A Critique and Synthesis of Three Research Articles Pertaining to Children and their use of Educational Technology in the Classroom
Bob Esliger
University of British Columbia
ETEC 500 – Dr. Clifford Falk, Professor
March 6th, 2011
Introduction
Tatar & Robinson (2003. p. 93) pointed out that whether it is the intension that technology be used as a lesson extension activity or as a tool to change what and how we teach, will determine how we measure its success. In order to delve further into the concept of measuring the effects of technology on student achievement this paper will review and critique the research articles by Miller, Schweingruber, & Brandenburg (2001), Beck & Fetherston (2003), and Tatar &Robinson (2003). In each review and critique the article’s premise, methodology and conclusions were explored. The articles were also reviewed in determination of common themes including literature review, sample size, generalizability and validity of their findings.
Article Summary and Critique
Survey Research
Miller et al. (2001) sought evidence of technology acculturation from males to females and whether computer prevalence and exposure could translate into a closing of the previously documented technology gender gap. The authors selected a group of 512 eleven to fifteen year-olds from Houston Texas and administered a 68-item questionnaire during a 30 minute timeframe. Survey questions focused on student self-perception of computer skill acquisition, exposure to technology at home and at school, and computer application preferences. A stratified sampling of these students was established by profiling schools and categorizing students in terms of socio-economic status. The authors concluded that an increase in the presence of computer technology and increased access to the internet had contributed to the narrowing of the technological gender gap.
Although the authors followed the standard format for conducting research key issues were raised regarding the validity of the findings. Issues such as undefined terminology, missing rationale for the selection of school districts and schools, lack of clarity on survey design and delivery raises questions about the research methodology. Other issues involving use of the lunch program to determine student socio-economic status, the lack of reference to student ethnicity, academic achievement, the unbalanced gender distribution in the sample and a limited literature review cause further questioning of the research validity.
Qualitative Research
In their ethnographic study Beck & Fetherston (2003) sought to prove that the use of a word processor would enhance primary student’s attitudes toward their writing and increase their writing skills. The project took place in metropolitan Perth, Australia where seven year three students, five girls and two boys, were selected through convenience sampling. Using conversational interviews, observations, field notes, tape recordings and writing sample evaluations the authors assessed the quality of student writing at the beginning and end of the project, utilizing two samples written through conventional pen and paper methods and two with the assistance of the word processor. For the purposes of their research the word processing software Story Book Weaver Deluxe was used which has capabilities beyond that of a basic word processor.
Beck & Fetherson (2003) concluded that student’s motivation and quality of writing improved when they used the word processing program. However, in this study the students were presented with a deluxe word processor thereby confusing the premise of the study and bringing the issue of software novelty into question.
In this study the classroom teacher emphasized the importance of visual esthetics which may have negatively contributed to the student’s attitude towards the writing process. If neatness is equated with writing skill then any conclusion regarding gains in skill development through the use of the word processor would be unfounded.
Furthermore, issues of small sample size, student attributes that were not taken into consideration, short duration of the study together with a limited and confusing literature review cause the reader to question the validity of the findings of this particular piece of research.
Experimental Research
Tatar and Robinson (2003) used an experimental approach to determine whether the use of a digital camera would increase student learning and motivation when conducting laboratory work in their high school biology class. Their study involved two classes of 31 students. The students were divided into control and experimental groups with the control group completing the lab without using the digital camera while the experimental group made use of the digital camera while doing their lab. Data collected suggested use of the digital camera did not result in increased content knowledge; however, the difference between procedural knowledge and content knowledge was found to be significant. Using qualitative observational assessment data the authors found that the use of the digital camera increased student motivation.
Initially, the experimental approach of Tatar & Robinson (2003) seemed encouraging; however, there were noted threats to internal validity. Participant selection was not random and the authors did not provide sufficient information about possible differences between the control group and the experimental group, nor their “equivalence” (Gay, Mills & Airasian, p.160). In addition, the validity of the test instrument used in this study is not mentioned. There also appear to be threats to external validity in this research in that the results could make it difficult to generalize the findings.
It is suspected that the researcher’s enthusiasm regarding the use of the digital cameras may have created an experimenter effect. In addition, students in the experimental group spent an extra class with the cameras which likely caused a participant effect (Gay, Mills & Airasian, p. 248-249).
Further questions are raised in relation to the student’s low socio-economic status and whether the introduction of the digital camera could have independently increased their motivation through the novelty effect. It is also possible that treatment diffusion could have taken place as it is common for high school students to discuss their classes with one another thereby giving one class an advantage over the other (Gay, Mills & Airasian, p. 248).
In summary, the validity of the conclusions is in question. There also was a noted positive long-term effect of this study regarding students reusing the pictures as study aids; however, the researchers did not give this much consideration.
Synthesis
The main themes running through all three research articles are those of “access to” and “application of” technology to increase student motivation and achievement. The premise of the three articles was that learning activities that provide access to technology would result in students making notable gains in their academic skills along with becoming more self-confident in the use of the technology.
A common theme in all three research studies pertains to small sample size and lack of incorporation of the various student attributes within the groups. These two items combined reduces the internal validity and generalizability of the findings.
The three articles attempted to demonstrate that mere access to technology would motivate students; however it became apparent that the investigations must be conducted over a lengthier period of time to ensure that student engagement and motivation are not simply a result of a short novelty experience.
The authors all appear to share the belief that technology has a positive role in fostering student motivation and achievement; however, this may also have been a bias that negatively affected their findings. Despite the fact that all three articles utilized appropriate research techniques, the literature reviews were found wanting along with the author’s apparent understanding of the selected technologies and their application in supporting learning. Together the many limitations of these studies renders their conclusions unreliable.
Conclusion
Notwithstanding issues of sample size, validity, reliability and bias existing in the three research studies, these studies present the opportunity for further research to determine the specific ways in which student achievement can be enhanced through the appropriate selection and application of technology in the classroom.
References
Beck, N., & Fetherston, T. (2003). The Effects of Incorporating a Word Processor into a Year
Three Writing Program. Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, 2003(1), 139-161.
Gay, L.R., Mills, G.E., & Airasian, P. (2009). Educational Research. Competencies for Analysis
and Applications. NJ: Pearson.
Miller, L. M., Schweingruber, H., & Brandenburg, C. L. (2001). Middle School Students’
Technology Practices and Preferences: Re-Examining Gender Differences. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 10(2), 125-40.
Tatar, D., & Robinson, M. (2003). Use of the Digital Camera to Increase Student Interest and
Learning in High School Biology. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 12(2), 89-95.
