Exploring the use of digital technologies for ocean literacy education using a material-dialogic theoretical framework.

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Title: Exploring the use of digital technologies for ocean literacy education using a material-dialogic theoretical framework.
Authors: Hetherington, Lindsay1 (AUTHOR) L.Hetherington@exeter.ac.uk, Brandt, Harald2 (AUTHOR), Chappell, Kerry1 (AUTHOR), Dillon, Justin3 (AUTHOR), Malmierca, María R.4 (AUTHOR)
Source: Environmental Education Research. Mar2026, Vol. 32 Issue 3, p650-678. 29p.
Subject Terms: *Collaborative learning, *Science education, Digital technology, Mixed reality, Oceanography, Virtual reality
Abstract: Digital technologies, including Extended Reality (XR) can benefit learners by making the inaccessible, accessible. In Ocean Literacy, XR can enable children to connect with the ocean differently. We use a material-dialogic theoretical perspective which sees the material world as dialogically entangled with human understanding to explore the role of digital technologies in ocean literacy education in the context of an ocean literacy project in Denmark, England and Spain. Data included interviews with 12 pupils (aged 8-15) and 6 educators, alongside photographs and field notes from 18 field visits, analysed using hybrid thematic analysis. Findings suggest that the tools facilitated collaboration and dialogue, yet teachers raised concerns about the lack of real-time interaction with pupils using the digital tools. The paper's key theoretical contribution is to show how the conceptualisation of dialogic learning can be extended to consider both material and virtual intra-actions within dialogic space which expands across space and time through asynchronous digital environments. The analysis raises questions about how teachers can guide learning in such expanded material-dialogic spaces. It points to how teachers' concerns might be addressed through seeing the pupils' interaction with the virtual, digital environment as an extension of a material-dialogic space in which teachers participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Environmental Education Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Exploring the use of digital technologies for ocean literacy education using a material-dialogic theoretical framework.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Environmental+Education+Research%22">Environmental Education Research</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 32 Issue 3, p650-678. 29p.
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  Data: Digital technologies, including Extended Reality (XR) can benefit learners by making the inaccessible, accessible. In Ocean Literacy, XR can enable children to connect with the ocean differently. We use a material-dialogic theoretical perspective which sees the material world as dialogically entangled with human understanding to explore the role of digital technologies in ocean literacy education in the context of an ocean literacy project in Denmark, England and Spain. Data included interviews with 12 pupils (aged 8-15) and 6 educators, alongside photographs and field notes from 18 field visits, analysed using hybrid thematic analysis. Findings suggest that the tools facilitated collaboration and dialogue, yet teachers raised concerns about the lack of real-time interaction with pupils using the digital tools. The paper's key theoretical contribution is to show how the conceptualisation of dialogic learning can be extended to consider both material and virtual intra-actions within dialogic space which expands across space and time through asynchronous digital environments. The analysis raises questions about how teachers can guide learning in such expanded material-dialogic spaces. It points to how teachers' concerns might be addressed through seeing the pupils' interaction with the virtual, digital environment as an extension of a material-dialogic space in which teachers participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Environmental Education Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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              Text: Mar2026
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