An interpretative flexibility analysis of internet as a learning practice among tertiary education students

Pages: 420-424
Sandeep Kaur Sandhu (Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia)

In a globalised world, it is difficult to think of daily life without the Internet and it is plausible that many people are engaging in online programmes. Students, and more specifically, tertiary education students, are an integral part of society and the Internet is widely used in educational systems. However, recent literature explores that the use of the Internet in the tertiary education system in India, and more specifically by university students, is very unsubstantial. This article explores Indian tertiary education students’ perceptions about using the Internet for their learning. Drawing on a recent mixed methods study on Indian tertiary education students, the analysis employs the interpretive flexibility, a component of the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) theory of Bijker and Pinch to show that the students’ perceptions about Internet use for their learning were based on their Internet usage patterns.