Development of Personas and Journey Maps for School EdTech Purchase Decision-Making

Abstract

Objectives This study aims to explore ways to support evidence-based and rational decision-making in EdTech purchases within the context of public education in South Korea. This will be achieved by analyzing the deci-sion-making experiences of teachers involved in EdTech procurement in the field of public education. Methods To understand the educators' experiences related to EdTech purchase decision-making, this study con-ducted in-depth interviews with seven primary and secondary school teachers involved in their schools’ EdTech procurement processes. For the interview, participant selection was carried out using purposeful sampling. Based on the results of the interview, this study developed personas and journey maps, aligning them with the stages of the consumer behavior model proposed by Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel(2006). Additionally, a validity assess-ment was conducted with three experts to validate the developed personas and journey maps. Results This study examined the EdTech purchase decision-making process within the consumer behavior framework, as Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel(2006) proposed. This study identified four distinct educator persona types and created persona-based EdTech purchase decision journey maps. Conclusions According to the research findings, the EdTech purchase decision-making process in school settings can be categorized into bottom-top and top-bottom motivation based on the recognition of need, and it varies even among schools within the same grade level. This result indicates the need for a systematic data-based, or generalized decision-making framework within school environments. Based on these findings, this study dis-cusses the importance of fostering a culture of open EdTech utilization and the necessity of related policies and practical support to promote evidence-based EdTech decision-making.