Near future practices of interaction analysis: technology-mediated trends in educational research

Abstract

Methodological advancements for the study of learning processes are both shaped by and drivers of technology developments. Interaction Analysis (IA), as a core methodological approach over the past three decades is reflective of this relationship and can be understood by examining moves from analogue video tapes, to digital media, computational and algorithmic technologies, and through recent advances in sensory data and perceptual recordings. It is vital though, that we reflect on the epistemological and ontological implications of these changes as the relationship between researcher, technology, and learning event is changing. In this paper, we identify two techno-methodological trends in education research: computational and immersive approaches, and we discuss what they mean for IA. Computational approaches draw on algorithmic and computational support to identify, capture, and render patterns of learner behaviour found in a variety of interactional data. Immersive approaches on the other hand, invite researchers directly into learning events through technologies like 360° video and virtual reality (360VR). We identify and discuss six implications for these trends and suggest more broadly that researchers should embrace a reflective and entangled relationship between method and technology in their educational research.