The use of telepresence avatars in schools, to facilitate attendance among persistently absent pupils, is increasingly common worldwide. Despite its prevalence, research on this topic lacks theoretical development. This article addresses such a potential gap by employing poststructural, new materialist, and postphenomenological theoretical frameworks to explore analytical potentials in combining insights from all three. To further situate this exploration, an empirical case-example is employed throughout. Through diffractive readings, the article navigates concepts such as intra-action and mediation, to provide nuanced understandings of the dynamics between humans and technology as well as humans through technology.
By integrating postphenomenological perspectives on mediation and new materialist notions of intra-action, it offers insights into the intricate relationships between pupils, telepresence avatars, and social, educational environments. The article explores how researchers might better conceptualize some of the complexities of human-technology interactions, by engaging with diverse theoretical perspectives, paving the way for more informed and ethically grounded research practices in the field of educational technology in general.
Lastly, by integrating these theoretical frameworks diffractively, this article attempts to uncover some of the complex and heterogeneous interplay between human subjects and mediating technologies, while at the same time pointing towards future platforms for further exploration.