The Impact of Technology on Students Performances - Research Proposal Example

THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON PERFORMANCES Barbara Colon Ryan Poirier EDU-508 Due the paper Research Design Analysis Working The working title for the research paper is: ‘The Impact of Technology (ICT) on Students’ performances’. 1. Purpose of Survey Research Design (for this topic): The purpose of using survey research design for this study is to get the responses of students regarding the effects of technology on students’ performances. The survey will help in knowing what students think about the use of technology in classrooms. This will help the researcher in coming up with the results. Surveys are much more than just asking simple questions to the research participants. They get real responses based on real experiences. It is very useful in assessing accurate opinions and ongoing trends (Shuttleworth, n.d.). Surveys are also comparatively less expensive and generate results based on facts (Wyse, 2012). Steps Involved in Conducting this Study: There are seven stages of survey research design, which are as follows: Step 1 - Create survey design and do survey planning i. Defining the goals and objectives of the survey ii. Develop a plan of implementation of the research strategy iii. Do proper scheduling of tasks iv. Define the population and estimate the sample size v. Design the questionnaire and pretest it by finding problematic questions and rewriting them Step 2 - State the hypotheses to be tested Step 3 - Choose the method for data collection Step 4 - Put the obtained data into the computer system Step 5 - Choose analytical software for processing of obtained data Step 6 - Choose data analysis method for analysis of data Step 7 - After doing the analysis, report the results Test of Significance for Variables Its significance can be measured by testing the variables of the research, which are different types of technology and students’ performance. The effects of technology on students’ performance can be judged better by testing the variables, which will not be controlled if survey research design is used. Directional Hypothesis: - It is hypothesized that classrooms that make more use of technology produce better results than classrooms that make relatively less use of it. Non-Directional Hypothesis: - There is a difference in performances of students where technology is not used to a greater extent. Null Hypothesis: - The use of technology in classrooms has nothing to do with students’ performances in exams. 2. Purpose of Correlational Research Design (for this topic): The purpose of choosing this research design for this particular study is that it focuses on the relationship between variables of the research. As there are two main variables of the research, which are technology and students’ performance, this research design would be useful in knowing the exact relationship between these two variables. There can be a positive correlation, a negative correlation, and no correlation between variables (Cherry, n.d.). the application of correlational statistical techniques to the obtained data helps in determining the relationship between variables (Lomax & Li, 2013). Steps Involved in Conducting this Study: There are seven stages of correlational research design, which are as follows: Step 1 - Selection of the issue or problem Step 2 - Identifying the goals and objectives Step 3 - Planning the research strategy and clarifying the procedures Step 4 - State the hypotheses to be tested Step 5 - Selecting research instruments Step 6 - Collecting the data and analyzing it Step 7 - Preparing the report Test of Significance for Variables This research design is the most applicable for this particular study as it helps in knowing the exact relationship between variables. The two variables included in this research will be explicitly examined through this research design. Directional Hypothesis: Technology has a positive impact on students’ performances. Non-Directional Hypothesis: There will be a difference in the exam performances of students. Null Hypothesis: Use of technology is unrelated to students’ exam performances. 3. Purpose of Causal-Comparative Research Design (for this topic): This research design will be suitable for this study because it focuses on the cause and effect relationship and involves groups that differ in performance. Non-experimental causal comparative research involves the study of groups (Johnson, 2000). For example, in this study, two groups will be male and female students. Now, the effect of technology on these two groups will be studied which will provide the researcher with the information on the differences in performances of those two groups. Steps Involved in Conducting this Study: There are seven stages of causal comparative research design, which are as follows: Step 1 - Identifying and defining the problem and considering probable causes Step 2 - Selecting the sample based on identification of some particular characteristics Step 3 - State the hypotheses to be tested Step 4 - Selecting the research instruments to be used Step 5 - Collecting the data and analyzing it Step 6 - Preparing the report Test of Significance for Variables The two variables will be the technology and students’ performance, whereas the two groups that will be studied in this research will be the groups of male and female students. Therefore, this research design will sit the nature of the variables of this research. Directional Hypothesis: Technology has a positive impact on both male and female students’ performances. Non-Directional Hypothesis: There will be a difference in the exam performances of male students and female students because of the use of technology. Null Hypothesis: Use of technology is unrelated to the performance differences of male and female students. 4. Purpose of Experimental Research Design (for this topic): This research design will be suitable for this study because it focuses on the effects on the variables after controlling the factors that may affect the results of the experiment. The researcher can control the use of technology to know the extent to which technology affects students’ performance. Using this design, the researcher uses the scientific approach to manipulate one variable and measure changes in the other variables (Blakstad, 2008). Steps Involved in Conducting this Study: There are seven stages of experimental research design, which are as follows: Step 1 - Identifying and defining the problem and considering probable causes Step 2 - Selecting the sample to be studied Step 3 - State the hypotheses to be tested Step 4 - Formulating the theoretical model to validate the results of the experiment Step 5 - Designing the experiment Step 6 - Performing the experiment Step 4 - Collecting the data and analyzing it Step 6 - Preparing the report and make conclusion Test of Significance for Variables The variable which will be controlled in this study will be the extent to which the technology can be used and the variable which will be measured for changes will be students’ performances. Directional Hypothesis: A greater use of technology can bring huge improvement in students’ performances. Non-Directional Hypothesis: There will be a difference in students’ performances because of difference in the extent to which technology is used. Null Hypothesis: To whatever extent a school uses technology in classrooms in unrelated to whatever scores students earn in exams. References Blakstad, O. (2008). Experimental Research. Retrieved from https://explorable.com/experimental-research Cherry, K. (n.d.). Correlational Studies. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/researchmethods/a/correlational.htm Johnson, B. (2000). Its (Beyond) Time to Drop the Terms: Causal-Comparative and Correlational Research in Education. Retrieved from http://itforum.coe.uga.edu/paper43/paper43.html Lomax, R., & Li, J. (2013). Correlational Research. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/correlational-research/ Shuttleworth, M. (n.d.). Survey Research Design. Retrieved from https://explorable.com/survey-research-design Wyse, S. (2012). 4 Main Benefits of Survey Research. 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