Open Call for Papers

Special Issue: Digital technologies in schools: Critical perspectives.

The European Educational Research Journal

Schools have become key sites for the use of digital technologies, a phenomenon that has become
even more salient since the 2020 pandemic. Although there is an established body of work on the
interplay between technologies and education, when it comes to the context of schools, the research
is mostly focused on issues of teacher preparedness, skills, motivation or attitudes, with fewer
discussions conveying critical perspectives of the interplay between digital technologies and
experiences and practices in and of schools.

The phrase ‘critical perspectives’ is herein meant to promote a research direction that is informed by
the application of social theory/ies to the exploration of digital technologies as a phenomenon worth
researching in the context of schools. Critical theories fulfil the purpose of helping develop research
explanations that go beyond obvious understandings of the phenomenon at hand, aiming to unearth
questions of (em)power(ment), (in)justice, (in)equalities and cultural practices that are implicit to the
structures one inhabits.

The research field of digital technologies in education has long been critiqued for adopting an a-
theoretical stance (see Selwyn, 2012, 2015; Costa et al., 2019). Even though headway has been made
in this regard with more critical scholars working in this field, this area of inquiry remains divided. This
is, for example, shown via the volume and varied quality of writings published during the pandemic.
While the growing interest in digital education is welcomed, the growth of published research - with
some exceptions - seemed more concerned with creating fast responses to an unprecedented
phenomenon than engaging in considerate debate. This rush to publish has risked undermining a field
of educational inquiry that is becoming ever more relevant considering the globalising effect of digital
technologies on education. This pattern of fast response and uncritical discussion is currently also
found in articles addressing the expected effects of generative artificial intelligence on education.

This open call for a new special issue is focused on issues and phenomena emerging within the
European context. This can, for example, be formulated through discussions of how national and/or
European Commission policies may have informed, encouraged and driven the application of digital
technologies to practice. But it can also focus on the (teaching and learning, curricular, governance
and leadership, etc.) experiences developed within specific nations and contexts, as well as on the
exploration of comparative dimensions of the state and extent of application of digital technologies
across European educational contexts.

Focused on such themes, this special issue is centred on critical educational inquiries of digital
technologies in schools and the issues that are raised over the digitization of education. In order to
explore the phenomenon of digital technologies in schools, authors are invited to submit articles
focused on empirical work or theoretical pieces that engage with critical, social theoretical
perspectives. This can comprise discussions about the moral panic over the digitization of education,
including amongst others, issues related to national mobile bans; explorations of generative artificial
intelligence in education; experiences of datafication and/or digital wellbeing.

Other research foci may include:

- Generative Artificial intelligence and student/teacher agency
- Datafication, surveillance and/or privacy
- Digital ethics
- Digital risks and wellbeing
- The fostering of critical digital literacies in times of misinformation

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 - Critical digital citizenship and/or cultural divides
- The impact of educational technologies companies on schools
- Critical digital literacies
- Curriculum design

If you are interested in submitting a paper, please send an extended abstract (max. 2 pages) by
November 15, 2023 to cristina.costa@durham.ac.uk. Feedback of abstracts and green light to develop
full articles will then be communicated in January 2024. (Final submission deadline to be agreed with
Journal editors – assume to be around June/July 2024)

The European Educational Research Journal adheres to the SAGE Harvard reference style. If you use
EndNote to manage references, you can download the SAGE Harvard output file here. Sage Harvard
for Zotero is also available here.

References:

Costa C, Hammond M and Younie S (2019) Theorising technology in education: an introduction.

Technology, Pedagogy and Education 28(4). Routledge: 395–399.
Selwyn N (2012) Ten suggestions for improving academic research in education and technology. Learning,
Media and Technology 37(3): 213–219.
Selwyn N (2015) Technology and Education—Why It’s Crucial to be Critical. In: Bulfin S, Johnson NF, and
Bigum C (eds) Critical Perspectives on Technology and Education. Palgrave Macmillan’s Digital
Education and Learning. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 245–255.