JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW TEMPLATE

North American University

Education Department
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership / M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction
EDUC 5324 Integrating Technology into Education
Name: Cuma Yucel

Date: September 25, 2016

Cite the reviewed article in APA format:

Waxman, H., Boriack, A., Yuan-Hsuan, L., & MacNeil, A. (2013). Principals' Perceptions
of the Importance of Technology in Schools. Contemporary Educational Technology,
4(3), 187-196.
INTRODUCTION
Research Questions (if research questions are not specifically mentioned, what is
the theoretical background or overarching theme):
The two research questions the study was trying to answer were: (a) What are
principals perceptions of the importance of technology? and (b) Do principals
perceptions of technology differ by years of experience and gender?
Purpose of the research:
The purpose of this study was to specifically focus on how principals view the
importance of technology, since there were few studies with this focus. This study sought
to build on previous research and provide open-ended interview questions to examine
principals perspectives and opinions toward technology.
METHODOLOGY
What is the methodology for the research or approach used to understand the
issue? Provide information regarding the following:

Participants:
The participants of this study were 310 principals from a large metropolitan area in the
southwestern United States. The sample consisted of 126 males and 184 females.
There was as a wide range of years of experience, ranging from 104 participants with 03 years of experience, 82 with 4-7 years, 55 with 8-11 years, 32 with 12-15 years, and
31 with over 15 years of experience. All were current principals at public schools.

Procedures:
The questionnaire was administered by graduate students at a major university in southcentral United States who were a part of the Educational Leadership program. Students
were trained in the administration of the survey and required to interview a specific
number of public school principals. The survey included both qualitative and quantitative
questions.

Data Collection Methods/Data Source:

Cognitive interviewing was used, improving the validity of the data. The interview

questions were Has technology had an impact in your school? and If so, in what
specific ways had it made a difference?

Data Analysis:
The analysis of the data from the interviews began with a process of data reduction. The
responses were read several times and coded into meaningful categories. After the
categories were established, a researcher independently coded a 10% sample of
responses to determine the consistency of the coding, which reflected a high level of
reliability and agreement.
RESULTS
Findings or Results (or main points of the article):
The principals responses could be organized into six categories. These six categories
indicated that according to about a third of the principals (35%) technology was used as
a primary communication tool. Another 28% responded that technology was integrated
into classroom instruction. In a third category, 14% of principals answered that
technology was used for data sharing and management. About 15% of the participants
indicated that technology was a main resource to find information. 10% of respondents
commented that technology was very useful for administrative tasks, and another 10%
viewed its use in student learning as a major function.
DISCUSSIONS
Conclusions/Implications (for your profession):
In an increasingly technology-rich world, teachers, principals, and other school leaders
must decide how to integrate technology into meaningful educational activities. Other
research has found that when administrators act as technology leaders, teachers and
students can better integrate technology into the school setting. Therefore, by keeping
up with the rapidly-changing technology and understanding how technology can improve
instructional practices, teachers can use technology to the fullest in improving their
instructional methods.
REFLECTIONS
Students Reflections (changes to your understanding; implications for your
school/work):
Technology is an incredibly critical resource in classroom instruction and management. It
is also very important for communication, data sharing and management, and for finding
information, but I wasnt fully aware of all of its usefulness. Since technology appears to
be so important for classroom instruction and student learning, I think it would be very
beneficial to further integrate technology into my classroom. Additionally, the school
administration and principal should have firm understandings of technology and provide
further training for teachers in technologys applications in education. With this
understanding, I, along with my colleagues, can improve our instruction methods and
allow students to better learn in platforms that they are already well-versed in.