How school leaders justify digitalization in vocationally oriented Swiss upper-secondary schools: a qualitative content analysis through the lens of convention theory in education

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Author(s) / editor(s):
Juliette Désiron , Maria-Luisa Schmitz , Philipp Gonon , Tessa Consoli and Chiara Antonietti

Year: 2026

Keywords: school leadership; digitalisation; legitimation
Language(s): English

Abstract:
The study explores how school leaders justify and implement school-specific digitalisation strategies in teaching and learning. Based on semi‑structured interviews with nine leaders from digitally advanced Swiss secondary schools, the analysis shows that digital initiatives are mainly legitimised through claims of pedagogical added value, but also in terms of efficiency and networking. The COVID‑19 pandemic is described as a major accelerator of these efforts. Schools with more ambitious digital policies tend to adopt a project‑oriented rationale, combining pedagogical arguments with industrial, market, and project-based justifications.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2026.2626284

Post created by: Virginia Signorini

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