sambedömningar, samt lärarnas skriftliga reflektioner och bedömningar av multimodala elevtexter. Texterna samlades in före och efter en intervention där lärarna presenterades för begrepp och perspektiv baserade på Eve Bearnes (2009) ramverk för analys och bedömning av multimodal text och textprogression. Genom analyser av hur lärarnas förståelse av kvalitét och progression i multimodal texthantering manifesteras och förhandlas belyser studien de utmaningar lärare och undervisning förväntas hantera och ställs inför vad gäller bedömning av multimodala elevtexter. Resultaten visar hur tillgängliga diskurser och redskap möjliggör och begränsar praktiken vilket väcker frågor om vilken kunskap elever och lärare behöver för multimodal texthantering. Vi diskuterar svenskämnets gränser mot bildämnet och implikationer för lärarutbildning och lärares kompetensutveckling.
University West, Department of Economics and IT, Divison of Informatics.
University West, Department of Social and Behavioural Studies, Division for Educational Science and Languages. University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Education is in the process of transforming traditional print-based instruction intodigital formats. This multi-case study sheds light on the challenge of coping with theold and new in literacy teaching in the context of technology-mediated instruction inthe early years of schooling (7–8 years old children). By investigating the relationbetween literacy and digital technology in diverse pedagogical contexts we capturethe complexity in the educational transformation that needs to be acknowledged.Each of the cases demonstrates a distinct knowledge focus and goal for early literacy instruction, organisation and access around technology and what is made visible ininstruction. All these factors had consequences for the teaching that occurred. Depending on epistemological beliefs, digital competencies were taught separately from literacy and considered as a goal on its own or integrated with literacy considered as a means and a goal for literacy teaching and learning. Implicit pedagogy with weaker classification and framing enabled conditions for infused approaches making use of digital technology in multimodal, functional and learner centred literacy practices. Furthermore, initial guidance and the weaving of invisible and visible pedagogy highlight a possible way to both exploit the potential of digital technology and support childrenfrom various backgrounds. The balance of teacher and student control was further affected in regard to the organisation of technology and choices of pedagogical methods. This research hereby expands the current discussion on the relation betweentechnology and literacy with an understanding that the epistemological focus and contextof practices are necessary tools to problematize, rather than measure or value, emerging practices in early literacy instruction. We conclude that in addition to the necessary heavy investments in digital technology in schools there is a need to provide room for action for the teachers and address issues of purpose, pedagogy and organisation around technology.