From 1st to 3rd of September, the Future Education Conference 2026 took place at University of Graz. The focus of the conference lies on interdisciplinary work that contributes to shaping the education of the future. Petra Weixelbraun and Selina Gartner had the opportunity to contribute to the conference.
Selina Gartner’s presentation focused on findings based on the forthcoming paper “How do teachers perceive students’ belonging? A qualitative interview study on teachers’ attitudes in Austrian Basic Digital Education”. The paper addresses teachers’ attitudes towards students’ belonging based on eight semi-structured interviews with Basic Digital Education teachers in 2024. The analysis combines reflexive Thematic Analysis and Documentary Method, to capture both, overarching patterned themes and underlying social orientations of participants.
Petra Weixelbraun’s contribution in the form of a poster titles “Fostering Computational Empowerment through Digital Games and Design Fiction” explores how educational interventions combining the serious game The Feed with participatory design fiction can foster computational empowerment among secondary school students. Grounded in a Design-Based Research approach across three iterative workshop cycles, the study traces how learners transition from passive consumers employing basic user tactics to critical thinkers who deconstruct algorithmic curation and sociotechnical power dynamics.
Between sessions, the conference also offered opportunity to network with fellow researchers and make new contacts.
