Actor‐Network Theory to Depict Context‐Sensitive M‐Learning Readiness in Higher Education

Abstract

This study has taken a relatively unusual approach to assessing technology readiness within a higher educational institution by using Actor Network Theory (ANT) as a lens instead of the more common adoption models and indices. The study sets out to identify the key actors within an actor network and to describe how these actors are recruited during the problematisation stage of building the actor network. The actors were identified by means of the input from three groups participating in this study, namely the students, lecturers and nonacademic staff members. The paper then goes on to explain how the actors influence one another to become and remain m-Learning ready. This influence is described in terms of attributes found as part of the inscription process. The construction and stabilization of the naturally dynamic actor network is intended to achieve a common goal, in this case, to use mobile learning effectively within South African higher educational institutions. The study contributes practically as an analytical process is demonstrated and that this could be used as a guide for future m-Learning readiness studies with the existing findings being used as a reference point. Once the actors are identified, their participation in the project and the extent to which they are aligned in terms of the attributes can be used to assess the readiness of the institution to use m-Learning. Theoretically, this paper provides evidence that sociological theories such as ANT can be used to complement traditional technology readiness, adoption and use models.

Socio-Technical Systems: Using Actor-Network Theory to Make the Social More Tangible in a Technical Space

“…Researchers have developed ANT analysis diagrams [48] and established an ANT graphical syntax [12] and visual representations [38,40,49]. Tsohou et al [39] acknowledge that actor-networks transform over time, and have added to the visualisation syntax of ANT by mapping using freeze frames.…”

“…Tsohou et al [39] acknowledge that actor-networks transform over time, and have added to the visualisation syntax of ANT by mapping using freeze frames. Graphical advances achieved in ANT research have resulted in the depiction of source actors, target actors, translators, the four translation moments, black boxes, and freeze frames [12,38,39,49,50]. These graphical syntax components are shown in Figure 1.…”

Using Big Data analytics tool to influence decision-making in higher education: A case of South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges

“…Latour (1996) indicated that ANT has been developed by students of science and technology, and its claim is that in order to understand what holds society together, we have to reinject the facts made by natural and social sciences and the artefact designed by engineers. Actor network theory does not accept any form of separation between the participants; it emphasises that human and non-human actors should be analysed in the same way (Paledi & Alexander 2017).…”