The construction of legitimacy: a critical discourse analysis of the rhetoric of educational technology in post-pandemic higher education

Journal article


Clark, D. 2023. The construction of legitimacy: a critical discourse analysis of the rhetoric of educational technology in post-pandemic higher education. Learning, Media and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2163500
AuthorsClark, D.
Abstract

Whilst technology may have been the ‘saviour’ of HE from the immediate challenges of the pandemic, the opportunistic dialogue emerging in response is imbued with notions of the pandemic as a catalyst for change. Empowered by the apparent success of technology’s deliverance, the door has been opened to unprecedented investment into a pervasive and data-driven paradigm of technology. Utilising a Critical Discourse Analysis of sector-orientated literature published in response to the pandemic, this paper examines the emergent rhetoric of technology and problematises taken for granted assumptions concerning its adoption in the imagined future of HE. This paper argues that such rhetoric is mediatory of neoliberal and consumerist ideologies, and that the portrayal of technology as a wholly beneficial enterprise obscures other issues and inequalities. By positioning educational technology in a uniquely political light, this paper offers a critical lens through which to view this new era of technological pervasion.

KeywordsEdTech; Higher education; Legitimacy; Discourse; Criticality
Year2023
JournalLearning, Media and Technology
PublisherTaylor & Francis
ISSN1743-9884
1743-9892
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2163500
Official URLhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439884.2022.2163500?af=R
Publication dates
Online02 Jan 2023
Publication process dates
Deposited18 Jan 2023
Publisher's version
License
Output statusPublished
Page range1-14
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https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/93970/the-construction-of-legitimacy-a-critical-discourse-analysis-of-the-rhetoric-of-educational-technology-in-post-pandemic-higher-education

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