From Paraguay: Towards a Redefinition of “Appropiation” Based on the Application of ICT in Education

Abstract

The meanings of “appropriation” vary according to their origin. There can be noticeable differences between the historical Latin American use, that refers to a thorough comprehension of knowledge and technology, and a rather international use, that refers to its adoption without scrutiny. Both affect the relationship between development and dependence and both are present in Paraguay. However, these meanings lack a theoretical scaffolding in simultaneously educational and technological terms. Applying the Grounded Theory method to primary data on education in Paraguay, this research theorizes the relationship between ICT implementation approaches and the use of knowledge in education and the meanings of appropriation. The findings indicate that the meanings of appropriation implicitly refer to different levels of expectation of cognitive and technological engagement, though expressed in terms that allow their comparison. In terms of education theory, this matches Bloom’s Taxonomy, and in terms of technology it follows the categorization of types of technology; these, in turn, complement each other. The research contributes to knowledge by providing a simplified framework to understand, refine and locate the variety of meanings of “appropriation”, both regional and global, based on the Paraguayan case.