Analysis of technology-mediated pedagogies: Experiences from a BYOD initiative in New Zealand

A longitudinal study was conducted in a New Zealand secondary school to investigate the immediate and longer-term challenges and opportunities of a technology-supported learning initiative. A ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) initiative called for a stronger connect with digital technology in formal educational settings in 2012. This was indeed much ahead of its time, as now evident from worldwide move towards digital education in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we tracked transformations within learning and teaching for over five years. At the inception of the idea, there was much resistance from parents and other stakeholders; however, the BYOD initiative ultimately showcased a very successful example of technology-supported teaching and learning initiative for other New Zealand schools. Our investigation primarily focused on one of the critical indicators for the success of such an initiative, the digital divide. The digital divide is particularly important because of the level of attention and dialogue this BYOD topic gathered across New Zealand. Initial discourses (over newspapers, radio and television) suggested that this initiative would be damaging in view of existing digital divides across societies and the overall public opinion outweighed the potential positives from such an initiative. As part of our five-year study, we investigated some of the key concerns around the digital divide issue in the context of such a technology-supported learning initiative. One of the key enablers of this study was integration of two frameworks, to enable the cross-examination of relationships between various sources of social cognitive abilities related to an individual’s information literacy, motivational and behavioral aspects. That is, how skill development, knowledge acquisition, and changes in personal and behavioral aspects impact self-efficacy levels as a consequence of BYOD strategies. The resulting framework is especially relevant in post-COVID-19 times, since technology-driven remote education delivery formats are now being touted as the new norm. Our framework will therefore provide much value to policy-makers in establishing inclusive educational policies.