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Open research questions in Digital Education and Society

70 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 3,062 Digital Education and Society papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Heaton, Low, and Chen’s reflections on AI art education suggest that pedagogy should not simply absorb AI as a neutral aid, but should use it to open questions about creativity, authority, and educational transformation [29].

    Governing Epistemic Risk in Large Language Model Use for Art History and Art Criticism Instruction: A Policy Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • emotionally engaging, controversial, or sensational content, regardless of informational quality. In this sense, the amplification of disinformation can be understood as a structural consequence of platform governance and commercial incentives (Forum on Information and Democracy, 2024; UNESCO, 2023a). spent on systems tend its Moreover, the automation of messaging and algorithmic personalization in electoral campaigns can generate phenomena such as information overload (“infoxication”) and the spread of disinformation or hate speech. These dynamics can erode public perceptions of the integrity and legitimacy of electoral processes (Rubio-Núñez et al., 2024b). removes contextual information while From the perspective of General Semantics, these processes can be understood as a chain of abstraction levels in which each stage adding interpretation. In digital environments, this chain is accelerated and amplified: an event becomes an image, the image becomes a headline, the headline becomes a short post, and eventually a meme or viral narrative. Each transformation entails a loss of complexity and an increase in emotional intensity, which are conditions the spread of disinformation. This perspective helps explain why short, visual, and emotionally charged content tends to achieve greater visibility in algorithmic systems designed to maximize interaction. favor that Similarly, the phenomenon of filter bubbles can have adverse to diverse limiting users’ exposure effects on MIL by perspectives and sources of information. The virilization of narratives shaped by ideological, social, and gender biases represents another dimension of disinformation in these contexts. As noted by Rubio-Núñez et al. (2024b), AI can reproduce and amplify existing biases, thereby harming electoral and democratic processes. These biases may stem from multiple sources, including training data that reflect existing social inequalities. As a result, algorithmic systems can contribute to discriminatory patterns in content selection and targeted messaging, ultimately affecting democratic representation and equity. These dynamics contribute to social fragmentation and the deterioration of democratic dialogue (Becker Castellaro, S. et al., 2025, p. 10–13, 15). Challenges related to MIL, particularly in critical contexts such as Latin America, also include the need to integrate perspectives centered on diversity and social inclusion, such as gender perspectives, not only within educational systems but also across technological industries, major platforms (e.g., Google and Meta), and other strategic sectors.

    Media and information literacy and civic actors to counter disinformation in the age of artificial intelligence: insights from Mexico · 2026 · DOI

  • ve. Its its its transformation as the whole truth § “This movement came to a stop It failed. was crushed in its so-called ‘victories’ The student is the shifting center of gravity—dragging the inert towards the new and unknown. The object in motion is turned away from its orbit from their gathered force. The object at rest has turned alongside the meaning of the word revolution. Freire writes, “Indeed, problem-posing education, which breaks with the vertical patterns characteristic of banking education, can fulfill its function as the practice of freedom only if it can overcome the above contradiction. Through dialogue, 9 canadian journal of academic librarianship revue canadienne de bibliothéconomie universitaire in the light to confirm victories, shameful than that some defeats are more some victories defeat.” the teacher-of-the-students and the students-of-the-teacher cease to exist and a new term emerges: teacher-student with students-teachers” (80). under its guises, won the bodies of sailors and workers to castes of trade with their private repression. the monster haunted consciousness § break with its past, derive poetry from the future. the s voice the “betrayal” the defense “ the last instance.” their promised land. They can scarcely buttress the dead body invent a thousand variations on the theme, the old categories no substitute for total critique. The student is the site of class conflict—who prevails in the process of history prevails in them. Against the structure of their discipline, they can move against the drive for favouritism. What were once features of their conscripted livelihoods has now become a possibility for their choice, either towards liberation or domination. The student is the creator of knowledge— the transit between thought and being. The voices from the past can be heard only when the new can give them voice. Rather than a world that awaits its predetermined objects to be known, it is in the motion towards knowing that knowledge is made. Freire writes, “Education as the practice of freedom—as opposed to education as the practice of domination—denies that man is abstract, isolated, independent, and unattached to the world; it also denies that the world exists as a reality apart from people. Authentic reflection considers neither abstract man nor the world without people, but people in their relations with the world” (81). 10 canadian journal of academic librarianship revue canadienne de bibliothéconomie universitaire nothing beyond faith in this label self-contradiction in liberal terms: of speech, of opinion, other such bric-a-brac.

    Shocks from the Information Society · 2026 · DOI

  • specify 147 Student council documents similarly constitute design specifications grounded in user experience. When students documented that excessive obligation modals create stress, they identified psychological harm vendors did not assess during development; when they noted that error-focused evaluation demotivates, they articulated outcome data about actual versus intended system effects. These user reports should trigger urgent redesign, yet both schools reported minimal vendor responsiveness. Parent advocacy adds a community voice to individual user critique. When parent associations demanded linguistic equity audits, they articulated values AI systems should honor: respect for the Arabic language, rejection of deficit framings, and insistence on equal treatment. Consent withdrawal threats represent collective leverage that users can exercise when institutional channels fail, positioning parents as stakeholders with authority over technological access to their children.

    Negotiating the machine · 2026 · DOI

  • Our exploratory study is limited by its small data set, drawing on only 17 participants’ use of the software application and six follow-up interviews, and is likewise limited by a potential “Hawthorne effect” where student reflections often remained affectively coloured rather than rising to precise definitions.

    Cyborg Tools and Centaur Signs: Digital Technologies as Cybernetic and Semiotic Systems for Initial Teacher Education · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should examine the framework’s effectiveness with larger samples across campuses in different countries and include students and lecturers’ reflective experiences. formative evaluation of The findings of this study were limited by a single classroom setting at the Australian global campus in Malaysia as data collection and analysis are mainly based on reflection and discussion with a small cohort from journalism.

    From Classroom Design to Newsroom Practice: Designing GenAI Assessment Intervention · 2026 · DOI

  • By bringing postdigital theory into conversation with lived experiences of war and peace, this article seeks to walk the talk of postdigital scholarship as a critical philosophy of practice—one that remains unfinished, contested, and oriented toward futures that are not yet known but urgently needed.

    Postdigital War and Peace · 2026 · DOI

  • While the authors reference a survey finding that frequent AI users report benefits whereas infrequent users assume cheating/safety risks, no integrated analysis connects media framing patterns to actual user adoption behavior or belief formation. Research combining content analysis of media frames with pre- and post-exposure surveys measuring shifts in educator and administrator attitudes toward generative AI would test whether risk-dominant framing causally influences institutional resistance.

    Media Framing of Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Content Analysis of US News Coverage · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper documents that news coverage emphasized product launches, company partnerships, and commercialization milestones, suggesting vendor priorities shape the AI education agenda, but does not analyze which specific vendors, platforms, or commercial entities received disproportionate coverage or how their framing differs from institutional or educator perspectives. Comparative content analysis of vendor-generated vs. independent media narratives about generative AI tools in education is needed.

    Media Framing of Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Content Analysis of US News Coverage · 2026 · DOI

  • The study notes that educator development and equity received comparatively less attention in media coverage compared to bias, ethics, and risk themes, but does not measure how this coverage gap affects educator confidence, professional learning outcomes, or equity-focused implementation in actual schools. Research should measure the correlation between media framing patterns (particularly the underrepresentation of educator development narratives) and actual equity outcomes in AI-integrated classrooms.

    Media Framing of Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Content Analysis of US News Coverage · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a mismatch between the speed of technological promotion in public discourse and slower development of classroom practice and educator preparation, but provides no empirical data on how educators and students actually perceive or use generative AI in real classroom contexts. Classroom-based observational studies documenting everyday pedagogical practice with AI tools should be conducted to establish what the authors call an 'empirical classroom evidence base.'

    Media Framing of Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Content Analysis of US News Coverage · 2026 · DOI

  • The study documents that K–12 and higher education coverage differ significantly (K–12 emphasizing cheating/bans vs. higher education emphasizing workforce relevance), yet does not examine how these sector-specific frames translate into divergent institutional policy responses or how institutional decision-makers interpret these frames differently. Research should analyze the causal relationship between media framing patterns and actual policy formation across K–12 and higher education institutions.

    Media Framing of Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Content Analysis of US News Coverage · 2026 · DOI

  • Although the authors note varied perspectives in media framing of generative AI in education, no time-series analysis was conducted to track how media framing patterns evolved during the early diffusion phase of AI adoption in educational institutions. Future research should conduct longitudinal content analysis of news coverage across specific time intervals (e.g., pre-ChatGPT launch, immediate post-launch, 6-month follow-up) to document shifts in risk discourse and pedagogical framing.

    Media Framing of Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Content Analysis of US News Coverage · 2026 · DOI

  • Arguing that reactive fixes are insufficient, the paper calls for a fundamental reimagining of education’s purpose towards ecological awareness, social justice, community empowerment, and critical pedagogy—using the mirror not just to critique, but to inspire the transformation of the educational systems and societal structures it reflects.

    A Metaphor for Rethinking Artificial Intelligence in/and Education · 2025 · DOI

  • Literature documenting innovative efforts to advance these commitments is scarce (Creamer, 2004), further underscoring the need and urgency for additional research examining how scholars incorporate and center equitable approaches in knowledge production in the Academy.

    Disrupting Dehumanizing Norms of the Academy: A Model for Conducting Research in a Collective Space · 2024 · DOI

  • This manifesto recognizes the strengths and limitations of its content. The primary strength lies in the opportunity to collectively reflect upon and critically analyze the subject matter. However, it is recognized that this study may not lead to generalizable findings, provide an exhaustive understanding, or reach a fixed conclusion. Rather, the aim is to offer a critical perspective on the use of GenAI in the educational landscape and to provoke thoughtful discourse on the topic. Lastly, due to the nature of collective studies involving a large number of participants, achieving complete consensus may be challenging and the arguments presented in this manifesto represent the aggregated understandings of the co-authors. Through this collaborative process, we realized that some of the concepts are intertwined and difficult to separate with sharp boundaries without losing context in some cases. As a result, some sections may contain some repetition. In addition, due to the nature of the methodology, positive and negative aspects may inherently contradict each other or reveal tensions; for instance, while GenAI may broaden access to information, it may simultaneously exacerbate digital divides. Similarly, GenAI may streamline tasks by automating processes, yet it may also generate additional work by necessitating thorough fact-checking of its outputs. FINDINGS This section presents AI positive and negative manifesto statements that came to the fore due to the synthesis of the data collected from the co-authors. All statements were explained with brief justifications and critical reflections. Bozkurt et al. Open Praxis DOI: 10.55982/openpraxis.16.4.777 AI POSITIVE 491 Drawing from the provided inputs, several key themes emerged, each reflecting the potential benefits and critical considerations for integrating GenAI into educational contexts. Each theme (Figure 1) is accompanied by critical insights to foster a comprehensive understanding of these issues. Figure 1 AI Positive themes. 1. Time-Saving and Efficiency GenAI might enhance productivity by: • Automating Time-Consuming Tasks: Allowing educators and students to focus on more meaningful activities. • Enhancing Workplace Efficiency: Streamlining processes across educational institutions. • Conducting Complex Analyses: Processing large data sets to handle tasks beyond human capacity. Critical Insight: While GenAI potentially offers significant efficiency gains by automating routine tasks and enabling complex analyses, it is important to ensure these advancements do not undermine the depth of learning or the quality of human interactions in education. Automating some administrative tasks like grading or data analysis may save time without impacting core pedagogy.

    The Manifesto for Teaching and Learning in a Time of Generative AI: A Critical Collective Stance to Better Navigate the Future · 2024 · DOI

  • I use these arguments to show that the theme of the open question yields a series of interconnected educational insights: notably the importance of subjectification, the social and historical context within which education necessarily takes place, and the construction of new knowledge and experience.

    Education as an Open Question · 2023 · DOI

  • Personal experience has shown this author that it is possible to create a tool for information users from the closely related ideas of Zurkowski and Toffler, and that each writer recognises independently that the skills associated with the traditional literacies are insufficient if an individual is to function effectively in modern society.

    Information literacy: Did Alvin Toffler beat Paul Zurkowski to it? · 2023 · DOI

  • Design/Approach/Methods To fill this gap in research on policy networks and AI in British higher education, this article employs network ethnography and discourse analysis to study how ideas about AI-powered technologies in higher education circulate in policy networks in the United Kingdom.

    Enterprising Academics: Heterarchical Policy Networks for Artificial Intelligence in British Higher Education · 2022 · DOI

  • We propose answers to the following research questions: How do materials manifest their relational autonomy in makerspaces? How could the relational autonomy of materials impact maker literacies pedagogy? With this article, our contribution warrants researchers to think about the unpredictability of maker work through posthuman methodologies and how maker projects can help speak against the failing student rhetoric in literacy education.

    On the relational autonomy of materials: entanglements in maker literacies research · 2020 · DOI

  • The study is part of a larger working progress research, but here we focus only on the qualitative exploratory analysis based on indepth interviews with the intent to get into the ‘black box’ of ICT in schools, exploring innovative and little known processes, and glimpse the emerging practices, that develop beneath the surface of apparent immobility.

    Schools 2.0: Experiences and Expertise. Digital Teachers Wanted · 2016

  • In order to promote critical discussion in the higher education community considering potential directions for further research of these issues, especially within the Canadian context, the purpose of this review of recent literature is to analyze key themes emerging from contemporary research on the Net generation as digital natives.

    The Digital Native Debate in Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis of Recent Literature / Le débat sur les natifs du numérique dans l'enseignement supérieur: une analyse comparative de la littérature récente · 2012 · DOI

  • While the numbers vary widely per institution (with many community colleges having much larger numbers of part-time employees), these figures suggest that, on average, around 60% of university instructional faculty work and live in conditions of immediate precarious employment, with another 15% being denied the possibility of tenure (AAUP 2011, 7).

    Network Mediated Discursive Education: From Computational to Networked Knowledge in the University · 2012 · DOI

  • The need to know activates social, economic, and political relations; it usually precedes and invariably succeeds normal practice, ensuring its continuance: reports by the American media and military, for example, most often concluded that a primary lesson of the war in Iraq was the need for better access to more information; what was lacking, apparently, was not military power but intelligence-true, but not necessarily in that sense.

    Empowerment Through Information: A Discursive Critique · 1995 · DOI

  • Third, the study focused exclusively on professors’ perceptions and reflections; future research should examine students’ experiences and learning outcomes to complement and extend under- standing of the innovation pedagogical effects.

    Technology-Scaffolded Ethical Deliberation in Midwifery Education: Professors’ Reflections on a Digital Case-Based Experience · 2026 · DOI

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70 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 3,062 Digital Education and Society papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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