title: Risky Opportunities: Developing Children’s Resilience through Digital Literacy in Thailand

authors: Kaewseenual, Sujittra

subjects: Digital Literacy

abstract: This project develops a case for defining appropriate concepts of risk and opportunity in the digital domain for children in Thailand; it explores what the consequent balance is between, regulation/policing of this domain on the one hand, and active user empowerment on the other. It defines “digital literacy”, in a way that is appropriate for Thai society, while bearing in mind international good practice. This is achieved on the basis of detailed, in-depth fieldwork in Thai schools, using an Action Research methodology. The Participatory Action Research framework for this study positions children as subjects who have their own power and competence to influence the study, and ultimately the development of digital literacy education. By using three schools, in two stages of fieldwork, the theorization of digital literacy is thoroughly grounded in a comparative study of different practices. At the centre of this method is the development of a classroom “module” – a set of learning activities designed as both a research tool and a practical intervention in the pedagogical process. My study argues that the contest around the notion of the ‘good child’ has shaped children’s experiences of online use, in Thai society. In the offline world, the digital literacy classroom practice has been dominated by singular ideologies (a restricted code) around both the seniority value embedded in Thai society and neo-liberal prescriptions for developing ‘citizens for the 21st century’. So the piloted digital literacy module was neither successful nor unsuccessful, in itself, for “promoting” an enhancement of digital literacy because, in the end, it exposed a flaw in this way of thinking about education. In such complex situations, no set of teaching and learning tools can be separated from the codes and hidden curricula that determine their effectiveness.  In the online world, many Thai children regularly take responsible risks, and build resilience for themselves. Digital literacy education needs to be transformed to liberate children from overly rigid, and risk-adverse, classroom practice, thus contributing to the development of ‘grown-up-ness’ in Biesta’s term (2013) which, in turn, contributes to the ‘formation’ of the person. Therefore, the desirability of building digital resiliency has emerged from this project as a better way of thinking, where resiliency is a complex capacity to respond openly, within situations where risks and opportunities may be interwoven, and these situations may include the classroom itself, as well as personal, familial, and other social spaces and situations.

text: Risky Opportunities: Developing Children’s Resilience through Digital Literacy in Thailand This project develops a case for defining appropriate concepts of risk and opportunity in the digital domain for children in Thailand; it explores what the consequent balance is between, regulation/policing of this domain on the one hand, and active user empowerment on the other. It defines “digital literacy”, in a way that is appropriate for Thai society, while bearing in mind international good practice. This is achieved on the basis of detailed, in-depth fieldwork in Thai schools, using an Action Research methodology. The Participatory Action Research framework for this study positions children as subjects who have their own power and competence to influence the study, and ultimately the development of digital literacy education. By using three schools, in two stages of fieldwork, the theorization of digital literacy is thoroughly grounded in a comparative study of different practices. At the centre of this method is the development of a classroom “module” – a set of learning activities designed as both a research tool and a practical intervention in the pedagogical process. My study argues that the contest around the notion of the ‘good child’ has shaped children’s experiences of online use, in Thai society. In the offline world, the digital literacy classroom practice has been dominated by singular ideologies (a restricted code) around both the seniority value embedded in Thai society and neo-liberal prescriptions for developing ‘citizens for the 21st century’. So the piloted digital literacy module was neither successful nor unsuccessful, in itself, for “promoting” an enhancement of digital literacy because, in the end, it exposed a flaw in this way of thinking about education. In such complex situations, no set of teaching and learning tools can be separated from the codes and hidden curricula that determine their effectiveness.  In the online world, many Thai children regularly take responsible risks, and build resilience for themselves. Digital literacy education needs to be transformed to liberate children from overly rigid, and risk-adverse, classroom practice, thus contributing to the development of ‘grown-up-ness’ in Biesta’s term (2013) which, in turn, contributes to the ‘formation’ of the person. Therefore, the desirability of building digital resiliency has emerged from this project as a better way of thinking, where resiliency is a complex capacity to respond openly, within situations where risks and opportunities may be interwoven, and these situations may include the classroom itself, as well as personal, familial, and other social spaces and situations.

year: 2018

title: Use of cognitive genres as textual norms in academic English prose: University essays in English literature and sociology

authors: Bruce, Ian

subjects: discours

abstract: Cet article présente une analyse des ressources textuelles utilisées dans la rédaction du genre universitaire "dissertation" dans deux disciplines – la littérature anglaise et la sociologie – dans le cadre d'une théorie des genres. De chaque discipline, quinze dissertations longues d'étudiants, tirées d'un corpus d'écrits en anglais académique (The British Academic Written English Corpus), ont été évaluées par rapport à un modèle de genre proposé par l'auteur (Bruce 2008a). L'analyse s'est focalisée sur l'utilisation des types de texte, appelés ici des genres cognitifs, dans les paragraphes entre l'introduction et la conclusion de la dissertation. Les résultats révèlent que, dans les dissertations de sociologie, le genre cognitif appelé "Explanation" était la ressource textuelle prédominante, employée souvent de manière récursive et en combinaison avec trois autres genres cognitifs. "Explanation" se réfère à une partie du texte qui implique "la présentation de l'information en mettant l'accent sur les moyens" (Bruce 2008b: 43). En comparaison avec les dissertations en sociologie, la gamme de ressources textuelles utilisée dans les dissertations en littérature anglaise est plus petite. Le genre cognitif "Explanation" est encore prédominant, mais le genre cognitif appelé "Recount" est couramment utilisé. Ce genre consiste à organiser le texte par rapport à une mise en scène chronologique des événements ou des épisodes marquants de l'œuvre littéraire en question. Les résultats de l'analyse suggèrent que, malgré la nomenclature commune de "dissertation" en tant que devoir interdisciplinaire, l'utilisation par les étudiants-scripteurs des genres cognitifs (comme normes textuelles) dans les dissertations des deux disciplines diffère considérablement en raison de différences des exigences de la consigne et de la nature des savoirs de ces deux disciplines.

text: Use of cognitive genres as textual norms in academic English prose: University essays in English literature and sociology Cet article présente une analyse des ressources textuelles utilisées dans la rédaction du genre universitaire "dissertation" dans deux disciplines – la littérature anglaise et la sociologie – dans le cadre d'une théorie des genres. De chaque discipline, quinze dissertations longues d'étudiants, tirées d'un corpus d'écrits en anglais académique (The British Academic Written English Corpus), ont été évaluées par rapport à un modèle de genre proposé par l'auteur (Bruce 2008a). L'analyse s'est focalisée sur l'utilisation des types de texte, appelés ici des genres cognitifs, dans les paragraphes entre l'introduction et la conclusion de la dissertation. Les résultats révèlent que, dans les dissertations de sociologie, le genre cognitif appelé "Explanation" était la ressource textuelle prédominante, employée souvent de manière récursive et en combinaison avec trois autres genres cognitifs. "Explanation" se réfère à une partie du texte qui implique "la présentation de l'information en mettant l'accent sur les moyens" (Bruce 2008b: 43). En comparaison avec les dissertations en sociologie, la gamme de ressources textuelles utilisée dans les dissertations en littérature anglaise est plus petite. Le genre cognitif "Explanation" est encore prédominant, mais le genre cognitif appelé "Recount" est couramment utilisé. Ce genre consiste à organiser le texte par rapport à une mise en scène chronologique des événements ou des épisodes marquants de l'œuvre littéraire en question. Les résultats de l'analyse suggèrent que, malgré la nomenclature commune de "dissertation" en tant que devoir interdisciplinaire, l'utilisation par les étudiants-scripteurs des genres cognitifs (comme normes textuelles) dans les dissertations des deux disciplines diffère considérablement en raison de différences des exigences de la consigne et de la nature des savoirs de ces deux disciplines.

year: 2015

title: “If it don’t talk, it's not whakapapa data”: Conceptualising whakapapa data in a digital age

authors: Pēpi Tarapa‐Dewes, Ella

subjects: data protection

abstract: In Te Ao Māori, whakapapa is a sacred framework that connects all aspects of existence. Whakapapa is highly sensitive information and a taonga that requires active protection. But what can be considered whakapapa data in a digital age where data linkage is ubiquitous and the boundaries between personal and collective information are increasingly blurred? We explore this question through a case study with Ngāti Tiipa, a hapū that is actively engaged in its own data sovereignty research. Reflexive thematic analysis of whānau kōrero identified three types of whakapapa data, each denoting a specific kind of connection: 1) between relatives, both living and deceased; 2) between people and places of cultural significance; and 3) between people and the spiritual realm. Whānau concepts of whakapapa data tend to be context‐specific, suggesting that it is more useful to think of whakapapa data as dynamic and relational rather than a fixed, inherent attribute.

text: “If it don’t talk, it's not whakapapa data”: Conceptualising whakapapa data in a digital age In Te Ao Māori, whakapapa is a sacred framework that connects all aspects of existence. Whakapapa is highly sensitive information and a taonga that requires active protection. But what can be considered whakapapa data in a digital age where data linkage is ubiquitous and the boundaries between personal and collective information are increasingly blurred? We explore this question through a case study with Ngāti Tiipa, a hapū that is actively engaged in its own data sovereignty research. Reflexive thematic analysis of whānau kōrero identified three types of whakapapa data, each denoting a specific kind of connection: 1) between relatives, both living and deceased; 2) between people and places of cultural significance; and 3) between people and the spiritual realm. Whānau concepts of whakapapa data tend to be context‐specific, suggesting that it is more useful to think of whakapapa data as dynamic and relational rather than a fixed, inherent attribute.

year: 2026-02