Quantitative Research Article Critique
Introduction and Statement of the Problem
The use of cloud computing has increased in the recent past (. In addition, the use of interactive white boards has also been witnessed in teaching. Cloud computing has been applied in improving the interaction between people. For example, the use of blogs, wikis as well as social networks are some of the tools applied in cloud computing. Blogs allow people to write articles and publish them to an online website, where people can read. Social networks allow people to upload their personal profiles, share information, and interact with other people. Wikis provide a platform where people can read and edit information. There has been an increase in the use of cloud computing in schools and other academic institution today. The use of cloud computing is applied together with the internet, whereas interactive white boards do not use the internet to convey information. The article presents the benefits and challenges of using cloud computing as well as interactive white boards in preparing graduate courses. Pre-service teachers at the graduate level were surveyed. The respondents had mixed abilities in using technology.
The problem being researched is the pros and cons of using cloud computing as well as interactive white boards (IWBs) in preparing curriculum for pre-service teachers. The research question being researched on is whether technology plays a vital role in preparing courses for graduate teachers. In addition, the article has the research question on whether there any challenges or benefits of integrating cloud computing and IWBs in preparing courses for pre-service graduate teachers.
The use of technology has improved efficiency in the learning process. Students and teachers can interact and get information easily through the application of technology. However, restriction on the use of technology has made it impossible for users to get valuable resources.
Theoretical Framework and Literature Review
The theoretical framework consists of independent and independent variables (Sekaran & Bougie, 2009). The dependent variables are the teacher preparation courses. On the other hand, the independent variables are cloud computing and interactive whiteboards. The theoretical model involves identifying the advantages and bottlenecks of using cloud computing and IWBs in teacher preparation courses. The theoretical framework has a relationship with the research question in that technology has been seen to improve the teaching process, but it has also contributed to some drawbacks.
The theoretical framework offers a succinct explanation to the research problem. The model helps justify the importance of conducting the research (Krishnaswamy, Appa, & Mathirajan, 2006). The model has explained that there are various problems encountered, in the application of technology, in preparation of teacher courses. On the other hand, the model shows that technology is i9mportant in preparation of teacher courses. This shows that there is a need to identify the drawbacks and benefits of cloud computing and IWBs to improve preparation of teaching courses.
The literature review explains in details all aspects of cloud computing and IWBs. Their relevance in teaching preparation courses has also been explored. Various aspects of cloud computing have been explored in relation to teaching preparation courses. The use of social networks such as Facebook and blogs has been explored to find the benefits and drawbacks in the teaching sector. In addition, the use of wikis as well as Google docs has been explored. The benefits and drawback of these tools have been explored to identify their use in the teaching preparation courses. Additionally, the use of SMART boards has been explained in details.
Methodology
The research methodology used was a case study of Hofstra University, which is based in the United States. The methodology is appropriate because it offers a solid foundation of explaining the interaction between the dependent and independent variables (Swanson & Holton, 2005). The methodology applied is appropriate because the research has been conducted on one university. Therefore, intensive research was conducted to identify the interaction between the variables of the research. Conducting the research was easy and intensive because all respondents were assessed. However, the research methodology had the limitation of bases. Conducting research in a single institution provided biased results because the behavior of other academic institutions was not explained. It may happen that the behavior of other respondent might have been different. Therefore, conducting research on a number of institutions would have created a balance between the behavior patterns of all individuals. Therefore, there was the need to conduct research on a number of sampled institutions. The sampling process ought to have been random to ensure that all the respondents in the population have equal chances of being assessed.
The research design involved the use of a case study to interview the students and teachers of Hofstra University. The number of respondents was 1,180 faculty members, with an average size of student’s class of 22 students. Sampling procedures were applied to get the appropriate respondents.
The sampling plan is appropriate because respondents have been sampled from all the departments of the university (Cooper, 1994). This provides reliable information about the benefits and drawbacks of technology in teacher preparation courses, in different departments. All departments have been consulted, and average information collected to establish the overall findings. The sampling was appropriate because using one department to represent the entire university would create bias. The sampling process was useful in identifying the ideas from various individuals, and this improved the quality of the data collected from the respondents.
The interviews and questionnaires applied in collecting data were reliable because all the respondents could be reached. There were a small number of respondents, and conducting interviews was possible. Therefore, the instruments applied were reliable because there is consistency in the application of the instruments during the research process (Lodico, Spaulding & Voegtle, 2010). In addition, the instruments were valid because interviews are appropriate for a small group of respondents. The validity is also expressed in the manner in which the instruments used to reflect the theoretical framework (Reeves & Hedberg, 2003). The interviews and questionnaires applied help develop appropriate link between the technology variable and teaching preparation courses.
The data collection procedures are appropriate for the research question because all the necessary information was collected. The data about the impact of cloud computing and IWBs were collected effectively by the use of the interviews and questionnaires. The researchers managed to identify the drawbacks and benefits of technology in teacher preparation courses by applying the data collection procedures.
Conclusions and Interpretations
The conclusion has been provided in one paragraph. There is no restatement of the thesis statement, and this is one of the weaknesses of the conclusion. In addition, the conclusion has a weakness that there is no summary of ideas and findings of the research. The first sentence of the conclusion is too brief, and it does not provide an elaborate summary of the article. The second sentence provides recommendations instead of developing a smooth ending to the article.
The recommendation is relevant because it encourages the faculty of the university to improve self-efficacy so that the pre-service teachers can adapt to the changing technologies. The recommendation has been derived from the findings of the research because the application of technology in preparation of teaching courses has been found to be paramount.
The findings of the research are essential in educational policy and practice because pre-service teachers will improve the use of technology in preparation of teaching courses. The application of the cloud computing and IWBs will improve the teaching process.
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