Ecotones i Teknologiforståelse

Udviklingen af Studerendes Professionelle Agency på Tværs af Uddannelse

Abstract

The digital transformation has reshaped professional practices across sectors, as digital
technologies increasingly act not only as supportive tools but also as mediators in decision-making processes and interactions. In light of this development, it becomes relevant
to explore the role of technology in relation to students’ development of professional
agency. The purpose of this article is to investigate how students’ professional agency unfolds when they work with ecotone-like situations in which digital and analogue elements
are in play in their imagined professional practice, and which professional and ethical reflections emerge in this process.
To address this, the study analyzes three different professional fields within technology,
healthcare, and pedagogy. It employs qualitative methods, including students’ written reflective assignments and focus group interviews, based on a vignette generated using
GenAI. The vignette method was chosen because it enables an in-depth exploration of students’ reflections on their professional agency in relation to technology. In total, twelve
reflective assignments and three focus group interviews with twelve students are analyzed.
The article presents new insights into how technology across professions shapes students’ understanding of their future professional practice and how professional agency is
articulated differently in pedagogy, health and technology-oriented programs.