Teachers as bricoleurs: Adopting and adapting EdTech for agency and innovation

Abstract This paper explores how primary teachers enact social entrepreneurship within a bureaucratic education system through their adoption and adaptation of the EdTech platform Scriibi. Drawing on qualitative data from six Victorian primary schools, we argue that teachers leverage digital tools not simply for compliance but to reclaim agency, enhance writing instruction, and foster collective professional growth. Using bricolage as both a theoretical and methodological lens, the study repositions teachers not as passive adopters but as bricoleurs who navigate systemic constraints with ingenuity and purpose. Findings of this case study are presented as a double-layered bricolage: leaders brokered adoption by aligning Scriibi with school priorities and legitimising adaptation, while classroom teachers selectively reshaped the platform to meet student and pedagogical needs. Findings indicate that this adaptive use strengthened teacher agency and supported writing instruction, but did not alleviate broader structural workload pressures shaping retention. The cases in this paper highlight both the transformative potential and the structural limitations of digital technology entrepreneurship in addressing the teacher retention crisis.