Social capital, empowerment and educational change: a scenario of permeation of one-to-one technology in school
The standard model of technology diffusion argues that changing teachers' perceptions and epistemological beliefs about the value of an innovation is conducive to successful implementation. It is believed that teachers' receptiveness to technology and a re-conceptualization of its role in teaching and learning can drive the development of new pedagogies and curricula and eventually, bring about a new learning experience. In this paper, we argued that changing teachers' conceptions does not necessarily effect change in their practices and student learning. The results of our case study indicated that the impetus for change comes from the social capital and informal social forces in the school, and that parental support, permeation of technology in student learning and teacher empowerment are pivotal to the success of the implementation.
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