Digitalization and digital transformation in schools: A challenge to educational theory?

There is an apparent lack of theoretically robust definitions of digitalization and digital transformation in educational research. This article purposes to contribute to educational research and practice by understanding digitalization and digital transformation through educational theory. The approach to the research problem was first to theoretically define digitalization and digital transformation in schools in terms of human learning and development. This perspective suggested that digitalization may be a requirement for digital transformation but not an enabler. Moreover, it suggests that digitalization and digital transformation in schools are always anchored to human learning and development. Secondly, the approach empirically tests this theoretical development via a quantitative questionnaire survey with seventeen Swedish school leaders. The data indicated the theoretical development seems to hold in school practice as well as conceptually. Limitations to the approach were discussed, and suggestions to future research of remote teaching in rural schools are given. In particular, future research is suggested to develop, contrast, and use the definition.

"Digitalization in schools corresponds with the use of digital technologies within school organizations for human learning and development. Digital transformation caused by digitalization in schools corresponds with the development of the shared object of work activities in school organizations. School organizations are complex object oriented systems of work activities,,,, [D]igitalization and digital transformation in schools indeed can be productively conceptualized according to the levels of learning also in practice, not only as a conceptual deliberation about educational theory and digitalization." (Author, 32-33)