Linking Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and the use of information and communication technology in learning

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Appraise various learner needs

This step involves using different student-centred techniques to understand the students‘ prior knowledge, learning styles, strengths and weaknesses and other aspects that will enhance the learning process. Knowing the different learning beforehand helps the teachers with curriculum design, delivery and assessment in a universal manner. For example, knowing that there is a student with blindness and hearing impairment in the class leads the teachers to provide an alternative to the graphic element of the course, for example captions on the PowerPoint presentations. In accommodating students with disabilities, they also benefit from knowing alternative ways of teaching and learning.

Universal Design for Learning principles

Also known as ―design for all, barrier free design or inclusive design‖ (Seale, 2006:268), Universal Design for Learning (UDL) encourages course, device, system and process designers to design with disability in mind such that their products can serve both people with and without disabilities. The UD principle regarding images requires the designers to avail ALT tags for all images used (Thompson, 2005). This principle not only benefits the users with blindness but even those who cannot afford to download the images, which includes those with handheld devices, those with textbased browsers and voice-based system users. Secondly, UD principles require that all course and system design should not need modifications or adaptors to work. With regard to disabilities, Thompson (2005) recommends that all designs be attuned to those who use ICT assistive technologies, and that UD be about the designing of technology, products and services to accommodate the needs of a majority of prospective users without making any adjustments.

Accessibility and usability of Information and Communication

Technology Central to the discussions on universal UD is how learning designers understand accessibility and usability of ICT. Fichten, Asuncion, Ferraro and Wolforth (2009:550) assert that accessibility has no meaning without usability, meaning that they both depend on each other. The researcher is not going to make a judgement of what matters more than the other, but rather discuss both the concepts and see how they relate to the findings from the field. Shaw (2000) stresses the importance of thinking of accessibility in terms of access to the curriculum. The researcher wishes to extend this idea into thinking of accessibility in terms of how ICT is used to facilitate access to curriculum and mainly enable effective learning.

CRITICAL THEORY

Critical Theory was propounded by Max Horkheimer in 1937 with a descriptive and normative approach to social inquiry (Hosking, 2008:2). Horkheimer posits that Critical Theory is a good base for studies questioning domination as the crux of the study, whilst Morrel (2009:101) asserts that Critical Theory is useful when challenging the dominance that exists within institutions. The researcher argues that Critical Theory should be used when integrating ICT for learning; this means that one should think about diverse learning needs. The core principles of critical theory are that the study should be looking at a problem that affects a society and should aim at emancipating the oppressed society; in the case of this study the SwBs. Critical Theory promotes research that questions oppression and finding ways of emancipating the oppressed. This research aims at challenging oppression at both the conceptual and the institutional level.

Michel Foucault

A French born proponent of Critical Theory, Foucault has written widely to promote the idea of opposing the influence of societal power (Foucault, 1975; Hoy, 1986). According to Lemke (2002:50), Foucault thought and deliberated on issues of how power is used over the powerless and how those ruled over can mobilise to stand against societal influence. His thoughts identify with this study which stands to explore how the SwBs learn through ICT. Getting answers to this research question is crucial because it will inform the ODL institution on how to best integrate ICT for teaching and learning. Reflecting on how ICT facilitates their learning will allow the SwBs to take control of their learning experiences. Foucault calls this being true to oneself regardless of how society constructs one. As will be seen from the data collected in Chapter 5, most SwBs have grown up being perceived as helpless beings due to their impairment, but Foucault would argue that they can and should question the labels they are given by society.

Table of Contents :

• CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
  • 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE CHAPTER
  • 1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
  • 1.2.1 University of South Africa‘s provision for students with blindness
  • 1.2.2 Learning through open distance learning and its demands
  • 1.2.3 Blindness
  • 1.2.4 The potential that ICT presents for SwBs
  • 1.3 RATIONALE
  • 1.4 THE PROBLEM STATEMENT
  • 1.5 MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION
  • 1.6 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
  • 1.7 RESEARCH PARADIGM
    • 1.7.1 Six dimensions of criticality
    • 1.7.1.1 Rhetoric
    • 1.7.1.2 Tradition
    • 1.7.1.3 Power
    • 1.7.1.4 Objectivity
    • 1.7.1.5 Reflexivity
    • 1.7.1.6 Reality
  • 1.8 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
  • 1.9 CLARIFICATION OF CONCEPTS
    • 1.9.1 Open Distance Learning
    • 1.9.2 Information and Communication Technology
    • 1.9.3 Students with blindness
    • 1.9.4 Student
  • 1.10 DIVISION OF CHAPTERS
  • 1.11 CONCLUSION
• CHAPTER TWO THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
  • 2.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 2.2 TRANSACTIONAL DISTANCE THEORY
    • 2.2.1 Structural distance
    • 2.2.2 Dialogue
    • 2.2.3 Autonomy
    • 2.2.4 Applicability of Transactional Distance Theory to this study
  • 2.3 CULTURAL-HISTORICAL ACTIVITY THEORY
    • 2.3.1 Principles of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory
    • 2.3.2 Linking Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and the use of information and communication technology in learning
    • 2.3.3 The applicability of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory to this study
      • 2.3.3.1 Mediation between the subject and the object
      • 2.3.3.2 Object-driven activity
      • 2.3.3.3 Tools in the mediation role
    • 2.3.3.4 Rules in the activity
    • 2.3.3.5 The role of the division of labour
    • 2.3.4 Critique of Cultural Historical Activity Theory
  • 2.4 UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING
• CHAPTER THREE LITERATURE REVIEW ON LEARNING THROUGH ICT
  • 3.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 3.2 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY CHARACTERISATION
    • 3.2.1 Policies promoting the use of Information and Communication Technology for the learning of students with blindness
    • 3.2.1.1 International Information and Communication Technology policy and people with disabilities
    • 3.2.1.2 Article 3 of the Convention
    • 3.2.1.3 The Convention and People with Disabilities
    • 3.2.1.4 South African Constitution
    • 3.2.1.5 UNISA‘s Open Distance Learning Policy
    • 3.2.2 Opportunities from Information and Communication Technology
    • 3.2.3 Functions of Information and Communication Technology
      • i) Information streaming
      • ii) Communication facilitation
      • iii) Transforming information
      • iv) Possibility for collaboration
      • v) Useful professional tool
      • vi) Student-centred engagement
    • 3.2.4 Information and Communication Technology services offered by the UNISA library to Students with Blindness
    • 3.2.4.1 EasyConverter
    • 3.2.4.2 Dolphin Pen
    • 3.2.4.3 Plustek BookReader
    • 3.2.4.4 ClassMate
    • 3.2.4.5 Book Sense
    • 3.2.4.6 Eye Pal
  • 3.3 OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING
    • 3.3.1 Difference between Distance Education and Open Learning
    • 3.3.2 Techniques towards positive learning experiences in the Open Distance Learning system
  • 3.4 GLOBAL VIEWS ON THE EDUCATION OF SWBS
    • 3.4.1 Western countries
    • 3.4.2 Eastern countries
    • 3.4.3 African countries
    • 3.4.4 South Africa
    • 3.4.5 UNISA
• CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
  • 4.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 4.2 RECAP OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
  • 4.3 RECAP OF MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION
    • 4.3.1 Research paradigm
    • 4.3.2 Ontological assumptions
    • 4.3.3 Epistemological assumption
    • 4.3.4 Methodological assumptions
  • 4.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: QUALITATIVE APPROACH
  • 4.5 RESEARCH DESIGN: NARRATIVE CASE STUDY DESIGN
  • 4.6 NARRATIVE INQUIRY RESEARCH APPROACH
    • 4.6.1 Advantages of using narrative within the realm of Information and Communication Technology
    • 4.6.2 Disadvantages of using the narrative
    • 4.6.3 Challenges in presentation of narratives
      • 4.6.3.1 Five narrative analytic lenses
• 4.7 POPULATION AND SAMPLING
• CHAPTER FIVE PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

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nformation and Communication Technology as a learning tool: experiences of students with blindness