Education week 9 Assignment

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Committee Matching Preparation Assignment

Student Name: Angel Winslow Comment by Researcher: Nice work! A few more small revisions.

Student ID: A01033383

For the following items, please select the appropriate response from the drop-down menus.

Specialization: Early Childhood Education (ECE)

Doctoral Study Option: EdD Dissertation

Approach to the Study: Qualitative Methods

Working Title

Provide the working title for the study you plan to conduct. This should be no more than 12 words.

"The effect of Virtual Learning on Academic Success in Early Childhood Education" Comment by Researcher: This word also suggests a quantitative study. You are not looking for effects or impacts, you are seeking perceptions or descriptions. Teacher Perceptions of …..

Problem Statement

Provide one to two paragraphs that demonstrates a review of recent scholarly research that has relevance to the student's topic and field of specialization. Provide three to five current key citations and ensure the topic fits your specialization. In addition, the following is required based on the type of study:

1. Project study: Construct a logical argument for the need to address a meaningful local problem that focuses on a gap in practice with corresponding evidence to support the existence of the problem.

2. Dissertation: Construct a logical argument, with supporting evidence, that there is a current gap in the research literature about practice that is meaningful to the area of professional practice.

The problem for this study is that teachers struggle to engage early childhood learners in virtual learning. Educators in early childhood have often struggled to integrate virtual learning in early childhood education, limiting learners' interaction. Lack of interaction can hinder children's development and cause social withdrawal (Keller, 2020). Teachers used communication tools such as email, zoom, Seesaw, phone, or text to communicate with students and parents. However, students continued to struggle. A study by Zalat et al. (2021) demonstrates that integrating virtual learning has remained challenging for teachers in early childhood education. Working with technology with young children, is vital when integrating technology in early childhood learning. Technology increases academic success and overall student scores. Comment by Researcher: This may be the case, but your study is about the struggles of teachers. Do not get sidetracked or move off course from your single topic study.

Teachers struggle to work with technology with young children in early childhood education because technology influences lesson time and flow in the early childhood learning environment. A study by Ferri et al. (2020) found that pedagogical, technological, and social challenges deter the optimal use of such tools. To increase scores due to virtual learning, the learning tool Seesaw was used to teach students online virtually (Seesaw, 2014). In the field of early childhood education, to observe issues such as the unreliability of internet connectivity and students' lack of necessary electronic devices pose challenges to effective virtual learning. Similarly, Gillet-Swan (2017) states that virtual learning enables institutions to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to education. However, the cautions against the low engagement of learners who become physically isolated from their colleagues while using the technologies. Such barriers may include a lack of higher technical skills required to use the virtual learning tools and the inability of learners to engage in effective group work (Dhawan, 2020). Teachers struggle to use technology with young children as many educators believe that using digital technology has failed to transform classes, does not align with learning goals, and is therefore challenging to integrate into early childhood education curricular content. Comment by Researcher: This is not really evidence of their struggles since this is about teachers who do not agree with the use of technology with young children.

Purpose Statement

Present a concise, one-paragraph statement on the overall purpose or intention of the study, which serves as the connection between the problem being addressed and the focus of the study.

· In quantitative studies, state what needs to be studied by describing two or more factors (variables) and a conjectured relationship among them related to the identified gap in practice or problem.

· In qualitative studies, describe the need for increased understanding about the issue to be studied, based on the identified gap or problem.

· In mixed-methods studies, with both qualitative and quantitative aspects, clarify how the two approaches will be used together to inform the study

The purpose of this study is to investigate teacher perceptions of the challenges they encounter implementing virtual instruction with early childhood learners. The study examines the impact of virtual learning models on academic outcomes in early childhood educational settings. This goal is based on the need to fill the existing gaps in the literature on the subject. The study will also examine some crucial factors contributing to the teachers' struggle to use technology in early childhood. Most researchers investigating the relationship between virtual education and academic success often focus on higher institutions (Alves et al., 2017). As such, knowledge is scarce regarding the impact of distance learning on early childhood educational success. The study would be crucial in helping eliminate barriers that make teachers struggle to use technology with young children in early education. Comment by Researcher: Good and to the point.

Possible Research Question()

List possible research questions that show potential to address your stated problem, which will lead to the development of what needs to be done in this study and how it will be accomplished. Recall that:

· The research question should not be too broad or too narrow.

· The research question must be researchable.

· The research question should be neutral and not leading.

· The research question must be directly investigable using the research tools at hand.

· The research question avoids yes/no questions no matter what the approach.

· Research questions often begin with "How" or "What."

· What are the influences causing teachers to struggle with engaging early childhood learners in virtual learning? Comment by Researcher: Many of these questions are more like interview questions. Research questions are broader and they direct the study. What are teachers perceptions about the challenges they encounter implementing virtual instruction with young children?

· How does virtual learning improve Academic Achievement?

· What are ways parents can show support for children's academic success?

· How can barriers be eliminated to remove teachers' struggle to engage early childhood learners in virtual learning?

· How does a lack of engagement hinder a child's School Readiness Goals?

References

Include APA-formatted references for key research reviewed for the problem statement.

Alves, P., Miranda, L., & Morais, C. (2017). The influence of virtual learning environments in

students' performance.  Universal Journal of Educational Research,  5(3), 517-527.

Dhawan, S. (2020). Online learning: A panacea in the time of COVID-19 crisis.  Journal of

Educational Technology Systems,  49(1), 5-22.

Ferri, F., Grifoni, P., & Guzzo, T. (2020). Online learning and emergency remote teaching:

Opportunities and challenges in emergency situations.  Societies,  10(4), 86.

Gillett-Swan, J. (2017). The challenges of online learning: Supporting and engaging the isolated

learner.  Journal of Learning Design,  10(1), 20-30.

Keller, S. (2020, November 4). What effects are we seeing virtual learning has on kids, teachers,

and parents. Applied Imaging. https://www.appliedimaging.com/blog-it-services/virtual-

learning-what-teachers-and-parents-are-saying-about-the-impact-on-students/

Seesaw. (2014). Seesaw. Seesaw. https://web.seesaw.me/

Virtual learning for early childhood students. (n.d.). Www.uft.org. Retrieved August 11, 2021,

from https://www.uft.org/news/teaching/teacher-teacher/virtual-learning-early-childhood-

students.

Zalat, M. M., Hamed, M. S., & Bolbol, S. A. (2021). The experiences, challenges, and acceptance of e-learning as a tool for teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic among university medical staff.  PloS one,  16(3), e0248758