The introduction is the first passage of an academic article whether it is a journal article, dissertation or research paper. As such, the introduction sets the flow for the entire document. The introduction presents the issue or concern that prompted the writing of the paper and as such establishes how the whole paper will be written. Undeniably, one can discern the organization of the entire article through an in-depth analysis of the introduction. In recent years, the aspect of the application of technology in different sectors of the economy including education is increasingly gaining momentum. The role of technology in the education system is rapidly growing as one of the most significant and extensively debated issues in the contemporary society. Educational experts across the globe contend that adequately applied technology is necessary for positively influencing education outcomes including workforce opportunities. Owing to the extensive application in different countries, many studies currently focus on the identification and analysis of issues associated with the use of technology in education. Moreover, the studies proffer possible solutions in efforts of maximizing the advantages of information and communication systems in education systems. By, employing the criteria postulated in Creswell (2018), the paper reviews the introductions of various articles discussing technology in education and asserts that introduction sets the pace for the entire article. The paper argues through the mere review of the intro; one acknowledges while technology results in real-time advantages in the classroom, there are some valid concerns related to its application. The introduction is the initial writing in an article and often provides the framework of the study to readers with the intention of capturing their attention. Creswell (2018) argues that the introduction has the responsibility of creating interest in the topic at hand, reviewing that issue that led to the research, validating the study through setting it in a broader context of scholarly literature in addition to attracting a particular audience. Writing an introduction is not easy and often involves various processes of internalizing issues and concerns in the society. Firstly, the aspect of identifying and stating an issue or concern in the study is not stress-free since there are various sources of research problems grounded in each discipline. The complexity of clearly reporting the problem doubles when the author considers the responsibility of introduction as an “encouragement” to the reader to continue reading. Acknowledging the critical duties of an introduction, research has postulated a model for writing a good, scholarly-level introduction with the intention of reducing the complexities associated with writing an excellent introduction. There are several designs for writing a satisfactory introduction. Creswell (2018) postulates the deficiencies model of an introduction. The deficiencies model of opening is used in the event a study intends to bridge existing knowledge gaps in the current literature. Considering that the majority of the studies often purpose to expand the existing knowledge, the deficiencies model of an introduction is a common approach in many studies, especially in social sciences. The deficiency model of an introduction involves five distinct steps comprising of stating the research problem, a brief review of past studies that have discussed the issue, clear identification of the deficiencies in the studies, postulating the significance of the current research and finally stating the purpose statement (Creswell, 2018). The approach is evident in many different studies although the order differs from one research to another. In an article titled “Information communication technology: Challenges and some prospects from pre-service education to the classroom,” published in the Mid-Atlantic Education Review in 2014, the author focuses on prospects of improving technological application among both pre-service and practicing teachers. In the last sentence of the first paragraph of the introduction, the author states "teachers today can make use of new modalities including, smartphones and computers to engage their students in inquiry, collaboration, and dissemination of new information" which reflects in the direction of study in ensuring the practical application of information technology in education. In the subsequent paragraph, the author describes the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) guidelines of ICT application in the USA education system (Kaufman, 2014). The author mentions the necessity of collaboration and effective use of technology among teachers, students, administrators and coaches within the school setting. The author states despite the extensive considerations given to technology in education, the realities of funding, resource allocation and time limit the development of educators in the sector. As such, the author states the research problem as the lack of adequate preparation of educators in their responsibility to apply and implement different dynamics of technology in teaching. The author proceeds to cite some research that indicates the current training courses for teachers do not sufficiently prepare the educators on how to effectively implement various forms of technology in their practice. Moreover, the article state studies indicate while some teacher receives training on ICT implementation in teaching program, a majority of the teachers lack confidence, which he affirms can be improved through training (Kaufman, 2014). The research paper further refers to studies that indicate while there is a high proficiency of technological training, the application of technology in classroom remain limited since teachers often employ the tools that were previously used to teach them. While the researcher does not pinpoint the deficiency of the previous studies in the area as postulated by Creswell (2018), he questions how teachers can best incorporate the technological tools in the educational curriculum. The last paragraph of the introduction states the article explores literature that focuses on the challenges associated with the development of pre-service teachers' technological competence and proffers the possible solutions. The paragraph also mentions the organization of the remaining of the paper including the discussion of the gap in ICT curriculum in teachers’ training and avenues of increasing the opportunities for direct experiences for teachers. In a systematic review of qualitative evidence on the relationship between teacher's pedagogical beliefs and technology use in education published in the Education Technology Research and Development in 2016, the introduction begins with a review of the previous literature. The paper cites other studies and asserts while the application of technology in education is increasing, the complete integration of technological tools in the delivery of education remains a complex and dynamic process. The author further refer to other studies declaring that teachers’ pedagogical beliefs play a large role in the application of technology in teaching systems. In this particular context, teachers adapt technological tools that align with their perceptions (Tondeur, Braak, Ertmer, & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2016). The paper as such declares the problem by stating that teachers’ beliefs about "good education" rather than the technological tools influence an individual teacher teaching and learning technique. In the third paragraph, the author states, "although we recognize that technology decisions are not the only decisions influenced by teachers' beliefs, this is the primary focus of this article." The statement reflects on the purpose of the research paper. In the next paragraph, the authors acknowledges Creswell (2018) aspect of the significance of the research since they reflect on the increased call for technological integration in the USA hence validating the research on the association between teachers' beliefs and practices in the classroom. In the same paragraph, the authors acknowledge while there is extensive research on the association between educators belief and their technology integration practices in the school, the paper asserts the relationship remains unclear as such justifying research intended to clarify the relationship (Tondeur, Braak, Ertmer, & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2016). At the end of the introduction the authors further state the research methodology applied which further illustrates the differences between the qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research designs. According to Creswell (2018), while the general components of the introduction are similar across different researches that have adapted distinct research designs, the language used in a qualitative study differs from that used in a quantitative survey. For instance, in this particular research, the authors assert the study adopts a meta-aggregative approach in the location and appraising of the qualitative studies used in the study. In a study that analyzed the usage of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) in institutions of higher education, the authors introduced the paper with an extensive definition of LMSs as internet technologies that facilitate distance, face to face and hybrid teaching and learning processes. The authors proceed to acknowledge the importance of LMSs as tools that support a virtual way of extensive communication between and among students and their instructors. The article mentions despite the advantages of LMSs and considerable investments made in the development of the tools by institutions of higher learning; educators rarely embrace the tool's extensive capabilities. The sentiment on the under-utilization of the LMSs tools reflects on the research problem (Fathema, Shannon, & Ross, 2015). The study further proceeds to cite different studies that illustrate faculty members in institutions of higher learning merely use the tools as supplements to their lectures through using the tool to post results, course outlines and communicate with the students but rarely as teaching platforms. Through citing the different studies, the section reflects on Creswell (2018), "review of studies that have addressed the problem.” The research does not proceed to mention the deficiencies of the previous analysis as postulated by Creswell but instead asserts the findings of the study necessitate further research in efforts of gaining insight on the factors that influence faculty's decision to use LMS usage. The point further illustrates the significance of the study. In the last paragraph of the introduction, the authors reflect on Creswell’s “purpose of the study” through mentioning the focus of study including the identification of factors that influence educators LMS application and to define the essential causal associations between and among the elements (Fathema, Shannon, & Ross, 2015). The researchers go further than mentioning the purpose of the research to illustrate the methodology that the research adopts. The article demonstrates the application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in the prediction of teachers' intention and usage of LSM. Moreover, the authors assert the research paper is an empirical evaluation of the faculty's usage of LSM. In an article published in the Journal of Learning, Media and Technology in 2015, the author, Neil Selwyn, illustrates how the terms used in the description of the association between technology and education affect that particular relationship and subsequently the process of teaching and learning. In the first sentence of the introduction, she states "educational uses of digital technology tend to be discussed in enthusiastic and often exaggerated terms." This statement pinpoints the direction of the study as a critic of the educational application of technology. In the first paragraph, that author insightfully discusses the hyperbole surrounding the application of technology in education. The first paragraph illustrates the research problem through on language used to describe the technology in the classroom through reflecting on the mixed opinions surrounding the aspect of technology in education. In the second paragraph, Selwyn (2015) accounts on the contradicting perceptions of digitalization in education through a review of previous studies that discussed the issue. Initially, the author focuses on studies that have praised the potential that technology brings to an extensive field such as education which is characterized with diverse students with different capabilities and approaches to learning (Selwyn, 2015). However, in the subsequent paragraph, the author adapts a pessimistic view and asserts the rhetoric about technology in education is not confined to the functional aspects. Through mentioning that the influence of technology has some disadvantages, the researcher reveals the deficiencies in the previous research which adopted an idealistic and impassioned view on the capabilities of digitalized education while ignoring the issues that technology present in the process of teaching and learning. Selwyn cites the shift of labels associated with technology in the classroom to illustrate the contradicting aspects of digitalization in education. He asserts in the 1980s the element of technology in education was linked to labels such as "computer-based instruction" or "computer-assisted learning," but currently digitalization in education encompasses terms such as "technology-enhanced learning" and "connected- learning.” The research affirms the rebranding illustrate that the aspect of learning is actively driven by technology a perception that demonstrate deliberate connotations of the associations between education and technology (Selwyn, 2015). By asserting the implications of the language used, the article illustrates the significance of the research at a societal level. The last sentence of the study states "the subjective nature of such language is easy to spot in isolation, but also easy to overlook when encountered on a daily basis," which illustrate the purpose of the study to demonstrate the implication of the language and terms used in the description of the nature of the relationship between education and technology. In another study investigating the impact of interactive learning associated with technology on educational outcomes published in the British Journal of Educational Technology the authors introduce by explicitly stating the research problem. Initially, the paper acknowledges the extensive use of internet in institutions of learning but concedes there is lack of agreement on the exact benefits of internet use in educational outcomes. The researchers proceed to mention the deficiencies of other studies through specifying that the studies focus on comparing the outcomes of fully computer-mediated teaching and those of face to face teaching which often provides inadequate and inconclusive results (Castano-Munoz, Duart, & Sancho-Vinuesa, 2014). The research further mentions a majority of the surveys in the subject illustrate there are no significant differences in academic achievements irrespective of the technique adopted. The introduction section of this particular research applies the use of a table to distinguish two core components of the introduction namely “what is known about the topic” and “what the paper intends to add.” The authors state it is known blended education is more effective compared to face to face and asserts the incorporation of technology into education is not a mere homogenous intervention. The research affirms it intends to investigate why blended learning is more effective than face to face teaching and claim the improvement in outcomes entail more than time spent online but rather time actively spent in interactive learning (Castano-Munoz, Duart, & Sancho-Vinuesa, 2014). The introduction section of this particular research goes further and mentions several policy implications of the research and emphasizes that the relevance of internet-grounded teaching and learning depends on interactive associations among the students. The introduction section of the study reflects all the five core aspects postulated by Creswell including stating the problem, reviewing previous studies on the topic, illustrating deficiencies of the study, asserting the importance of the study in addition to explicitly stating the purpose of the research. Despite the different issues related to technology in education that the articles discuss, the introduction in all studies adopts a similar design that concentrates on stating the problem, explaining previous research, mentioning the shortcomings of those studies and asserting the significance of the current research in addition to unequivocally stating the purpose of the study. Indeed, from the analysis of the above research, it is evident the introduction section is important in arousing the reader's interest in the paper as well as providing insightful ideas on the development of the research. It is evident one can deduce the organization and outcome of the rest of the article when the introduction section is expertly written.
References
Castano-Munoz, J., Duart, J. M., & Sancho-Vinuesa, T. (2014). The Internet in face-to-face higher education: Can interactive learning improve academic achievement? British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(1), 149-159. Creswell, J. W. (2018). Research design: Qualitative. Quantitive and Mixed methods Approach (4th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage. Fathema, N., Shannon, D., & Ross, M. (2015). Expanding the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to examine faculty use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in higher education institutions. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 11(2), 210-232. Kaufman, K. (2014). Information, communication technology: Challenges and some prospects from pre-service education to the classroom. Mid-Atlantic Education Review, 2(1), 1-11. Selwyn, N. (2015). Minding our language: why technology and education is full of bullshit... and what might be done about it. Learning, Media and Technology, 1-8. Tondeur, J., Braak, J. V., Ertmer, P. M., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2016). Understanding the relationship between teachers' pedagogical beliefs and technology use in education: A systematic review of qualitative evidence. Educational Technology Research and Development, 1-22.
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