Impact of Technology on Modern Education: A Research Proposal (ED5012)

This research proposal explores the multifaceted impact of technology on modern education. It begins by differentiating a research proposal from other assignments, outlining key components like research questions, literature reviews, and expected outcomes. The proposal then delves into the evolution of education, contrasting traditional teacher-centered approaches with contemporary, technology-integrated methods. It poses the research question: "What is the impact of modern technologies in the modern modes of education?" The proposal aims to identify both the positive and negative effects of technology on education, including a review of existing literature that examines mobile computing, technology-enhanced learning, and the digital divide. The literature review analyzes studies on student perspectives, applications of mobile technology, and the disparities in technology access. The proposal highlights the need for a holistic approach to address these issues and proposes a methodology that includes both qualitative and quantitative data to assess technology's influence on learning outcomes, with the goal of providing a comprehensive understanding of technology's role in shaping education.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Research Proposal
Name of the University:
Name of the Student:
Author Note:

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Difference between Research Proposal and other Assignments.
Typically, a research proposal is a written document, undertaken by an academician
or a scientist that proposes or pitch in an idea of research on a particular topic. It includes a
thorough investigation on the research topic, including defining the research area, stating the
importance of the same and the impact or consequences, if it has any. On the other hand, an
assignment is just a general understanding of a concept as per the given learning outcomes
provided in the class (Gale et al. 2013). The research proposal is much more authentic and
includes the following key points.
 Research questions to be addressed.
 Time and expense of the research.
 Literature review of the same.
 Evaluation of the findings and
 Benefits and limitations of the research and the recommendations if any needed
(Walliman. 2017).
Therefore, a research proposal is much more inclusive and has a micro approach to the
issues. However, an assignment is more generic and includes only the areas that are taught or
learnt and do not include much research on the topic. It sticks around the learning outcomes
provided by the teachers. Therefore, it does not have any authenticity, and has a macro
approach. Hence, a research proposal is better in approach than the assignments.
In the following essay the impact of technology in the modern mode of education will
be evaluated. The modern day education has a practical based approach. The traditional
modes of education was more teacher centred, where the teachers were viewed as the source
of knowledge. The approach was one way, where the teachers would provide the learning

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outcomes, orally or with some books, and the students were asked to follow those to expand
their knowledge and the evaluation processes would depend on the same. However, with the
advancement of computers and technology and the increasing accessibility and affordability
of the same, the modes of technology have stepped into the classroom system. Previously, the
modes of learning were more theory oriented, and the present odes of education is more
practical based with a discussion based approach. In the modern day education, the teachers
and students are seen to be equally engaged in the education system, with both being on the
same ground and indulging in a discussion on a topic. Previously, the teacher would only talk
about and discuss about the topic and the students would learn from that. However, in the
present scenario, the students are given one topic and are asked to gather knowledge through
whatever modes of learning, which can be both books available in the school library or the
journals and blogs and reports available on the internet. Therefore, this approach of modern
day education has both positive and negative aspects in it. Therefore, in the following study,
the impacts of the technologies on the system of education will be evaluated. On that note,
the previously undertaken studies will be reviewed and the lacks in those research areas will
also be discussed and a further analysis on the topic will be made with an aim to show how a
research proposal must be conducted including a holistic approach to the study.
Introduction:
The modern day education is not viewed from the perspective of basic need or
requirement or as a tool to learn the moral values and the code of conducts, rather it is now
viewed from market product (Illeris. 2014). The concept of education has changed drastically
in the present days. The learners and the students undertake education not because it is a
basic need but to get a job and to be competent in the modern market. The concept of
teachers has also been changed. Previously, the profession of tea her was not added with

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market values, it was observed as a noble profession with highest of social status and the
teachers were much respected. However, in today’s time, the profession of teacher is viewed
as any other profession and has a market value. There is no more a moral sense added to the
profession of teaching, rather, there is an increased competition in the field of teacher. They
are perceived as tools to provide needed and related knowledge in order to compete and
survive in the new market of professions, where new lines of profession is added
continuously, and they are no more perceived as personnel providing the sense of morality
(Illeris. 2014). It has now become a marketed product. The modern modes of education is
change as well. The class rooms have changed from teacher oriented study to study based on
discussion and practical knowledge. The students are now encouraged to indulge in research
oriented studies with experiencing first-hand knowledge by themselves, to compete in the
modern market (Buckingham. 2013). This has enabled the teachers to shrug off some of their
responsibilities and it has enable the students, not to get restricted to the limited knowledge
provide by their teachers, and to explore ideas and knowledge by themselves. The
development of the modern modes of education has been possible because of the contribution
of the modern day technologies. The inclusion of technologies in the modes of education has
changed the concept of the class room studies (Burke. 2017). Technologies have also opened
up newer avenues and fields to explore and newer ways to approach these new areas of
studies.
Purpose of the Study:
Therefore, the aim of the following study is to find out the positive and negative impacts of
technologies in the mode of education and the influence of the same in the modern modes of
education. In order to conduct the study certain previous done works have been included. The

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research further includes a proper methodology including the both qualitative and
quantitative data and the research has been conducted basing upon the finding of these data.
Research question:
What is the impact of the modern technologies in the modern modes of education?
Objectives:
 To find out the positive and negative impacts of modern technologies on the modern
education.
 To find out whether the negative impacts of using the modes of technologies
overwhelms the positive aspects of the same.
Literature Review:
Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with
cell phones, smartphones & social media:-
In this study, the authors, have presented that the usage of mobile and computing
devices are observed in the field of higher studies and the need and impact of the usage of the
same is higher among the students involved in the higher studies, rather than students who are
in junior classes. The paper also presents findings on the perception of the students on the
usage of technical devices. They have shown that the teachers are increasingly integrating the
usages of the traditional methods of learning with the newer methods of learning. In order to
conduct the research the researchers has been dependant on both the qualitative forms of data
and quantitative forms of data. They have undergone a study where he has interviewed

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students, who are pursuing higher studies and has evaluated how many students are
comfortable with this new modes of learning and think that it impacts upon the studies, and
also, tried to find out the number of students who are of the opinion that this new methods of
learning is frustrating and have further drawn conclusions on that (Gikas and Grant. 2013).
However, the scholars, did not present any comparison and has not stated which of the
section of the students outnumber the other section. They have also not presented that
whether, his assumption that the new methods of learning are les impactful for the junior
classes, is true.
Applications, impacts and trends of mobile technology-enhanced learning: a review of
2008–2012 publications in selected SSCI journals:-
In this particular study, the authors have tried to find out the applications and impacts
of the new mode of technology-enhanced learning. The article is based on the survey
conducted by the seven eminent Social Science Citation Index Journals of technology-
enhanced- learning and provides an evaluation of the findings. The study illustrated that the
usage of mobile phones in place of text books, as learning supports, are proving to be helpful
and beneficial for the students and are helping them to develop a self-perspective on the
concepts taught. The authors have found, that there is an increasing trend of using these
modes into the curriculum. The authors have dawned upon another important aspect, that is,
these new modes of learning support are much more accessible and cost effective, than the
books or the traditional learning supports. Therefore the popularity of these modes are
increasing among the students as well as among the teachers. They have also conducted a
survey in an elementary school, where there was a natural science course getting conducted.
There they spoke to the students on the achievements they made using the new technological
methods into their course learnings and evidenced that the students had accounted positively

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on the uses of the technologies into their readings (Hwang and Wu. 2014). However, the
researchers had only included the experiences of the students belonging from the science
background. They have not recorded the opinions of the students belonging to other sorts of
courses, and it is very obvious that the students belonging to the science background will
account positively on the topic as the technologies made the practical aspects of the learnings.
Therefore, it can be said that the studies that the researchers had undertaken was not holistic
in approach. More importantly, they had mentioned that the proper usage of technology is
likely to access achievement, but they have not mentioned the proper ways of using the
mobiles or computers for the learning purposes.
Scaling The Digital Divide: Home Computer Technology And Student Achievement:-
In this particular study, the authors have included a very important aspect of the
society. In the work, the authors have illustrated upon the disparity in the usage of the
mobiles and computers as the learning support. They have shown that there is a disparity in
the educational ground between the rich and poor kids. This disparity is an age old concept as
presented since a long time. However, a newer approach has got added to the list, that is, the
disparity in using the technological modes as the learning support. It is evidenced, as
according to the authors, that the electronic modes of learning is much more accessible to the
rich kids and that the usage benefits them in their education. Further, they have shown that
the same modes of learning support are not as easily accessible to the poorer kids and this is
evidently affecting the results of the students. Moreover, they have viewed that using the
electronic modes of learning support in the lower grades have a beneficial and positive
impact in the higher classes and the rich kids are reaping the fruit of the usage more than the
poorer kids. They ha heavily relied upon the findings of the government report for the
analysis. The government had taken some initiatives under the name ‘digital divide’, and had

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undertaken the survey across the youth of the society. Basing upon the findings, government
has also provided computers and supports to the poor families, however, as claimed by the
researchers, the disparity is still much evident across the globe (Vigdor, Ladd and Martinez.
2014). However, though the research has inflicted upon a very interesting point, yet they have
not justly adhered to a holistic approach. They have not accounted to the exceptional cases,
which is much visible, where he poorer kids have seen to have excelled than the rich kids.
Also, they have not accounted how the modes are helping the rich kids.
Therefore, all these studies, have lacked on a singular aspect, that is though have they started
with an approach to account the positive and negative aspects of the usage of the electronic
modes as learning support, but they have also included other approaches and thus have
deviated from the main concern and has not rightly illustrated up on the impacts of the
electronic, digital modes as learning support. Therefore, in the following study, only the
positive and negative impacts if the same will be evaluated, including both qualitative and
quantitative approach.
Methodology:
Methodology is an orderly, hypothetical examination of the strategies connected to a
field of study. It includes the hypothetical investigation of the assemblage of strategies and
standards related with a part of information. Commonly, it incorporates ideas, for example,
worldview, stages, subjective procedures or quantitative, hypothetical model. It is a
systematic body of principles and rules that include specific measures and methods in order
to evaluate and interpret the problems or issues. They are not formulas, rather specific steps
and techniques that are used to understand and evaluate the issues. Methodology is an
important and integrated part of the research processes in the field of social science (Gall et

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al. 2014). Methodology essentially includes sampling of the population, data collection from
the sampled population and defining and identifying the variables of the study.
Sampling: In case of research, the process of sampling refers to the process of chalking out a
group of people or set of objects or items from a larger focus area, which, is, the major focus
area, upon which the research is to be conducted. The sampling includes the subjects who
will be representing the research area and ensure that, generalisation from that particular set
of population, which is being evaluated, is possible (Burns, Bush and Sinha. 2014). There are
majorly, two types of sampling, Probability, where each person or item, belonging to the
focus area has an equal chance of getting selected in the sample. Another is, non-probability
sampling, where the process of sampling is made in a more systematic way, restricting some
of the items or subjects from getting selected.
Data Collection: The process of data collection is a procedure of gathering data from all the
pertinent sources to discover answers to the exploration issue, test the speculation and assess
the results. It is important to get accurate data in order to avoid the issues of validity and
reliability (Cleary, Horsefall and Hayter. 2014). There are majorly, two types of data
collection, Quantitative and Qualitative.
The qualitative data includes essentially the secondary data, which are, the works
done on the similar field by someone else and the data collected through surveys, with open
ended and structured questions (Taylor, Bogdan & Devault. 2015). The latter include the
opinions of the samples. The Quantitative data includes the numbers, quantities and statistical
approaches. The quantitative data only deals with the measurable data, while quantitative data
deals with the knowledge that were got through the modes of interviews and surveys and also
form the previous works (Goertzen. 2017).

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Variables: Variable, as the name suggests, are something that varies. It can be both
qualitative and quantitative. In case of research, the researchers or the social scientists deal
with data that are measurable and can change or vary across time and upon experimenting
and across groups or gender (Ary et al. 2018). There are, again, majorly, two types of
variable. Independent and dependent. As the name suggests, the independent variable are, the
variables that are independent in their orientation and are not attributed to anything and is
perceived as the major area of study. The dependant variable is, the one that is depending
upon the changes in the dependant variable.
Therefore, in the following study, the focus area, from where the sample is to be
collected is the youth or rather the students, both from the junior schools and the ones who
are pursuing the higher studies. The data collection process will include both the quantitative
and qualitative forms of data. The qualitative forms will include the interviews conducted
among the students and also, the teachers, since they are the ones who are evaluating the
growth and improvements of the students. The previous done works are also to be include in
the process of analysis. However, the quantitative data collection will include the statistical
analysis and representation of the collected data. The independent variable of the study is the
usage of the digital modes of learning support and the dependant variable will be educational
achievements, since the usage will be impacting upon the educational achievements.
Findings and Discussion:
As found upon research, the usage of technology has substantially impacted upon the
growth and improvement of the students. The smart learning processes in the classrooms, and
the usage of mobile phones and computers as the forms of learning support has improved the
educational achievements of the students. Upon conducting the interviews, it is found that the
smart learning methods that are being increasingly used in the classrooms, are attracting the

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attention of the students. They are more interested in the class conducts. They practical based
approach of the modern educational system has illustrated that the children are keener in
finding out the information on their own. They are more interested in conducting researches
on their own and are more interested in the class learnings. Moreover, they are seen to have
grown the habit of learning things on their own and are seen to be actively participating in the
class discussions. This is true for both the segments of the students, that is, the ones who re
belonging to the junior schools and the ones pursuing higher studies. There are certain
negative aspects of the usage of the same and it is more visible among the students pursuing
higher degrees rather than the kids, going to the junior schools.
However, on that note, it is important to mention that, this particular approach is more
holistic in approach. The claim of the study was to encompass only the positive and negative
impacts of the usage of digital modes of learning supports. Therefore, the research has only
focused upon the impacts. Moreover, the study has included students of all segments which
was a lacking point in many other studies. Moreover, the independent and the dependant
variable of the research has been properly defined and been further adhered.

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Gikas, J. and Grant, M.M., 2013. Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student
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