Tracing Digital Learning Trajectories in Biology Education Across the Life Course: A Qualitative Study of Learners’ Transitions and Meaning Making
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70211/disolife.v1i2.336Keywords:
Digital biology learning, Life course perspective, Lifelong learning, Narrative inquiry, Science educationAbstract
The increasing integration of digital technologies in science education has reshaped how biology is learned across formal and informal contexts; however, existing research has predominantly focused on short-term outcomes, offering limited insight into how digital biology learning evolves across individuals’ life courses. This study aims to explore digital biology learning experiences through a life-course perspective, examining learning trajectories, critical transitions, and meaning-making processes across different stages of life. Employing a qualitative narrative inquiry design, data were collected from 15 participants through in-depth semi-structured interviews, written reflections, and digital learning artifacts, and analyzed using thematic narrative analysis informed by life-course theory. The findings reveal three interconnected themes: evolving digital learning trajectories characterized by a shift from teacher-directed to self directed learning, critical transitions that reshape engagement with digital biology learning, and dynamic processes of meaning-making that increasingly connect biological knowledge to everyday life contexts such as health and environmental awareness. These results demonstrate that digital biology learning is a cumulative and adaptive process shaped by temporal, contextual, and biographical factors rather than isolated instructional events. The study contributes to the literature by integrating life-course theory with digital biology education research, highlighting the importance of designing flexible and learner-centered digital learning environments that support continuity, agency, and lifelong engagement with biological knowledge, with implications for educators, curriculum developers, and education policymakers seeking to promote sustainable lifelong science learning.
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