Humanizing Educational Technology: Attendance Photos as Affective Digital Artifacts for Faculty Belonging in a Philippine Higher Education Institution
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Educational technology research has largely prioritized student-centered outcomes, leaving the socio-emotional experiences of faculty members underexplored. This study investigates attendance photos as affective digital artifacts that foster workplace belonging among faculty members in a Philippine higher education institution. Anchored in Roland Barthes’ concepts of studium and punctum alongside workplace belongingness theory, the study employed an exploratory descriptive quantitative design involving 36 faculty participants from the College of Arts and Sciences of Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna. Data were collected through a researcher-adapted 12-item Workplace Belongingness Scale contextualized to attendance photo practices. Findings revealed consistently high levels of perceived recognition, emotional connection, symbolic inclusion, and collegial solidarity, with excellent internal reliability (α =.973). The study demonstrates that attendance photos extend beyond institutional documentation, functioning as simple yet meaningful digital rituals that humanize academic environments and strengthen faculty belonging within contemporary higher education contexts.
Institution: Malayan Colleges Laguna
Language: English
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7204593264