Without a doubt, technology has changed the way students learn. In the world of research, technology is a double edge sward. Here, I will discuss a few ways that research has added and subtracted to the research process through experiential learning. Experiential learning is defined as learning through experience or reflection on one’s actions (Kolb, 1976).
Literature Reviews. Before a student embarks on a research project, they must complete a review of the literature that pertains to the topic under investigation. Historically, students were burdened with the task of going to the library and manually searching for journal articles for their literature reviews. Nowadays, a few keystrokes and internet-connection is all that is needed to have access to a wide range of articles. Not only do digital journal searches save time, but they also give students the advantage of accessing the most recently published articles from different parts of the globe, that otherwise might not be accessible in hard copy due to transportation time. The ease in which students search through articles can also increase the chances of students creating research that draws from different disciplines. In other words, online journal databases help to expose students to a wide range of literature, which may allow students to be creative in their brainstorming and learn to link seemingly different theories into one project.
Data Collection. Research is one of those areas where students learn by doing. Learning how to conduct research may require having access to participants so that individual thoughts, opinions, or experiences (i.e. data) can be obtained for analysis. In the past, research was conducted by in-person studies or using physical surveys that were printed and mailed to people to complete and return back. With the invention of online surveys, many survey companies have been created to help student researchers access a wider range of population. As such, students interested in a sensitive population that is not available in their current environment will be able to do so through online data collection.
Statistical Analysis Software. Today, student and professional researchers often compute statistical analyses through software such as R, SAS, SPSS, etc. Similar to literature reviews, these tools have made analysing data faster and more efficient. However, when these programs are introduced early in the student’s training process, it might affect the extent to which students develop a conceptual understanding of the underlying analyses being conducted. To illustrate this point, let’s take a look at regressions.
A regression analysis determines the extent to which one variable can predict another. Take for example the relation between hours a student has studied and exam grades. A regression can be used to determine whether the number of hours a student spent studying can predict their exam grade.
Some professors may discuss the theoretical framework of a certain statistical analysis to help students develop a conceptual understanding. However, the majority of the time may be spent learning how to navigate through SPSS and compute digital analyses step-by step. Instructors may emphasize how to interpret SPSS output rather than where these numbers are derived from. The issue with a teaching approach that emphasizes “how” instead of “why” is that students mindlessly conduct analyses without understanding why they are using one analysis instead of another.
Think it Through: If the use of statistical software is acceptable in real practice (i.e. research as a profession), does it really matter if students know why they are using a specific analysis?
Stop Sign: Time to Stop and Think
Image retrieved from https://www.creativesafetysupply.com/
The majority of students would argue that running lengthy statistics is the software’s job. It would be very time consuming to compute statistical analysis by hand, especially when you have data from over 100 participants. Others may argue that computers decrease the likelihood of errors in calculations. So why is it important?
Well CrossRoad readers, think of the software is a trained pet. Just like you tell your pet dog to sit and it sits, if you tell the software (via pressing buttons) to run a specific analysis, it will run that analysis for you. The software cannot make a judgement about whether or not the analysis you told it to compute is appropriate for your research question. Nor can it tell you how to accurately interpret your results. Having a conceptual understanding of what the calculations that the software is doing and what they mean will help the student develop a better judgement of when to use certain analyses.
Conclusion
As you can see, technology has found its way to the research world by increasing accessibility and decreasing time requirements. Highlighting the problems that technology presents in in the classroom, for instance in developing research skills, does not mean making an absolute judgement that technology is “bad”. Instead, making these observations should help educators develop productive plans that incorporate the technology without having it over dominate traditional skills that are important to have. Learning and technology need to co-exist, without having to sacrifice one for the other.
Tabarak
References
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Kolb, D. A. (1976) The Learning Style Inventory: Technical Manual, Boston,
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Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press). (n.d.). How to incorporate SPSS when teaching
statistics. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ34BvIuK_k