Affectibility Framework for a Sociotechnical Approach in Brazilian Schools

The sociotechnical approach is defined as the integration of human and technical components and processes to develop target organizational recipients. In the case of the study (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2013), the participants are children and adults in Brazilian schools. 

The concept employed was to address formal, informal, and non-formal learning modalities to break traditional learning structures (formal) to rebuild new human-centric learning that is culturally adaptive by introducing technological artifacts and processes.

The plan that Hayashi and Baranauskas (2013) discuss in the paper is the introduction of laptops to Brazilian children, employees, and teachers. The study used a self-assessment manikin (SAM), a standard for such studies, to allow participants to rank their experiences graphically. This study used a qualitative research methodology whereby the researchers were trying to understand the impact of the technology artifact from the point of view of children from 6-10 years old, children 11-14 years old, and a third group comprised of staff and teachers.

A core tenet of the study was the degree to which the technology artifact was usable and effective at engaging positive emotional responses (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2011). The concept was part of the original study of 174 students who used laptops in schools to answer a questionnaire. The later paper (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2013) referenced and extended the previous study to 500 students, teachers, and employees. The educational laptop in the second paper was used to conduct research and homework in the classroom. Consideration was given to allowing students to take the laptops home, but teachers and parents expressed concerns about theft, feeling that students' safety would be at risk. The researchers took the approach of securing most of the laptops in the formal education systems and extending participation to the informal semiotic layer. In the affectability framework, the concept of continuous improvement of the system (laptop and software) from users' feedback. 

The introduction of computers in American schools dates back to the 1970s. I participated in the second term of the first computer class in my high school as a junior in 1979. Later, while in college, I taught introductory computers to elementary school children in the early 1980s while attending college. In rural Brazil, it was not common at the time of the study. Issues arose from the study that Americans would likely not encounter. The theft, or potential theft, and danger to the students was one issue that Hayashi & Baranauskas (2013). Another issue was that most parents were too unfamiliar with technology to assist their children, making it difficult for the children in the informal layer. 

Moreover, some of the teachers were not comfortable with a technology in which they were not wholly versed. Other issues arose in the formal layer when some teachers expressed concern about the interdisciplinary topics introduced with the technology artifacts. Final noted issues occurred at the technical layer of the affectability model, specifically laptop response times, unreliable Internet access, and facility power issues.

Conclusion

To critique this sociotechnical plan, I would begin with the paper's organization. The study's definition meanders through years of similar studies conducted by the same researchers. It is sometimes difficult to understand when the research refers to 2009 work, their pivotal 2010 study, and the current plan. More clarity is needed to separate the distinctions for earlier and later work to avoid the paper sounding like a restatement of previous papers posted in different journals about a single study.

There is also no specificity about which students could take the laptop home for informal and non-formal learning modalities and which students were restricted to use in the formal layer. The researchers' implication in the discussion of the design and later descriptions of observed issues was that no students could use the laptops outside the classroom. However, there is a later passing reference to some students using laptops at home. The published results of valence, arousal, and dominance are all-encompassing. No distinction was made in the box plots to isolate students who had home laptop use. 

Criticisms of organization, study consistency, and vague treatment of results aside, there is room for commending the researchers. The recognition that different learning modalities have merit is one of those aspects. Another is a sociotechnical attempt to modernize learning for children. Finally, it is commendable that the researchers recognized that cultural diversification in learners could lead to cultural consideration in how communities might learn better and eventually bring better learning parity to underserved populations.

References

Hayashi, E. C. S., & Baranauskas, M. C. C. (2011, March). The Affectibility concept in systems for learning contexts. International Journal for e-Learning Security (IJeLS), 1(1). 

Hayashi, E. C. S., & Baranauskas, M. C. C. (2013). Affectibility in educational technologies: A sociotechnical perspective for design. Educational Technology & Society, 16(1), 57-68.