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Editorials

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2020): Debating the status of 'theory' in technology enhanced learning research

Debating the status of ‘theory’ in technology enhanced learning research: Introduction to the Special Inaugural Issue

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.4d86b045
Submitted
7 August 2026
Published
15-08-2026

Abstract

This Inaugural Special Issue of Studies in Technology Enhanced Learning has a particular focus on ‘theory’—a contentious matter. Occasionally disparaged as obscure, or alienating, it seems fair to say that theory has never been so deeply embedded in Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) research as it has become in many other areas of scholarship. One reason is that TEL is often conceived as a ‘practical’ field, with ‘theory’ negatively counterposed against other priorities: methodological innovation, ‘evidence’, ‘best practice’, or, more recently, imperatives towards being ‘data driven’. Furthermore, the use of theory can often be a stumbling block for many novice researchers: even those inclined towards ambition in their use of theory can struggle in getting to grips with the attendant vocabularies, or when actually using particular theories in their own research. Many may come to wonder whether doing so is really worth the effort.

References

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