The importance of scaffolding in a new era : A study of upper-secondary teachers’ perceptions regarding digitalization

This study had the aim of finding out what currently active teachers of social science perceive as the digitalization of their institution, and what associations were connected to it. Furthermore, this essay sought to understand how these perceptions and thus the application of digitalization could be analyzed, based on Vygotsky and his theory of learning – the sociocultural. Using data obtained by interviewing six teachers this study found that teachers´ perceptions of digitalization primarily focused on the aspect of digital competence, but that teachers also perceived the digitalization of education as an increased importance of democratic and social competencies. The current surge of information available to the students resulted in an educational context where students are perceived to have difficulty maintaining a critical evaluation of information. They lack the fundamental ability to restrain themselves from the vast amount of information, and also lack the knowledge to ask the right questions. The perception of what this institutional change signifies is varied, highlighting the importance of teachers actively questioning what digitalization actually means. Schools also need to cooperate in order to produce a long-term plan, because without this, schools can be applying methods and strategies which are difficult to change at a later time. Moreover, this study shows that the way in which these teachers apply digitalization in education is largely supported by the analytical framework of sociocultural teaching theory. When technology is applied in a way that does not enhance learning by appropriation, digitalization in the classroom becomes a useless venture in terms of improving learning