Action Research Proposal

Action Research Proposal
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Action Research Proposal
Statement of the Problem
Following rapid technological advancement, use of technology has been integrated within the education sector in different ways. For instance, many curriculums require that students use calculators and other programmable mathematic solving applications within their computers. Therefore, these students find it difficult to master some of the basic in mathematics such as formulas because they are integrating within their devices as revealed by Firmin and Genesi (2013). Likewise, many of learning institutions have enforced the use of video lecturing as a learning tool. This is the scenario where students take their lesson through video and audio lecturing recorded by their lecturers. The process allows students to take their lessons without seeing their lecturers physically but through recorded video lecturing or video conferencing. It is also through the use of technology that many lecturers find it easy to communicate with their students through various social sites such as facebook and twitter (Wang et al, 2012). For instance, in case a tutor will not be able to make it for class on any given day, in most cases, they communicate to their students through the use of class social sites.
Another use of technology in the classroom is through interaction of students among themselves. Through the use technology, students find it easy to communicate and interact among them through having online class discussion or in passing any important message to their colleagues (Samra, 2013). Therefore, communication has been made easy within classrooms without interruptions that may be a result through physical movement by students in the class. Although the process of integrating the use of technology has various advantages to students, lecturers and learning institutions as a whole, it also has various demerits that need to be put into consideration. It is required that students to use programmable scientific calculators and calculations applications within computers in solving various mathematic calculations. In the process of using these calculators, these students lack proper basic skills in mathematics such as formulas as they are incorporated within their devices (Wood et al, 2012). Therefore, it makes it difficult for these students to develop a better understanding in mathematics as compared to the manual system of learning that required only the use of mathematic log books.
Similarly, the use of social sites for students within the classroom as a tool of communication may result to lack of concentration among students. Most of the students using internet enable computers and laptops involve in the use of facebook and other social sites to socialize with their friends, family and relatives during class lessons. In the process, they lack concentration, an action that results to poor performance among many students nowadays as echoed by Wang et al (2012). Another problem that most institutions face through the use of technology in the classroom is that it promotes cheating among students during examination time. For instance, through the use of social sites such as twitter, they students are able to discuss with their colleagues during examination time. This can be done through the use of mobile phone applications such as the use of emails. These students will only be required to no their colleagues' emails address. Additionally, the use of technology within the classroom in most learning institutions have a negative impact to students as they are exposed to bad language which is a common language within different social sites (Samra, 2013). In the process, most students use un-academic language in both verbal and written communication. Hence, in order for effective use of technology within the education sector, the above challenges must be addressed.
Paper Objectives
Based on the use the impacts of using technology within different learning institutions as found by Firmin and Genesi (2013) and other past researchers, this paper provides a proposal that is mandated to investigate various impacts of using technology in the classroom to students, lecturers and learning institutions as a whole. Additionally, it provides a literature review of some of the documents that will be used during the study. It also provides re recommended methodology, timeline of the proposed projects and some of the challenges that may be faced during the research period. Moreover, it finalizes with recommendations and conclusion on the use of technology in a classroom as practiced by learning institutions.
Research Questions
The proposed project will be based on various questions that relate to use of technology by students and lecturers in class. These include:
1 What are the factors that contribute to the use of technology within learning institutions,
2 What are the effects of using technology within the classroom by students and lecturers
3 What are the challenges in using technology in the classroom and
4 How can the challenges be addressed?
Literature Review
During the conduction of the proposed research project, the will be a number of literature materials that will be used. These are literature materials that contain relevant information based on the questions of the project. According to Firmin and Genesi (2013), the use of technology in the classroom is of great importance to students and lecturers in many ways. Firmin and Genesi (2013) found that most of the students perform well in various subjects such as mathematics through the use of technology. For instance, most students perform well through the use of calculators as compared to the manual methods of calculations such as use of log mathematic log books. Likewise, Wang et al (2012) found that students in urban centers in countries where technology is used in classrooms perform better than students in the same country but take their education in rural setup where technology is not being used.
Through the use of technology in classroom, Samra (2013) revealed that students involves in online discussions that help them improve in their performance. Online discussion is also important in creating a better learning environment for other students who are not part of the discussion but are in the same class. However, in the contrary opinion is Wood et al (2012) who found that using technology within classroom results to poor performance to most students due to lack of concentration during class lessons. According to Wood et al (2012), most of these students do concentrate on social interaction through various social sites such as twitter and facebook instead of listening to the lecturers. However, Firmin and Genesi (2013) stressed that lack of concentration in class among students is caused by lecturers who lack proper policies of using technology during lessons. The use of technology in the classroom is important according to Wang et al (2012) because it allows the use of video conferencing in lecturing students. Therefore, it helps lecturers to prepare well through recording these lecturers. In the process, lecturers ensure that these lecturers are accurate as they have time to listen to them and do any necessary changes before they are presented to students.
Therefore, by having lectures with accurate information, it makes these students to improve in their performance as found by Wang et al (2012). With similar opinion is Wood et al (2012) who also found that through the use recorded video lecturers is advantageous to students because they have the opportunity to go through the lectures a number of time to ensure they have a better understanding as compared to lecturers provided by lectures that they unable to rewind. However, Samra (2013) warned that most of the information in some subjects due change based on research and other limitations that were experienced in the past research studies. Therefore, students should ensure that any video lectures used in up to date as using outdated video lecturers may affect their understanding and performance. Hence, before relaying on any information provided through recorded video lectures, Samra (2013) stressed that students must do research on the information before using...