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: Metin Yurt Date: 06.06.2020

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):
1- What are principals’ perceptions of the importance of technology?
2- Do principals’ perceptions of technology differ by years of experience and
gender?

Purpose of the research:

The main purpose of the research is examination of principals’ perspectives and
orientations toward technology. Furthermore, it focuses on principal characteristics
such as years of experience and gender.

METHODOLOGY
What is the methodology for the research or approach used to understand the
issue? Provide information regarding the following:

Participants: A convenience sample of 310 principals from a large metropolitan area

in the southwest region of the United States. The sample consisted of 126 males and
184 females.

Procedures: The participants were asked open-ended questions (interview

questionnaire) regarding the importance of the technology for their schools by graduate
students in the Educational Leadership program at a major, urban doctoral-granting
university located in the southcentral region of the U.S.
The questions were both quantitative and qualitative.
Data Collection Methods/Data Source:

Only the data from the interviews was used for the research. The interview questions
were “Has technology had an impact in your school?" and "If so, in what specific ways
has it made a difference?”

Data Analysis: Analysis of the interview data began with a process of data reduction.
The participants’ responses were read several times to become familiar with the data.
The data was then coded into meaningful categories. Once the categories were
established, another researcher independently coded a 10% sample of responses to
determine the consistency of the coding. The inter-coder reliability results revealed a
high level of agreement.

RESULTS

Findings or Results (or main points of the article):

Followings are the main findings of the article.

• Principals’ perceptions of the major functions of technology in their schools are

varied by sex and years of experience.
• Principal preparation programs may want to consider addressing technology
leadership so that school leaders are better prepared to effectively implement
technology in their schools.
• Schools should provide funding and opportunities for principals to attend
technology training.

DISCUSSIONS

Conclusions/Implications (for your profession):

This study provides insight into principals’ perceptions of technology importance but
further research is needed to fully address the issue of how these perceptions influence
technology leadership.

As society increases as a technology-rich environment, school leaders are faced with

how to support the integration of technology into meaningful learning activities and
how to evaluate the use of technology within their schools (Yu & Durrington, 2006).
MacNeil and Delafield (1998) found that when administrators act as technology
leaders, the teachers and students integrate and use technology more successfully. Yet
many school administrators are novice technology users and have little experience or
training in the knowledge and skills required to be effective technology leaders
(Ertmer, Bai, Dong, Khalil, Park, & Wang, 2002). To help teachers integrate
technology, school leaders need to keep up with the latest technology. Without this
knowledge, administrators find it difficult to help teachers understand the use of
technology in the classroom. Additionally, Paben (2002) indicated that school leaders’
visions for their schools must include technology. Schmeltzer (2001) argues that
administrators need a broad set of experiences; they need to develop an understanding
of how technology can improve instructional practices and a repertoire of strategies for
supporting teachers’ efforts to use technology in the classroom.

REFLECTIONS

Student’s Reflections (changes to your understanding; implications for your

school/work):

Technology has changed the way people live, from use of the Internet to the way we
communicate with text messages and e-mails. This change is also evident in our school
system. This study focused principals’ perceptions of the importance of technology.
From this qualitative research study, I learned that school principals need to become
more familiar with the digital tools to better implement technology effectively in the
classroom. Professional developments in technology skills needs to be more available
and flexible for principals. Principals must be leaders of technology in their mission
and vision for their schools. They must get involved with planning and infrastructure to
ensure their schools are properly equipped with technology tools. Teachers will be
better equipped to incorporate technology in the classroom if they have adequate
access as well as proper professional development. Students will be better able to
compete in the digital age of the 21st century. Principals should accountable for the
integration of technology into the curriculum at their school.