Transformation of Relationships Between Primary School Stakeholders in the Context of Digitization

Education and Self Development. 2020. Vol. 15. No. 3. P. 130–144.

Zaichenko N. A., Zaichenko L., Рубашкин Д. Д.

The need for research into the transformation of relationships between primary school stakeholders
is caused by the acceleration of social and technological processes in which all agents are involved.
Digital platforms functioning in unified information systems become cross-functional where they
support managerial and pedagogical innovative solutions. The authors regard digitization as a new
space for the poly-subjective relationships within information system development. In the transition
to digitization it is important to examine the pedagogical aspects and assess the potential advantages
but also consider risks. This study considers one of the significant manifestations of digitization as
the transformation of the relationship between the teacher and the learner when the learning process
is augmented by some active digital practices.
Empirical data was obtained during a large-scale pedagogical experiment within the framework of
“Learn to Learn” project focused on primary school learners. The sample included over 2,500 students
from 46 schools of different regions of Russia. The experiment started in 2018. The project was based
on a digital platform which facilitates the diverse roles of different education process stakeholders.
The platform records learners’ step by step actions for further examination. These ‘digital footprints’
are available to the adults – teachers and parents, who accompany the learning process.
The data is presented through the lens of the theory of liminality and Vygotsky’s concept of ‘zones of
development’ and is accompanied by a comparison with contemporary international research in the
field. The paper also considers the concepts of relationship transformation between the teacher and
the learner while using digital technologies and analyses of the database. Drawing on the empirical
data the research demonstrates the role of digital platforms to compensate for deficiencies in child’s
skills and personal growth moving them into the ‘zone of proximal development’.

Keywords: учитель, training, образовательные отношения, тренинг, liminality, лиминальность, начальная школа, transformation, zone of proximal development, ученик, цифровизация, agency, digitization, цифровая трансформация, parent, родитель, Цифровой след, digital footprints, learner, primary level of education, education relationship, teacher, зона ближайшего развития.