The Affordances of Practice and Research Knowledge

Sarkis, Joseph

doi:10.1109/emr.2021.3063747

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Hammond (2010) indicates these are not opposites but are rather complementary. Although the theory first emanated from the field of ecological psychology, it is currently being used for scholarly analysis across diverse fields in relation to tools and people, while debates continue about its core issues (Davis & Chouinard, 2017;Sarkis, 2021).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Academic and institutional readiness towards e-Learning to inform policy and practice in an evolving post-school education sector

Omidire

Aluko

2022

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Prior to the occurrence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, some African higher education institutions had already adopted a hybridmode for all their programmes, including distance education. Policies and strategies were put in place to improve the practices, skills and competencies of staff and students. However, the closure of education institutions globally due to the pandemic resulted in the rethinking of current education practices and highlighted the inherent inequalities in the system. This baseline qualitative study, underpinned by the Affordance theory, explores the appropriateness of education responses that were utilised and interrogates the readiness of educators for e-Learning during the pandemic. The participants were purposively selected educators (n=11) from distance and contact African institutions. The study sought to contribute to the reconceptualisation of policies and strategies for distance education provision using e-Learning approaches, which have now become a mainstream reality for the post-school education and training (PSET) sector. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the rich data. The findings identified the successes and shortcomings of facilitating e-Learning at a distance during the pandemic. Some participants felt ill-prepared for the extent of work required to be well equipped to use this approach. In many cases, it was felt that support strategies could have been better structured. Further analysis highlighted possible restructuring that should occur to meet the needs of educators in the twenty-first century and to survive any future pandemics through greater use of e-Learning. Evidence-based recommendations for policies are discussed.

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Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Academic and institutional readiness towards e-Learning to inform policy and practice in an evolving post-school education sector

Omidire

Aluko

2022

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“…Affordances exist independently of people's perceptions, and they can be an indication of the range of functions and constraints an object provides which are available to the subjects (Davis & Chouinard, 2017). Despite having its roots in the field of ecological psychology, the Affordance Theory has hitherto been applied to scholarly analysis in various other fields (Davis & Chouinard, 2017;Sarkis, 2021). A further definition of affordances by Norman (1999) regarding human-computer interaction and technology design describes affordances as "the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used" (Wang et al, 2018, p. 60).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

E-learning for student support, inclusion and equity in diverse post-pandemic teaching contexts

Omidire

Maroga

2022

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Prior to the onset of the global lockdown, some educators used strategies such as a flipped classroom, blended learning and hybrid learning to integrate the use of technology into the delivery of their modules. This all changed in 2020 when contact sessions were no longer an option to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The result was that educators who partially used e-learning avenues and those who were fully into contact teaching had to make the shift to full online teaching. The pandemic thus brought about an awareness of how much progress we have made and the realisation of how far we still need to go in equitably addressing access and inclusion among students in higher education institutions. The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which the relationship and partnership between specialists and educators could foster student support for inclusion, access and equity in higher education, thereby informing teacher education. This was a qualitative study with an action research design involving one educator, one e-learning specialist and 110 students across two modules. Affordance theory served as the theoretical framework for the study. Thematic analysis was used to arrive at the salient points and lessons from the partnership. The findings revealed that educators' access to information and technical support allowed them to create supportive learning environments for students. Furthermore, multiple modes of engagement ensured that the probability of diversity being an extenuating factor could be mitigated. Academics must create awareness among students on support interventions available in institutions.

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“…He states that, 'The affordances of the environment are what it offers the animal, what it provides or furnishes… It implies the complementarity of the animal and the environment'(Gibson 1979: 127). According toSarkis (2021), the theory has its roots 'in cognitive psychology and philosophy as part of perception theory and valences'. Although the theory is very popular in relation to the use of technology and its design, in this chapter the authors focus on the complementarity between an affordance (in this case, what practitioners could do with their research) and researchers (who are the producers of research).Although Norman, who later expanded on the term, focuses on the perception of the animal with the potential of leading to action(Norman 1999;McGrenere and Ho 2000;Blewett and Hugo 2016), one could regard both as complementary because the animal can only act on what…”

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confidence: 99%

Does Distance Education in the Developing Context Need More Research? Building Practice into Theory (Volume One)

Aluko,

Coetzee,

Maphosa

et al. 2023

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This book focuses on distance education research, a dire need in the field, especially in Africa and other developing contexts. 'Distance education' in this book has been used as an umbrella term for any form of education in which there is a separation between the teacher and the learner, which necessitates the use of media. The authors from a range of African countries and international experts who have had a stint of their career in developing contexts, borrowing from their wealth of experience, discuss research trends in distance education in their milieu, identifying the gaps and how this mode of delivery can be strengthened. By so doing, their passion for quality which has been a major area of concern in the field was brought to the fore. They have reiterated the fact that it is possible to enhance quality in this mode of delivery by not only conducting research but also applying its findings to theory, practice, and policy. The book is the first of two volumes.

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The Affordances of Practice and Research Knowledge

Cited by 3 publications

References 24 publications

Academic and institutional readiness towards e-Learning to inform policy and practice in an evolving post-school education sector

Academic and institutional readiness towards e-Learning to inform policy and practice in an evolving post-school education sector

E-learning for student support, inclusion and equity in diverse post-pandemic teaching contexts

Does Distance Education in the Developing Context Need More Research? Building Practice into Theory (Volume One)

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