Project#7 Reflection &Objectives Addressed

Project#7: Integrating technology into the programs of pre-service Libyan ESL teacher
preparation
Objectives Addressed: 3, 4, 5, & 7

This project was submitted for ETR 720 (Advanced Research Methods in Education) and

this class was about advanced research procedures such as handling validity threats, selecting

from research designs, and following ethical research conduct. Therefore, my project in this class

focused on constructs of TPACK, which represent the potential of teachers’ knowledge that can

be developed by pre-service teachers to meet the classroom practice requirement of strategies

and skills. It is about determining factors that might control integrating technology into the

programs of preparing Libyan ESL pre-service teachers for their future career.

Among other advanced research procedures, I had to learn how constructs/

factors/variables/elements of the theories help explain or examine the research problem/questions

and provide a framework to the design of the study. To practice this aspect of the class, I decided

to use the social constructivist theory and Shulman’s (1986) TPACK model to guide my

proposed research. According to the social constructivist theory, the role of the teacher is to

facilitate construction of knowledge through active participation of the learner. A constructivist

teacher needs to use teacher knowledge to discover the learners’ prior experiences and to create

connections with target knowledge. Thus, the learner’s chances of developing new concepts and

internalizing the learning experiences are dependent on the pre-service teacher’s TPACK. Also,

my project included working with suggestions for improving my dissertation proposal with more

advanced research methods and details related educational technology. For example, I worked
with suggestions such as changing my design to include a previously used survey, which was

suggested by one of my classmates as peer feedback.

As mentioned earlier, I worked on a quantitative research design related to my dissertation

proposal. My project investigated the relationship between pre-service teachers’ TPACK and

their perceptions toward integrating technology in their teacher preparation programs. Statistical

data analyses will be used to measure the teachers’ knowledge and possibility of using

technology in their practicum and their classroom teaching. The study will show how two

constructs of TPACK (PCK and TCK) determine the success of ESL pre-service teachers in

applying knowledge from their teaching preparation into real classroom teaching. The findings

of the study will help teacher education programs in Libya integrate technology into their syllabi

and course work to meet the future requirements of technological use in education.

In conclusion, my gains from this project show evidence that I have satisfied the following

objectives of the MS-ERE program:

• Design a study of an educational research problem or phenomenon using appropriate

methodologies

This objective was achieved during my work on the proposal project, I was required to

design and develop parts of a proposed study according to the most appropriate approach of

methodology. My decision to utilize quantitative correlational survey design for measuring the

relationships between the variables reflected my commitment to achieving this objective of my

MS-ERE program.
 • Conduct a study pertaining to an educational research problem or phenomenon

Conducting the quantitative design proposal on ESL pre-service teachers’ TPACK was a

pertaining practice that is related to educational research domains. The requirements of a

quantitative design include the application of quantitative, data collection methods, random

sampling techniques, statistical data analysis, and all this makes the project meeting the above

objective in my field of education.

• Demonstrate effective communication skills by presenting and defending a research

project

Working on this project was an opportunity to communicate with my classmates and

getting together for discussing the issues related to each one’s dissertation proposal in the group.

Therefore, the objective of demonstrating effective communication skills was met, as our

discussions included presenting one’s proposal and defending the design or making changes

according to the suggestions and feedback from the other members of the group.

• Distinguish between ethical and unethical behavior when conducting educational

research or evaluation

Advanced research procedures included selecting from research designs, evaluating

research problems, handling validity threats, and following ethical research conduct. Therefore,

the project maintained achieving this objective, as it focused on conducting research that can

satisfy ethical research requirements regarding obtaining IRB permissions, preparing consent

forms, briefing the participants about their rights, and dealing with the data in formal and

confidential ways. In this class, experience with ethical issues ranged from learning about these

measure of ethical conduct, to applying them in reality to the context of my proposed study. As

an educational research course, this class provided me with knowledge about conducting
advanced research using appropriate methodologies and the most accurate ethical measures.

Thus, the objective of distinguishing between ethical and unethical behavior when conducting

educational research was met in the course of my dissertation proposal project.