JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW TEMPLATE

North American University

Education Department
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction
EDUC 5324
Name: Celal Aydar

Date: 7/3/2015

Cite the reviewed article in APA format:

Waxman, H., Boriack, A., Yuan-Hsuan, L., & MacNeil, A. (2013). Principals' Perceptions
of the Importance of Technology in Schools. Contemporary Educational Technology,
4(3), 187-196.
INTRODUCTION
Research Questions (if research questions are not specifically mentioned, what is
the theoretical background or overarching theme):

(a) What are principals perceptions of the importance of technology? and (b) Do
principals perceptions of technology differ by years of experience and gender?
Purpose of the research: The present study builds on the prior research and includes an

open-ended, cognitive interview question that allows for the examination of principals
perspectives and 191 orientations toward technology. Furthermore, while other studies
have explored differences by type of school, the present study focuses on principal
characteristics such as years of experience and gender
METHODOLOGY
What is the methodology for the research or approach used to understand the
issue? Provide information regarding the following:

A convenience sample of 310 principals from a large metropolitan area in the southwest
region of the United States responded to a cognitive interview questionnaire that asked
principals about their perceptions regarding the importance of technology for their
schools.
Participants: 310 principals from a large metropolitan area in the southwest region of
the United States. The sample consisted of 126 males and 184 females. A range of years
of experience was present with 104 participants having 0-3 years of experience, 82
participants having 4-7 years, 55 participants having 8-11 years, 32 participants having
12-15 years, and 31 participants having greater than 15 years of experience
Procedures: The questionnaire was administered by graduate students in the
Educational Leadership program at a major, urban doctoral-granting university located in
the south central region of the U.S. As part of the principals certification course
requirements, students were trained on how to administer the instrument and required to
interview a specific number of current public school principals. The survey instrument
was designed specifically for this purpose and included both qualitative and quantitative

questions.
Data Collection Methods/Data Source: Cognitive interview questionnaire
Data Analysis: Analysis of the interview data began with a process of data reduction.
The participants responses were read several times to become familiar with the data. The
data was then coded into meaningful categories. Once the categories were established,
another researcher independently coded a 10% sample of responses to determine the
consistency of the coding. The inter-coder reliability results revealed a high level of
agreement (Cohens kappa = .94).
RESULTS
Findings or Results (or main points of the article): The present study indicates that

principals perceptions of the major functions of technology in their schools are varied by
sex and years of experience. The results from the present study suggest that principals
view technology as important for carrying out communication and instruction. They also
see the importance of using technology for data sharing and management, as a resource,
for administrative tasks and for student learning. This indicates that principals have a
positive view of technology and are using technology themselves.
DISCUSSIONS
Conclusions/Implications (for your profession): Principals are holding the

leadership position. And their perceptions of the major functions of technology and
familiarity of using technology are important to implement technology in their school.
What I understand from this study is we need to make our principal more aware on new
trends in technology use and its effectiveness to improve success in schools.
REFLECTIONS
Students Reflections (changes to your understanding; implications for your
school/work): Technology awareness should be one of the more important

characteristics of todays educators. It is not just important for school principals but also
for teachers and counselors. Time is money; we should not let our students get less than
they required for being ready for 21st century. Technology is playing very important role
for us to help our kids to get ready and be more successful in their future endeavor.