Exploring Teachers’ Experiences of Using ClassDojo: A Postphenomenological Study

• Author / Creator

  Yuen, Connie L.

• ClassDojo is a popularized behavioural management software application used in schools around the globe. This classroom application allows teachers, parents and students to readily track progress using a gamified point system, and share feedback in real-time. Teachers often use ClassDojo to encourage student engagement and positive behaviours. However, ClassDojo has raised ethical questions about data use, surveillance culture, and behavioural-based pedagogy. Using postphenomenology approaches to analyze collected observational and interview materials, this study examines K-12 teachers’ experiences and variations of integrating ClassDojo technology in the classroom, as well as the challenges and ethical questions they encountered. Results of the study revealed themes centered on points-based motivation and student identity, data-tracking and permanence, classroom surveillance culture, collaboration and immediate feedback, and how the ClassDojo-Teacher reframes meaningful teaching and learning ecology as a whole.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Technology
  • Education
  • Ethics
  • Pedagogy
  • ClassDojo
  • Postphenomenology
  • Gamification
  • Reward
  • Classroom
  • Management
  • Posthuman
  • Teachers
  • Surveillance
  • Values
  • Alignment
  • Systems

• Graduation date

  Spring 2021

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-swxn-4822

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.