18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

Part A: Literature Review

Empirical studies of the impact of technology in affecting student engagement

The use of technology within education is becoming increasingly more prominent within

classrooms around the world. Brudno (as cited in Ferguson, 2017) conducted a survey

comprising of over 2,000 teachers across the United States in which ninety-two percent of

teachers stated that digital technology is crucial towards their teaching practice. Whilst the

use of technology can provide numerous amounts of benefits for students, disadvantages

can also emerge and this literature review will incorporate both of these factors throughout

various research.

Gü nü ç & Kuzu (2014) observes that there is a potential conflict within the current landscape

of applying technology in the classroom. The potential conflict is that most students have

been surrounded with technology from birth whilst teachers are being introduced to

technology at a later stage in life. This research focussed on if technology did increase

student engagement and what was the extent of the influence. The findings did

demonstrate an increase in student engagement. However, for it to be incorporated

effectively, teachers had to utilise the technology professionally (p.106). This requires the

teacher to be familiar with the technology and also be skilful enough to integrate it

smoothly within the classroom. Günü ç & Kuzu (2014) found that technology was more of a

contributing factor rather than the leading cause in increasing engagement.

Gikas and Grant (2013) published a qualitative research on American high school students’

opinions on learning with mobile computing devices and the effectiveness of social media in

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

influencing technological engagement. This study disagrees with the opinion of the Gü nü ç &

Kuzu (2014) in regards to student’s capacity to understand technology and be free of

frustrations due to growing up surrounded by it. Through the use of focus group interviews,

the findings of the Gikas and Grant (2013) research outlined two specific themes regarding

the impact of mobile computing devices and they were: the advantages of mobiles devices

for student learning and frustrations from learning with mobile computing devices (p.21).

The advantages of using mobile devices for student learning included the ability to access

information quickly, the ease of communicating and collaboration and variety of ways to

learn (ibid). These advantages allow the student a larger sense of independence and an

access to a greater pool of information that would have been more difficult to access

through the means of textbooks and worksheets. The frustrations using mobile computing

devices included having teachers that were unwilling to incorporate technology effectively,

device malfunctions and devices as a distractor (ibid).

These frustrations also existed within the mixed method research undertaken by Deveci

et.al (2018). This research endeavoured to evaluate the impact that laptops have on

students from Abu Dhabi in regards to knowledge retention and how integrating laptops

impact other forms of technology. The results found that benefits included; easier to access

feedback, engagement was more significant, syllabus delivery was made easier and the

positive impact it had on in-class student motivation (p.15). Disadvantages and

subsequently frustrations from both the teacher and the student involved poor battery life

of the laptops and consistent Wi-Fi interference which distracted and hindered the progress

of everyone (p.17). However, Deveci et.al (2018) concluded that these disadvantages were

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

minor and easy to rectify and do not outweigh the significant amount of advantages in

increasing student engagement.

Mixed responses to the use of technology and its effectiveness in increasing engagement

was found within the quantitative research undertaken by Ferguson (2017). Students that

were surveyed came from sixth, seventh and eighth grades that all had different exposure

to iPads as learning devices. This previous exposure evidently appeared to have an influence

with the results, as the seventh grade responded significantly more positive than the sixth

and eighth grades as they had the longest exposure to the tools. Once students had grown

comfortable and teachers had gained experience in effectively utilising technology in the

classroom, the level of engagement increased (p. 1155). This view correlates with the view

held by Gü nü ç & Kuzu (2014). Contrasting this however, the negative comments generated

by the students included the possibility of the iPad breaking down, parents responsible if it

breaks and straining of the eyes (p.1154). Specific to a class, students expressed disappoint

to not having paper in maths as they enjoyed having working out space for complex

problems.

Issues with technology specifically within mathematics appeared through the the Perry and

Steck (2015) quantitative research. This research narrows the effectiveness of classroom

technology in increasing engagement, academic achievement and self-efficacy to a specific

school unit which is geometry. Geometry is a branch that stems from mathematics and

concerns the use of shape, size and their properties. In 2013, The U.S department of

education reported that “only 26% of 12th-grade students demonstrated a solid grasp of

mathematics concepts” (p.123). With these alarming figures and the emergence of mobile

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

technology and the opportunities that could present itself with its implementation, they

have been increasingly present within classrooms. However, within the study by Perry and

Steck (2015), the inclusion of iPads increased off-task behaviours and a decline in academic

performance (p.138). The research justified this negative result of technology to a number

of factors. Firstly, the teaching style and the familiarity of technology for both the students

and the teachers may have been a factor and secondly, the preconceived notion of the

students questioning the relevancy of the content towards their future education.

One form of technology incorporated within the classroom is referred to as m-learning

which represents learning which is facilitated through the use of a mobile device or

handheld digital devices. The perception and effectiveness of this towards engagement for

students was the study undertaken by Soffer and Yaron (2017). The study results found that

overall, students reported only a moderate level of positive attitudes towards technology as

various barriers existed in limiting its effectiveness (p.967). These barriers mainly centred

around technical problems such as internet connectivity and bugs. Various strengths of

using technology existed such as increased interest and motivation however, these were

held back by the need for greater improvement.

Mao (2014) conducted a mixed methods research on the impact that social media and the

integration of technology has on the attitudes of students. This study defines the term social

media as “new technologies and applications that utilize the internet… through functions

such as communicating, sharing, collaborating, publishing…” (Mao, 2014, p.213). The results

of this research uncovered numerous findings. Firstly, that most students depend on social

media through their social life yet through educational uses it can be seen as informal and

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

the lack of feedback is a point of concern. Secondly, is that because students view the social

media platform as a place for leisure, implementing it for educational use needs to be

scaffolded extensively by the teacher to demonstrate usefulness. Whilst students

encouraged the use of social media, the inconsistency lies within the delivery of content by

the teacher.

With the ideology of technology increasing student engagement a question that can arise is

does this engagement equate to increased assessment results? Assessment forms an

integral part of education as it is the determining factor to outline whether or not the

content is being retained and educational goals are being met. The mixed methods research

of Roush and Song (2013) examined the impact of using clickers technology on classroom

instruction. Clicker technology is a tool that requires students to push numbered and

lettered buttons to answer questions. The results from this research found that students

agreed or strongly agreed that the use of clickers helped improve their knowledge retention

and understanding of class content (p.28). The use of clickers also enabled teachers in

providing review opportunities which assisted students in adequately preparing for

assessments better than without the technology. Roush and Song (2013) encouraged the

continual use of technologies such as clickers in further enhancing results from students.

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

References

Deveci, T., Dalton,D., Hassan, A., Amer, ST & Cubero, S. (2018). Project-X: An initiative to

increase student engagement through laptops, Contemporary Educational

Technology, 9 (1), 1-21.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5

&sid=47f5cd06-de2e-4a4b-921c-cdd6daa540ad%40sessionmgr102

Ferguson, JM. (2017). Middle school students’ reactions to a 1:1 iPad initiative and a

paperless curriculum, Education informational technology, 22 (11), 1149-1162. Doi:

10.1007/s10639-016-9480-2.

Gikas, J & Grant, MM. (2013). Mobile computing devices in higher education: student

perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media, Internet and

Higher education, 19 (1), 18-26.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751613000262?via%3Dihu

Gü nü ç, S & Kuzu, A. (2014). Factors influencing student engagement and the role of

technology in student engagement in higher education: campus-class technology

theory, Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 5 (4), 86-113.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9

&sid=47f5cd06-de2e-4a4b-921c-cdd6daa540ad%40sessionmgr102

Mao, J. (2014). Social media for learning: a mixed methods study on high school students’

technology affordances and perspectives, Computers in Human Behaviour, 33 (1),

213-223. https://ac-els-cdn-com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/S0747563214000077/1-s2.0-

S0747563214000077-main.pdf?_tid=486041e4-5b43-46ec-b21e-

d02773f3b503&acdnat=1523187766_858bcc5d2d0dbbadb60eee7a8f29e0b6

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

Perry, DR & Steck, AK. (2015). Increasing student engagement, self-efficacy, and meta-

cognitive self-regulation in the high school geometry classroom: Do iPads help?

Computers in School, 32 (1), 123-143. Doi: 10.1080/07380569.2015.1036650

Roush, C & Song, L. (2013). The impact of using clickers technology on classroom instruction:

students’ and teachers’ perspectives, Canadian Journal of Action Research, 14 (1),

21-37. https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/1509085870?accountid=36155

Soffer, T & Yaron, E. (2017). Perceived learning and students’ perceptions toward using

tablets for learning: the mediating role of perceived engagement among high school

students, Journal of Educational Computing, 55 (7), 951-973. Doi:

10.1177/0735633117689892

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

Dear Potential Participant:

I am working on a project titled Factors affecting student engagement in high school for the
class, ‘Researching Teaching and Learning 2,’ at Western Sydney University. As part of the
project, I am collecting information to help inform the design of a teacher research
proposal.

Our topic endeavours to highlight a number of key factors that affect student engagement
within a high school classroom. We will be assessing the impact that the implementation of
technology integrated within a lesson plan has in affecting student engagement through the
perspective of teachers. This assessment will include measuring student engagement both
with and without technology and analysing any trends that appear. In order to do this, we
will be seeking consent from teachers to contribute their beliefs through the undertaking of
a survey. Their contribution will be de-identified and remain anonymous.

By participating in this survey, I acknowledge that:

 I have read the project information [or where appropriate, ‘have had read to me the
project information’] and have been given the opportunity to discuss the
information and my involvement in the project with the researcher/s.
 The procedures required for the project and the time involved have been explained
to me, and any questions I have about the project have been answered to my
satisfaction.
 I consent to undertaking the survey proposed regarding the impact that technology
has on student engagement
 I understand that my involvement is confidential and that the information gained
during this data collection experience will only be reported within the confines of
the ‘Researching Teaching and Learning 2’ unit, and that all personal details will be
de-identified from the data.
 I understand that I can withdraw from the project at any time, without affecting my
relationship with the researcher/s, now or in the future.

By completing this survey, I acknowledge I am 18 years of age or older, or I am a full-time

university student who is 17 years old. OR am a person under the age of 18 and have
parental/guardian consent for participation

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

Part B: Data Collection Protocol

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SRH53TS

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

Part C: Data collection protocol explanation

The data collection protocol which endeavours to assess the impact of technology on

student engagement within a high school setting presumes that the teacher has

implemented technology within their class before. The objective of this study is to not only

discover if technology does have an impact on student engagement but to also uncover the

reasons why or the reasons why it does not. This research is a form of action research, as it

involves “systematic inquiry into one’s own practice” and also offers as a “powerful tool for

transforming the educational environment” (Miskovic et.al, 2012, p.1). This data ultimately

has the objective to be compared with other data sets used within this topic to form a

deeper understanding on the engagement of students within a high school environment.

A survey was constructed and serves as the data collection tool that was chosen for this

research. Whilst observations and interviews were also considered, I felt that administering

a survey to teachers would be the most convenient for them especially if they were under

certain time constraints. It is hopeful, that the results that will come from the research will

provide a deeper analysis into some of the factors that were raised within the literature

review. The survey questions were constructed with factors in mind that would make the

survey as simple yet as insightful as possible. These factors include avoiding technical terms

and vague terms and to anticipate all possibilities of an answer (Harvard University, 2007).

The questions are made up with a combination of direct and open ended questions which

allows the participants to contribute a deeper understanding into why they provided the

answers that they did. One approach to gathering information is by the use of the Likert

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

scale. This allows participants to express their opinions whether they strongly agreed or

strongly disagreed on a scale (Likert, 1932).

The data collection protocol will help compliment the literature review to ultimately provide

a complete analysis on the role that technology has on student engagement within the

classroom. The literature review highlights research from this field that uncovered both the

advantages and the disadvantages of implementing technology in a classroom. The surveys

purpose will be to consolidate what was uncovered throughout the literature review and

also contribute in providing a more personal and individual research.

Conducting this data collection protocol will endeavour to contribute towards the overall

group topic which is ‘Factors affecting student engagement’. Technology is a factor that is

increasingly becoming prominent within both everyday life and also as a learning tool.

Whilst technology can promote factors of inclusivity and make learning content easier in

some circumstances, it can also have the opposite effect and create more difficulties in

engaging with content and promote off-task behaviour. In regards to engagement, whilst it

can be argued that students might find content presented to them through a technological

means as intriguing, whether that is translated to being engaged is uncertain.

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18071434 Assignment 2: Literature review and data collection protocol Jarod Leis

References

Harvard University. (2007). Questionnaire design tip sheet. Retrieved from

https://psr.iq.harvard.edu/book/questionnaire-design-tip-sheet

Likert, R. (1932). A technique for the measurement of attitudes, Archives of Psychology, 140

(1), 1-55. https://legacy.voteview.com/pdf/Likert_1932.pdf

Miskovic, M., Efron, ES & Ravid, R. (2012). Action research in action: From University to

school classrooms, Education Research International, 2012 (1), 1-11. Doi:

0.1155/2012/389736

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