Al-Shabatat, A. M. (2014). Gifted'Teachers Stages of Concerns for Integrating E-Learning in the Gifted Schools in Jordan. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 13 (2), 79-87.
The research problem was that at the time of the study, no previous research existed that addressed the concerns of the gifted teachers’ concerns regarding the integration of e-learning in their teaching. To this end, the paper was aimed at analyzing the stages of concerns of the gifted teachers pertinent to personal, informational, awareness, consequence, refocusing, management, as well as collaboration parallel to the Concerns-based Adoption Model. The research question and inquiry addressed by the author was the stages of concern proffered by the gifted teachers in the implementation and integration of the e-learning concept in their teaching. An additional question was what the predominant stages of concern for the gifted teachers in Jordan were. Ultimately, the research inquired what the predominant concern associated with gifted Jordanian teachers was.
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The specific mixed method design was concurrent mixed methods research of both the qualitative and quantitative methods. The underlying factor that determined the concurrent mixed methods research was the stages of concerns for the teachers who required correlative analysis of both approaches. The participants of the study were 22 teachers, twelve males and ten females forming the sample size of the study. The teachers or participants were drawn from the three predominant schools of King Abdullah II for Excellence dedicated to gifted students in Jordan. Regarding the ethical treatment of the participants of the study, the author does not specify nor allude to how this was ensured.
In the collection of the qualitative data, the Stages of Concern Questionnaire was developed and translated into Arabic to accommodate the teachers. Subsequently, the Likert-type scale was used to collect the quantitative data of the teachers by giving a score of between zero and seven that represented their level of concern regarding their involvement in the integration of e-learning in the education of gifted students. As such, the qualitative data regarding the interviews of participants were analyzed using the inductive qualitative approach. On the other hand, the quantitative data regarding the scores was analyzed via means and percentiles edifying the proportion of teachers representing each score or level of concern regarding the integration of e-learning. Moreover, the analysis was presented in statistical comparative charts and graphs elaborating the frequencies and relationship between each score of concern and the proportion of male and female teachers.
The validity of the qualitative data was ensured through the inspection of the stages of concern questionnaire by an expert (AL-Rawajfih) who asserted that the questionnaires were reliable with an internal consistency of 0.87. On the other hand, the reliability of the scores or quantitative data was ensured through the use of the stages of concern questionnaire guidelines that ensured the scores were correctly represented. However, further allusions regarding how the validity of the quantitative data was guaranteed are not provided by the author.
A fundamental strength of the study is the provision of a detailed and concise literature review that highlights discussions of previous research and studies as well as the gaps. Moreover, the research makes use of sections that provide direction to the reader regarding the issues to be discussed by the author. Ultimately, the author makes use of infographics to represent the analysis of the quantitative data. Nevertheless, the author does not provide information regarding how the human participants’ safety and ethics were ensured. Moreover, he does not indicate exactly how the quantitative data’s validity was ensured in the study.
Kisanjara, S. B., Tossy, T. M., Sife, A. S., & Msanjila, S. S. (2017). An integrated model for measuring the impacts of e-learning on students' achievement in developing countries. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 13 (3), 109-130.
The contemporary Tanzanian society has faced a proliferation in the advancement of Information and Communication Technology which proffers the research problem regarding the efficacy of such technology on e-learning and achievements of University students in developing countries, especially Tanzania. To this end, the purpose of the research was to provide an integrated model that measured the impact of e-learning on student’s achievement through the perspective of Tanzanian Universities.
Fundamentally, the research sought to inquire whether the student’s engagement with the e-learning system had a positive relationship with their achievements. Kisanjara et al. attempted to address the question regarding whether the performance expectancy of the students had a substantial positive correlation with their accomplishments. An additional fundamental question of the study is whether the moderate use of the e-learning system had a positive correlation to students’ achievement as opposed to continued use. Ultimately, the research inquired whether the students’ self-esteem, confidence, as well as enjoyment were positively correlated with their performance. Since the research sought to answer the research questions relating to the correlation between variables, the mixed research method used was the concurrent method. Here, both the quantitative and qualitative methods were employed concurrently to determine the correlation between e-learning and students’ achievement.
A sample of 350 respondents or participants was drawn from four public HEIs which were subsequently and randomly selected from a pool of 30 HEIs. The respondents were students selected through the stratified proportionate sampling technique representing the four selected Tanzanian HEIs. In adhering and ensuring the ethics of the human participants, the research, in line with the privacy and security of the respondents, made them aware of the purpose of the study as well as guaranteeing them a heightened degree of confidentiality of their responses. Moreover, the researchers ensured that the participants joined the study willingly without any solicitation and were free to quit at any point.
Regarding data collection techniques; survey questionnaires that contained Likert scales were used to collect quantitative data of the study whereas in-depth interviews were used to obtain qualitative data from ICT experts. Subsequently, the quantitative data collected from the questionnaires was analyzed through categorization and coding followed by a comprehensive statistical analysis using the SPSS software v.20. On the other hand, the qualitative data deduced from the interviews during model validation was arranged in relevant concepts and themes whose discussions and descriptions were used to rebuild the model. In ensuring reliability and validity of the collected data, the authors assessed convergent validity, internal validity, as well as a model of fit analysis through the Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Subsequently, the results of the assessment were presented in a table for further comparison and evaluation.
To the credit of the research, the discussion and conclusions preeminently answer the hypotheses or research questions posed by the study. In addition, the authors make use of infographics that elaborate on the quantitative analyses thus bolstering understanding. The study well developed into subsections that provide direction to the reader. However, the authors do not outline the gaps and limitations of the study that provides a framework and platform for the development of future research.
Livingstone, K. A. (2015). Administration's Perception of the Feasibility about E-learning Practices at the University of Guyana. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 11 (2), 65.
The use of information and communication technology has in the recent decades become a common phenomenon in the education system raising a research question among the administrators regarding the feasibility of e-learning in the University of Guyana. An additional problem that spearheaded the research was the lack of previous studies regarding the effects of eLearning practices on the University of Guyana. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the perceptions by the administrators’ regarding the feasibility of eLearning at the University of Guyana (UG). Additionally, the study aimed to examine the possibility of establishing learning practices. Ultimately, the study sought to recommend the integration or incorporation of eLearning in the instructional practices.
The research questions include what the perceptions of the administrators are regarding the integration of e-learning in the educational context of UG. Secondly, the study inquired whether it was possible and feasible to embrace an eLearning programme at the UG. The specific mixed methods research used was the concurrent where both the quantitative and qualitative method was employed. The sample population of the study was 12 statutory officers that made up the UG core leadership. The sample was inclusive of but not limited to the Vice-Chancellor, Principal, Registrar, Deputy VC among others. The sample was selected because of their position and ability to answer the research questions objectively.
To ensure that the ethics of the research and that of the participants were maintained, the author sought the research ethics approval. In this regard, the participants were educated on the meaning of eLearning as well as on the purpose or objective of the research. Ultimately, the author gave confidentiality statements that assured the participants of the privacy and security of their responses. Regarding data collection, qualitative as well as quantitative data was collected through online questionnaires that required essay-type answers as well as a recording of scores pertinent to the five-point Likert scale system respectively.
Subsequently, the gathered quantitative data was analyzed through graphs, tables, and figures. Moreover, data triangulation was performed on the quantitative data from the Likert scale. On the other hand, qualitative data was analyzed via content analysis of the open-ended essay responses thereby given keywords based on the frequency of use of certain words. Validity and reliability of data were assessed through a cognitive interviewing test (CIT) which minimized misinterpretation as well as the uncertainty of the asked questions. Moreover, validity and reliability was determined and ensured through a trial run of two individuals outside the administrative body of the UG.
To the credit of the research, it gives the limitations and gaps that further research could rely and improve on. Besides, the author present recommendations regarding future research thereby providing a salient sense of direction for future researchers. The discussions and conclusions of the author concisely and adequately answer the research questions of the study. Also, infographics provide fundamental illustrations of quantitative data analysis enhancing comprehension of the findings. However, the abstract of the study does not present the objectives and purposes of the study as it should. Since the study focuses solely on the feasibility of eLearning in UG, its conclusions and findings are not representative of the integrative facets of the technology globally in other institutions.
References
Al-Shabatat, A. M. (2014). Gifted'Teachers Stages of Concerns for Integrating E-Learning in the Gifted Schools in Jordan. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 13(2), 79-87. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1022908.pdf
Kisanjara, S. B., Tossy, T. M., Sife, A. S., & Msanjila, S. S. (2017). An integrated model for measuring the impacts of e-learning on students' achievement in developing countries. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 13(3), 109-127. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1166617.pdf
Livingstone, K. A. (2015). Administration's Perception about the Feasibility of Elearning Practices at the University of Guyana. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 11(2), 65-84. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1074148.pdf
