Methodology

   This post is my methodology of how and why I am conducting the research I am doing.  My methodology primarily talks about the surveys I have conducted at the University of Central Florida and how I went about distributing these surveys to get a random yet accurate population.  Moreover, this will become apart of my final research report in the primary research document.

Methodology:

            In order to try to eliminate the gap on student perspectives on technology usage in the classroom, a survey was conducted at the University of Central Florida (UCF).  Fifty undergraduate students of all different majors were randomly asked to participate in the survey.  Students in the Student Union were indiscriminately selected and asked to participate in the survey.  The Student Union was the major student center and meeting area at UCF, which made this an ideal location to find a variety of different students to participate.  When a student was approached about a survey they were first asked if they were willing to participate. This included a brief synopsis of the research question at hand.  If the student agreed to the survey, they were then asked if they were an undergraduate student, since the primary focus of the study was to observe undergraduate student attitudes.  The undergraduates surveyed were allowed to have any major and any year, as long as their Bachelor of Arts had not yet been obtained.

            The questions in the survey were based on strictly student perspectives.  Questions consisted of preferences with online courses, feelings toward technology, and if technology usage had increased their grades.  Students also had to provide their major, year in school, and a short sentence explanation of how technology had either helped or hurt them in school.  The primary focus was geared toward student feelings as many researchers who have investigated this topic lack the evidence of student angles.  In the end, student attitudes and adjustments toward technology were what created the outcomes in the overall academic performance of a student.  The findings from the study have contributed to research on whether or not technology has in fact increased test scores and has made students better learners overall.

            The survey approach was best because it served as the most efficient way to get in contact with students.  With a survey many questions can be asked to numerous participants in a short time, as opposed to an interview that would entail fifty different individual meetings.  Moreover, UCF was an excellent school to investigate due to its size, the second largest university.  This made the population surveyed a very diverse community of students.