Introduction

Socio-technology theory is constructed upon the paradigm that people are more than mere extensions of machines, but rather complementary. As proposed by Abbas and Michael (2025), the purpose of a socio-technical plan is to conceptualize the underlying forces influencing both the social and technical aspects, and then optimize this relationship to achieve system success. These forces are distinguished through the concept of subsystems, which are interconnected, self-contained systems within a broader system. In a socio-technical system, Trist et al. (2016) identify three primary subsystems: the social, the technical, and the environmental. The social subsystem refers to the people; the technical subsystem refers to the "artifact;" and the environmental subsystem refers to the interaction between the social and technical subsystems. Conceptually, the social and the technical subsystems collectively operate within an environmental subsystem (i.e., surroundings, contexts, and conditions), which represents the effective interactions between the social and technical systems. These interconnected dimensions of socio-technical theory enable researchers to understand the distinct roles of each system and subsystem, as well as how they interact within a larger system, as discussed in the following socio-technical research on educational technologies.

Defining the Study

The research, "Affectability in Educational Technologies: A Socio-Technical Perspective for Design," introduces a socio-technical plan built around the "Semiotic Onion" framework. This framework integrates and embeds informal, formal, and technical modes to better conceptualize the introduction and adoption of technology, specifically the XO laptop from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, within a Brazilian public school (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2013). The Semiotic Onion model reinforces the notion of systems and interconnected subsystems by acknowledging that each layer represents a critical piece to understanding how the entirety of the system functions. Rooted in qualitative research, the study's conceptual design explores the affectability dimension, which emphasizes participants' emotional, cultural, and affective responses to the technological artifact. The purpose of the study extends beyond simply distributing computing devices into an educational system; it aims to embed digital artifacts into the culture of Brazilian schools and document the results through a participatory approach. Through this lens, the research enables a nuanced understanding of how educational technologies are received, resisted, or redefined by the participants.

Description of the Study

The study employed a qualitative research methodology that combined participatory workshops, field observations by participant observers, and informal interviews. To help quantify the results and bolster the study's rigor, the researchers used the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) technique, which is a pictographic evaluation tool used to capture the participants' effective states when interacting with an object or in a situation (Bradley & Lang, 1994, as cited in Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2013). By using this method, the researchers verified their previous recordings of positive emotional responses between the participants and the XO laptop. This comprehensive approach, along with the involvement of more than 500 participants—including students, teachers, and school staff—significantly increased the validity of the findings. While discussing each scenario is outside the scope of this post, the researchers provided four key use-cases of how technology can be inserted into internal school environments and external settings for more meaningful practices (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2013): (1) transforming homework into in-class experiences, (2) integrating the school in interdisciplinary activities, (3) extending learning to transcend beyond school boundaries using the same device, and (4) empowering "student monitors" to address technical issues. Each scenario illustrates how technology can affect not only the population involved but also the local culture, which helps develop a deeper social engagement, collaborative effort, and developmental environment.

Critical Evaluation

The socio-technical plan presented is commendable for aligning with socio-technical theory, which recognizes that technology alone cannot transform learning. Instead, it is the alignment of technological tools (i.e., the "artifact") with human values (i.e., the "social") and how they are interconnected in current contexts and environments that drives meaningful adoption. This research approach is distinguished by its focus on affectability, which examines how learners "feel" about the technology they use. However, the research plan is not without its limitations. While the scenarios demonstrate positive emotional responses and increased engagement from teachers and school staff, additional challenges, such as teacher resistance, infrastructure limitations, and safety concerns, highlight the technological implementation's dependency on broader systemic support (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2013). For example, one issue recorded during the qualitative study was the limited network resources, which did not allow all students to have stable, simultaneous connections, resulting in slow and intermittent internet access. This, along with the aforementioned dependencies, could indicate a broader, extensible issue, such as funding. Additionally, despite the inclusive participatory approach, the scalability and replicability of this qualitative research remain uncertain. Lastly, while the study provides valuable insights into the participant researchers' approach expanding over a year, it could also benefit from a more robust longitudinal approach to measure the long-term outcome on educational impacts.

Summary

Socio-technical theory provides a framework for understanding how people, technology, and environmental subsystems interact within a larger system. In the study above, the underpinnings of socio-technical theory inform the qualitative research approach used to examine the integration of laptops into a Brazilian public school. The research explores the concept of affectability, which aims to capture emotional and cultural responses through participatory methods, while validating the findings using pictographic tools (i.e., the SAM method). The study's findings show that aligning technology with local values enhances engagement and collaboration, but also introduces unique challenges. Nevertheless, the socio-technical plan effectively links theory to practice, emphasizing that successful technology adoption must consider both human and contextual factors.

References

Abbas, R., & Michael, K. (2025). Socio-technical theory. Retrieved July 21, 2025, from www.open.ncl.ac.uk: https://open.ncl.ac.uk/theories/9/socio-technical-theory/

Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (1994). Measuring emotion: The self assessment manikin and the semantic differential. Journal of Behavioral Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25, 49-59. Retrieved July 21, 2025

Hayashi, E. C., & Baranauskas, M. C. (2013). Affectability in educational technologies: A socio-technical perspective for design. Educational Technology and Society, 16(1), 57-68. Retrieved July 21, 2025

Trist, B., Murray, H., & Trist, E. (2016). Characteristics of socio-technical systems. The Social Engagement of Social Science, a Tavistock Anthology, 2, 157-186. Retrieved July 21, 2025