Appropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in High Schools: Ongoing Transitions

Abstract

In the last decade, several international studies have shown that governmental efforts to equip schools with information and communication technologies (ICT) have not had the expected results of educational improvement. To contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon, the forms of appropriation of information and communication technologies (ICT) in public high schools were examined. This analytical perspective emphasizes the active role of students who put into play a set of interests and meanings when using technological devices in specific situations of their school contexts, often generating unforeseen practices, different from those projected (Laffey, 2004; Weber, Pisani y Francis, 2007; Crovi, 2013; Toboso-Martín 2013; Andrés, 2014). The study was carried out in seven high schools, located in four cities of the state of Jalisco, with a mixed methodological procedure that included the application of questionnaires, participant observation sessions and discussion groups. It was identified that the appropriation of ICT among students is defined by individualized and pragmatic uses, aimed at speeding up the accomplishment of school tasks under simplification strategies that involve rudimentary academic processes, such as the consultation of online sources of information and their referencing. This situation occurs in an institutional context where there is limited access to equipment and network connectivity, and deficient school requirements in academic information management matters. The educational implications of this situation are discussed in order to face the challenges they entail.