@article{ART003171981},
author={OH, Jinnyoung},
title={Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition},
journal={The Journal of General Education},
issn={2465-7581},
year={2025},
number={30},
pages={183-214},
doi={10.24173/jge.2025.01.30.6}
TY - JOUR
AU - OH, Jinnyoung
TI - Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition
JO - The Journal of General Education
PY - 2025
VL - null
IS - 30
PB - Da Vinci Mirae Institute of General Education
SP - 183
EP - 214
SN - 2465-7581
AB - This study offers a critical analysis of digital badges as an innovative credentialing framework, interrogating their capacity to disrupt and redefine conventional, degree-oriented accreditation paradigms. Digital badges provide a platform for recognizing diverse competencies, informal learning experiences, and practical skills often overlooked by conventional academic credentials. Situating digital badges within the theoretical framework of Jean-François Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition, specifically his notion of incredulity toward metanarratives, this paper examines their potential to transcend mere technical innovation and act as instruments of postmodern educational transformation. This research acknowledges the transformative potential of digital badges in advancing learner-centered pedagogies, cultivating intrinsic motivation, and reconfiguring the dynamics between learners, educational institutions, and employers.
Nonetheless, the study highlights pivotal concerns, such as disparities in data accessibility, the presence of algorithmic biases, the potential for commercial exploitation, and the perpetuation of entrenched power hierarchies. Leveraging Lyotard’s concept of little narratives, this paper posits that digital badges can engender domains of openness, nuanced contextual understanding, and critical reflection, aligning with the core principles of postmodern philosophy. This reconceptualization situates digital badges as mechanisms surpassing their credentialing function, facilitating more profound and meaningful strategies for learning, assessment, and educational innovation within an increasingly dynamic educational landscape.
KW - Digital badges;Metanarratives;Postmodern;Lyotard;Little narratives;Educational credentialing;Learner–centered education
DO - 10.24173/jge.2025.01.30.6
ER -
OH, Jinnyoung. (2025). Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition. The Journal of General Education, 30, 183-214.
OH, Jinnyoung. 2025, "Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition", The Journal of General Education, no.30, pp.183-214. Available from: doi:10.24173/jge.2025.01.30.6
OH, Jinnyoung "Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition" The Journal of General Education 30 pp.183-214 (2025) : 183.
OH, Jinnyoung. Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition. 2025; 30 : 183-214. Available from: doi:10.24173/jge.2025.01.30.6
OH, Jinnyoung. "Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition" The Journal of General Education no.30(2025) : 183-214.doi: 10.24173/jge.2025.01.30.6
OH, Jinnyoung. Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition. The Journal of General Education, 30, 183-214. doi: 10.24173/jge.2025.01.30.6
OH, Jinnyoung. Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition. The Journal of General Education. 2025; 30 183-214. doi: 10.24173/jge.2025.01.30.6
OH, Jinnyoung. Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition. 2025; 30 : 183-214. Available from: doi:10.24173/jge.2025.01.30.6
OH, Jinnyoung. "Philosophical Reflections on DIGITAL BADGES as Postmodern Credentials : A Critical Study Grounded on Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition" The Journal of General Education no.30(2025) : 183-214.doi: 10.24173/jge.2025.01.30.6
