The Critical Study of Digital Platforms and Infrastructures - Research Overview and Agenda for Education Technology

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

Digital platforms have become integral to contemporary schooling, reshaping teaching and learning through multiple enclosures such as Google Classroom, Compass, Office 365, EdQuire, ClassDojo, and Canvas. Platform adoption has advanced unevenly via function creep, system-wide mandates, and the acceleration of the global pandemic. The article treats platforms as education infrastructure, assesses implications for key stakeholder relationships, and reviews education research to date while identifying gaps needing further empirical and theoretical work. It concludes with a research agenda for critical platform studies in education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Education research on digital platforms

Platformization as infrastructure

Implications for teaching, learning, and stakeholders

Research agenda for critical platform studies

| Special Issue
Digital Education Platforms and Schooling: New Challenges and Alternatives Toward Education Equity and Children ’s Rights | | | --- | --- | | education policy analysis archives
A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal | | | Arizona State University | | | Volume 31 Number 131 December 12, 2023 ISSN 1068-2341 | | The Critical Study of Digital Platforms and Infrastructures: Current Issues and New Agendas for Education Technology Research Carlo Perrotta The University of Melbourne Australia & Luci Pangrazio Deakin University Australia Citation: Perrotta, C., & Pangrazio, L. (2023). The critical study of digital platforms and infrastructures: Current issues and new agendas for education technology research. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 31(131). [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.7952](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.7952) This article is part of the special issue, Digital Education Platforms and Schooling, edited by Pablo Rivera-Vargas, Lluís Parcerisa, and Carla Fardella Cisternas. Abstract: Digital platforms have become integral to contemporary schooling. Google Classroom, Compass, Office 365, EdQuire , ClassDojo and Canvas are just some of the many platforms that litter students’ and teachers’ computers today. While students may have only one school to physically attend, there is a labyrinth of digital enclosures for them to navigate as part of their schooling. The rise of digital platforms in education has occurred at an erratic rate—sometimes through function creep, sometimes through whole system mandates, and certainly the global pandemic has accelerated their rise. In this article we consider how platforms have become an infrastructure in education and the implications this has for teaching, learning and the relationships between key stakeholders. We provide an overview of the education research into platforms to date, highlighting areas that require further empirical and theoretical investigation. We conclude the article by outlining a research agenda for critical platform studies in education. Keywords: platformization of education; infrastructuring; research overview; critical platform studies; research agenda El estudio crítico de las plataformas e infraestructuras digitales: Temas actuales ynuevas agendas para la investigación en tecnología educativa Resumen: Las plataformas digitales se han convertido en parte integral de laescolarización contemporánea. Google Classroom, Compass, Office 365, EdQuire, ClassDojo y Canvas son sólo algunas de las muchas plataformas que ensucian las computadoras de estudiantes y profesores en la actualidad. Si bien los estudiantes pueden tener solo una escuela a la que asistir físicamente, existe un laberinto de recintos digitalespor los que pueden navegar como parte de su educación. El auge de las plataformas digitales en la educación se ha producido a un ritmo errático: a veces a través de funciones progresivas, a veces a través de mandatos de todo el sistema, y ciertamente la pandemiamundial ha acelerado su ascenso. En este artículo consideramos cómo las plataformas se han convertido en una infraestructura en la educación y las implicaciones que esto tiene para la enseñanza, el aprendizaje y las relaciones entre las partes interesadas clave. Proporcionamos una visión general de la investigación educativa sobre plataformas hasta la fecha, destacando áreas que requieren mayor investigación empírica y teórica. Concluimosel artículo delineando una agenda de investigación para estudios de plataformas críticas eneducación. Palabras clave: plataformatización de la educación; infraestructura; descripción general dela investigación; estudios de plataformas críticas; agenda de investigación O estudo crítico das plataformas e infra-estruturas digitais: Questões actuais enovas agendas para a investigação em tecnologia educacional Resumo: As plataformas digitais tornaram-se parte integrante da escolaridadecontem

FAQs

What does the article argue about digital platforms in schooling?

It argues that digital platforms have become integral to contemporary schooling and function as education infrastructure, shaping teaching and learning and affecting stakeholder relationships.

Why has the growth of education platforms been uneven?

The article describes an erratic adoption pattern, occurring through function creep, whole-system mandates, and accelerated growth during the global pandemic.

What contribution does the article make for future research?

It provides an overview of education research into platforms, highlights areas needing further empirical and theoretical investigation, and outlines a research agenda for critical platform studies in education.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca