example of a research proposal

example of a research proposal

Research Proposal: The Impact of Technology on Education

1. Introduction

The convenience of students can also be taken into consideration with the influence of technology on education. Imagine students trying to accomplish their assignments but the use of a computer. Students would be able to access a vast amount of online sources which can aid their assignment much easier than the days of going through tons of books at a library only to contribute a small amount of information. Computer usage can help complete his assignment in a more organized fashion and the completion would be around a quicker time frame. Technology has left an impression on education by creating more conveniences at an easier and more time-saving way to accomplish the many tasks accomplished throughout the day. Education will be much improved in giving students a strong understanding of what they are learning and will increase overall academic performance. Easier and quicker understanding of lessons can be accomplished at both the teacher and student level with plenty of improvements.

Education is affected by technological advancement in recent years. However, this influence is still in its initial stages of development and through time will only increase in impact. There is already a plethora of data which confirms that the use of state-of-the-art technology in education will provide a significant amount of improvements in the learning experience for students and will help them understand the information that is being presented to them much easier. This will be shown through the use of technology such as webcasts, iPods, and MP3 players, and the use of virtual software as an example. A student’s familiarity with using this type of technology can be a beneficial aspect in learning through the ways technology is taking education to a higher level.

2. Literature Review

The literature review focuses on the concepts surrounding the use of technology in the classroom and how that impacts students’ learning. The other section of literature reviews looks at the changes in teaching and the different abilities that students learn in a technology-based environment. This will also look at redefining learning in the digital age as this concept goes hand in hand with how students are learning through the use of technology. This will help to identify and further look at the research being conducted and what it is doing to improve students’ learning. This also identifies the decline in traditional education through the use of technology. Although the ideas are useful in what the technology is implementing, this area will only be useful for comparison of traditional and technology-based learning and also identifying the different types of technology and what they do to help learning. In some cases, an extra comment has been made by the researcher to help with potential future research.

3. Research Methodology

Both the literature review and common consensus suggest that the use of technology in education is a really good thing with vast benefits when used properly. However, comments made by Selwyn (2011) and Cuban (1986) indicate that education did not have the seamless integration of technology one would expect, and research has shown that advancements of technology have not been taken full advantage of. This implies that there is a mild deficit between what was expected and what was achieved. This may be seen with older technology being replaced with new technology but no significant overall improvement. Findings may indicate that the use of technology should not be just encouraged but a necessity to benefit the most from advancements. In which case, the findings would become more policy-influencing. Jansson (2014) puts forth the argument that there is currently no evident impact of technology and that the advanced learning tools are being underused. This suggests that teachers and educators are not seeing the full advantage and do not possess the knowledge as to how they will use technology in an effective manner. Thus, the distinction between the use of technology between educators and students will be compared. This has a significant impact on the differential attainment of students, what is known as the ‘Digital Divide’ which has implications for students later in life. This evidence would show that technological integration and the use of learning tools are widely underused. This information can then be used to provide well-needed information and training sessions for educators to perform improvements in the near future. This will affect the knowledge and manner in which educators are using technology and may yield similar findings in a following study.

The researcher will perform qualitative and quantitative research to collect the data and then carry out a meta-analysis of all data to integrate the findings using mixed-methods research. The rationale for employing the mixed-methods approach hinges on the multidimensional nature of the research questions, set out in the literature review. This section provides a justification for this research design. A comparative analytical approach to answering the sub-questions set out above will require the researcher to engage in two stages of analysis and the mixed-methods approach is designed to facilitate this. Where appropriate, the researcher will adopt the stance of methodological triangulation to validate the findings after contrasting results from opposing methods of data collection and analysis. It was felt that engaging in full quantitative and qualitative research would be a cumbersome task that would demand a full-scale project in itself. Thus, the most effective course of action for this dissertation was the adoption of a mixed-methods strategy, engaging in the initial primary data collection and thematic qualitative analysis with an opportunistic sample, and extensive secondary-data analysis through meta-analysis.

4. Findings and Analysis

In this instance, the actual research method itself became an unexpected part of the findings. The difficulties and extent of variance in what was expected and what actually occurred in the fieldwork plan indicated a much deeper complex set of issues to do with the learning environment and context of the school. This, in turn, strengthened the resolve and relevance of the study, highlighting the need to build sustainable changes in how IT is used as a learning tool.

Findings. This study was designed primarily to generate an in-depth exploration of the transitional process in implementing IT within classroom-based learning. The case study design is an inductive and holistic approach which was chosen in order to closely investigate an event or events, such as organizational structure, and its impact upon the participants (Stake, 2000; Goodyear et al., 2002). The elements of the study were construed from theories about quality teaching, learning, and outcomes in constructivist, authentic, and collaborative activity. An abridged analysis of the key findings follows.

5. Conclusion and Recommendations

The infusion of technology into educational settings is geared at creating an effective learning environment which is conducive to active and meaningful learning. Technology is viewed as an empowering tool that is integral to the teaching and learning process. In many studies conducted throughout the world, there is a clear indication that technology can make a difference in the learning outcomes to significantly impact student retention and understanding. Larson and Dixon (2010) stress the need for faculty training “to incorporate technology effectively” (p.280). It is not so much the technology in itself, but the effective use of the technology that will assist the facilitation of learning and improve student outcomes. This highlights that it is pivotal for higher education institutions to embrace this change in order to be an active player in the education arena, and not be left behind in using outdated educational methodologies.