JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW TEMPLATE

North American University

Education Department
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction
EDUC 5324
Name:Ali Sarioglu

Date: 7/8/2015

Cite the reviewed article in APA format:

Dogan, B., & Almus, K. (2014). School Administrators Use of iPads: Impact of Training and
Attitudes Toward School Use.Computers in the Schools, 31(3), 233250.

INTRODUCTION
Research Questions (if research questions are not specifically mentioned, what is
the theoretical background or overarching theme):

Here are the research questions;

1. What is the impact of the training process on school administrators use of iPads for
administrative tasks and personal organization in their professional duties?
2. What is the impact of the training process on school administrators beliefs regarding
how teachers should use iPads in the classroom?
3. Are there any differences in school administrators survey responses based on gender,
age, years of experience in school administration and education, highest degree attained,
school classification, or school size?

Purpose of the research:

This survey-based quantitative study investigated the impact of receiving iPad training on
school administrators attitudes towards iPad use in their professional lives and in the
classroom by teachers.

METHODOLOGY
What is the methodology for the research or approach used to understand the
issue? Provide information regarding the following:

Participants:
51 Elementary and secondary school administrators (58.8 % male, 41.2% female) (i.e.,
principals and assistant principals) working in one of the largest public charter school
systems in a southwestern state were the target population for the study.

Procedures:
Participants in this study were contacted by email through the school systems central
office, after securing approvals from the school district and the university. The initial
communication included information on the purpose, structure, and schedule of the
research study along with information on training and resources to be provided
throughout the spring semester of the 20122013 school year. Participants were asked to
complete consent forms prior to the study as required by the school district and the
universitys Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Data Collection Methods/Data Source:
Fifty-one participants who owned iPads volunteered to complete the pre-survey out of
approximately 120 school administrators in the school system. It also included a training
session on the effective use of iPads for administrative tasks and personal organization,
specially designed resources expanding the topics covered in the training session, ongoing support, and a post-survey. They developed two survey instruments as a
mechanism to collect data, which were administered online through the survey
submission system hosted at the universitys server.
Pre-survey includes following information; age, years of experience as a school
administrator, years of experience in education, highest degree earned, school
classification, and school size, questions measuring if and how school administrators
were currently using their iPads for their daily school-related tasks, their beliefs about the
effectiveness of iPads for administrative tasks, and if and how school teachers should be
using iPads in the classroom.
The post-survey includes following information; questions intended to measure selfreported improvements in certain tasks after completing the training, as well as items
regarding the evaluation of training session and resources provided to school
administrators during the study. Survey instruments included multiple choice and Likerttype scale items
Data Analysis:
Both surveys were reviewed for face validity by two education faculty members and then
were piloted using a group of school administrators in a local school district. Surveys
were finalized after the feedback on the pilot versions.
The survey responses were reported as frequencies. In addition, paired sample t-test data
analysis was conducted to understand the differences in the responses between the preand post-surveys. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was conducted to see
whether there were any differences in school administrators responses by gender, age,
years of experience in school administration and education, highest degree attained,
school classification, and school size. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)
software was used to conduct the data analysis.

RESULTS
Findings or Results (or main points of the article):

As schools increasingly adopt iPad technology, as with any new technology tool
introduced to the school environment, creating and implementing instructional goals
around these devices remain a challenge. School administrators play a vital role in the
implementation of new technologies as they are widely seen as the instructional leaders
of their schools (Dawson & Rakes, 2003; Lashway, 2002; McLeod, 2008)
Numerous studies have noted that the use of technology by school administrators has
direct influence on teachers integration of technology into the classroom (Chang, 2012;
Dexter, 2011; McLeo)
School administrators are seen as a crucial part of the process in teachers integration of
technology. However, they traditionally receive less training on technology compared
with teachers, eventually resulting in a lack of preparation to become technology leaders
in their schools (Dawson & Rakes, 2003; McLeod & Richardson, 2011). If school
administrators are the key educators who foster the use of technology in their schools,
they need to be comfortable with these new technologies. As principals are the key
facilitators in implementing technology into schools, technology training for school
administrators should be a priority (Holland & Moore-Steward, 2000).
Younger school administrators use more technology compared with older school
administrators (Afshari et al., 2010; Schiller, 2003)
A majority of school administrators reported that they used specific iPad applications for
work-related purposes in this study. According to the results, Eduphoriaan iPad
application used for the Eduphoria CMS with modules designed for storing student data,
district curriculum, resources, lesson planners, and teacher appraisalswas the most
commonly used iPad application as reported by school administrators. Apparently, this
CMS was commonly implemented on all campuses of the school system under study.
School administrators in this study reported valuing the iPads mobility, the touchscreen,
and the ability to use various application features for workrelated purposes. Thus, iPads
as mobile devices with touchscreens may have the potential to help school administrators
become more visible.
Prior to the training process, almost 68% of the school administrators rated their iPad
skills and knowledge as intermediate to advanced. After the training process, school
administrators reported increases in their iPad skills and knowledge. According to the
results of the post-survey, nearly 80% of school administrators considered their iPad
skills and knowledge at the level of intermediate to advanced. These results suggest that,
overall, the training process had a positive effect on the development of iPad skills and
knowledge of the school administrators.

Results also indicated that applications in the educational category were the most used
types of iPad applications, followed by communication and books and reference
prior to the training. While the same trend was observed in the post-survey, the training
process seemed to have a positive impact on the use of applications in productivity and
tools categories as well. This result was expected, as iPad applications in categories of
productivity and tools were covered in the training session as well as in the resources
provided after training. Among the iPad applications highlighted during the training
process, Google Drive storage and sharing files, syncing Google Calendar to your
iPad, and Dropbox for storage and sharing files were the most used iPad applications.
According to results, school administrators believed that iPads were effective tools for
administrative tasks and personal organization. Additionally, administrators were even
more in agreement with this idea after completing the training process. Overall, there
were increases in the frequency of school administrators use of the iPad for
administrative tasks and personal organization in all measured areas.
Almost all school administrators prior to or after this study reported that they would like
to see their teachers using iPads for classroom teaching. Specifically, administrators
wanted to see their teachers project and stream lessons or presentations from their iPads,
use specific iPad applications that may help students, and use their iPads for class
communication. In addition, school administrators desired to see teachers using iPads in
the aforementioned areas more after completing the training process. The majority of
school administrators believed that iPads would be replacing computers in the future.
This belief was more prevalent in school administrators who completed the training
process. These results suggest that school administrators in this study had positive views
regarding the potential of iPad current and future use in the classroom by teachers. The
encouraging position of principals regarding iPad use may contribute to the successful
implementation of iPads in the school, as principals are the instructional and technology
leaders of their schools (Dawson & Rakes, 2003; Lashway, 2002; McLeod, 2008).
A majority of school administrators found the training process useful (92% with
combined categories of very useful and useful), and they also desired ongoing
training and resources on using iPads for administrative tasks and teaching. Overall, these
data suggest that providing ongoing training opportunities may help school
administrators success in using iPads for professional duties as well as implementing
iPads in the classroom.

DISCUSSIONS
Conclusions/Implications (for your profession): Educators are often provided with

technological tools but are given little instruction on how these tools can be used
meaningfully in the classroom. Even though teachers have more resources available to
them than ever before, they still do not receive sufficient training on the effective use of
technology to enhance learning (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Research suggests

that professional development programs can help teachers integrate new technologies into
their instruction (Sivin-Kachala & Bialo, 2000). Similar to teachers, school
administrators effective use of technology depends on proper training. Previous studies
indicated that training has a direct effect on principals proficiency in using hardware and
software and, in turn, on their instructional and administrative proficiency (Afshari et al.,
2010; Hawkins, 2002). Further research showed that there is a correlation between the
amount of technology training principals receive and the integration of technology in the
school (Dawson & Rakes, 2003). In conclusion, overall results of this study suggest that
in order for school administrators to be successful in using iPads for professional duties,
especially for administrative tasks and personal organization, sufficient and ongoing
training is recommended. As school administrators are seen as both the instructional and
technological leaders of their schools, receiving appropriate training would not only
allow them to be efficient in performing work-related tasks but also positively.

REFLECTIONS
Students Reflections (changes to your understanding; implications for your
school/work):

Importance of technology usage in class is getting increased year by year. Computers are
getting replaced by tablets like iPads in recent years. Most of the people prefer them due
to their lots of different advantages. But there are still many things waiting to be explored
for them. Unfortunately as a school leaders, principals hesitate to integrate iPads to their
school due to the being lack of preparation to become technology leaders in their schools.
If school administrators are the key educators who foster the use of technology in their
schools, they need to be comfortable with these new technologies. To accomplish it, they
need take ongoing training. So they can demonstrate their leadership better to encourage
the teachers to use iPads in their classes.
References; Dogan, B., & Almus, K. (2014). School Administrators Use of iPads: Impact of
Training and Attitudes Toward School Use.Computers in the Schools, 31(3), 233250.