Research Methodology in Education, ETEC 500, was one of the first courses that I completed in my Masters. It was here that I learned how to review educational research, and also how to plan and execute an action research study. I am extremely thankful that I completed ETEC 500 early in my Master education. ETEC 500 gave me the knowledge and the confidence to critically assess, plan, and execute research.

In ETEC 511, Foundations of Educational Technology, I produced a report titled, Socioeconomic Factors, the Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning, and the Impact on Achievement: A Critical Review of the Research. This experience taught me that educational technology has the power to bridge socioeconomic gaps and the gender divide. This is also the paper that first sparked my interest in the factors of educational technology that affect academic achievement.

You can read Socioeconomic Factors, the Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning, and the Impact on Achievement: A Critical Review of the Research in its entirety directly on this blog. The literature review has summarized and critiqued seven research articles, beginning with pre-school aged students and moving throughout the ages to secondary school graduates, and focuses on the socio-economics of educational technology. The synthesis will point out that ICT has the tremendous power to transform education and to improve academic achievement. Students from various socio-economic backgrounds can benefit from ICT integration, but as the synthesis suggests only if the technology is integrated carefully and if the use of ICT is prioritized.

Reference

Avenia, T. (2012). Socioeconomic factors, the use of technology in teaching and learning, and the impact on achievement: A critical review of the research (Unpublished masters report). The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC