Presence and (dis)connection: Teaching and Learning with Mobile Technology in Tertiary Outdoor Studies Programs
Abstract
The aim of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of different perspectives and approaches related to the use of mobile technologies in outdoor studies and to better understand how the use of mobile technologies might influence outdoor teaching and learning experiences. The inquiry explores educators’ and students’ perspectives on and experiences of the use of mobile technologies as part of their studies. Situated within qualitative research, the inquiry was based on a collective case study design comprising two sets of participants, educators (n=12) and students (n=27), involved with tertiary outdoor studies programs at three different higher education institutions in Norway. The main methods for data collection included qualitative, semi-structured interviews.
By viewing the findings collectively in light of Dewey’s (1938a) principles of continuity and interaction, this dissertation’s findings offer a deeper and more precise understanding of the influence of mobile technologies on outdoor teaching and learning experiences, previously unexplored in the field of outdoor education. It is argued that the main contributions of this research are the conceptual and empirical insights which offer a new understanding of how mobile technologies can be effectively employed as resources for outdoor teaching and learning and how the use of such devices might influence outdoor learning experiences for students, in particular.
Taken together, the findings of this research indicate that mobile technologies and their applications expand the opportunity space for outdoor teaching and learning, by offering access to information, planning, navigation, documentation, sharing and communication tools. Simultaneously, mobile technologies might constrain other experiences, notably students’ sensory perception of the natural environment and their attentiveness to the social environment of the outdoor classroom. The main challenge associated with the use of mobile technologies in outdoor studies is that such devices enable students to connect to online networks and communicate with non-present others nearly anywhere and at any time, which can be potentially distractive and disruptive to interactions and the continuity of learning experiences. To mitigate the unwanted challenges and realize the potential of mobile technologies as resources for outdoor teaching and learning, the findings suggest a balanced, intentional and critical approach to the use and non-use of mobile technologies.
Furthermore, the findings indicate that the direct, unmediated engagement with nature remains a valued and distinctive feature of outdoor studies programs, and the findings underscore the importance of preserving this characteristic. In the context of outdoor studies in a postdigital context, the findings highlight the necessity of striking a balance between exploration and caution in order to leverage the potential benefits of mobile technologies while mitigating the challenges associated with using them.
Description
Avhandling (doktorgrad) - Norges idrettshøgskole, 2024
Has parts
Paper I: van Kraalingen, I. (2023). A systematized review of the use of mobile technology in outdoor learning. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 23(3), 203-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2021.1984963.Paper II: van Kraalingen, I. (2022). Theorizing technological mediation in the outdoor classroom. Postdigital Science and Education, 5(3), 754–776. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438- 022-00315-2.
Paper III: van Kraalingen, I. & Eriksen, J. W. (in review). Teaching and learning with smartphones in outdoor studies. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education.
Paper IV: van Kraalingen, I. & Beames, S. (2024). Presence and (dis)connectedness – The influence of smartphone usage on human-nature and human-human interactions in outdoor studies. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1369591.