Critical Discourse Analysis of Open and Distance Education Concepts From a Post-Phenomenological Perspective

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: Looking at Online Learning From Various Perspectives, Methodologies, and Contexts (San Diego)

Abstract

Concepts are the core of philosophy that offers unstable bridges between the empirical world and thought. In this study, a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of 191 published doctoral dissertations was carried out to understand how educational technology researchers define nine technology-based learning concepts that are used commonly and sometimes interchangeably. These concepts included (1) online learning, (2) distance learning, (3) e-learning, (4) Web-based learning, (5) virtual learning, (6) computer-supported learning, (7) open learning, (8) computer-aided learning, and (9) computer-assisted learning. The results showed that there are similarities and differences among these concepts regarding scholars’ perceptions of space, agents, time, levels of operation, rules, power, and culture. Also, a novel and comprehensive framework, “Technology-based Learning Environment Evaluation Framework (TLEEF)” was introduced.

Author

• Merve Basdogan, Indiana University