A classroom practitioner's self‐study on theorizing a practicality ethic framework for adopting digital affordances in language education

Abstract

This article recounts a classroom practitioner's doing and thinking on the adoption of digital affordances in the context of Languages Other Than English education at an Australian school. Through the lens of practicality ethic, this practitioner employs a self‐study methodology to explore the dynamic relationships between private theories of teaching and teacher agency in their daily use of Information and Communications Technology. Using qualitative data and content analysis, this study explains how a teacher's situated knowledge influences their decision‐making when adopting specific affordances. The findings of this self‐study generate a unique type of knowledge, bridging the gap between theoretical usefulness and practical relevance in technology use. It sheds light on the significance of considering teachers' situatedness, their judgment, and their capacity to enhance classroom experiences. Through this self‐study, a practicality framework is developed, providing practitioners with an evidence base to examine their everyday use of technology. This line of self‐study scholarship rethinks and reframes educational research, highlighting the contemporary realities of teaching and learning. It offers an in‐depth understanding of how and why practitioners adopt specific digital affordances based on what they consider important. The article concludes with several critical implications for practitioners, policymakers, and academic researchers. Future research is recommended to explore collaborative self‐studies and studies across different curricula or various educational settings. Alternatively, nonreductive data analysis and other theoretical perspectives can be explored.