Through the lens of third space theory - possibilities for research methodologies in educational technologies

Recently, there has been a call to reconceptualise the ways in which the field of education technology is researched and theorised (Graham, 2011). This article responds to this call, through discussing the potential of utilising Third Space theory as a research methodology in relation to the use, adoption and resistance to educational technologies. We begin by discussing the under-theorised and technocentric narrative that is dominant in current research approaches. We then outline the premise of Third Space theory and signal some of the possibilities this paradigm may offer to study the complexity of educational technology use in schools, professional learning and university contexts. The article then discusses findings from two different research projects which utilised Third Space to examine the ways in which beginning teachers and pre-service teachers navigated first and second space binaries and took up third spaces in order to destabilise and construct alternative knowledges and practices in relation to educational technology.