8113 Week 8 Assignment

2

To Prepare

For this revision of your purpose and problem statements, apply what you have learned from the feedback you have received, as well as the information you have learned from the required readings, web resources, and media.

By Day 7

Submit your draft.

As in previous drafts, your paper should include the following:

· Substantiated statements using evidence from research Note: Every statement must be substantiated by evidence from your research.

· One or two sentences that explain the purpose of your study Note: Connect the problem being addressed to the focus of your study.

· Demonstration of a logical flow from the preliminary problem to this (narrower) tentative purpose in your study

· Explanation of what aspect of the problem your study address (In other words, what will it accomplish?)

Find and review three scholarly sources to support your purpose.

Your newest draft of your paper should be in APA style and follow the guidelines provided in the document, “APA Course Paper Template with Advice (7th ed.)” found in the Learning Resources.

Use the template provided in the announcements, discussion board, and Doc Sharing!

Note that I often highlight the most important revisions needed in blue.

	Novice	Emerging	Proficient	Advanced	Points
	1 (10%) Fulfills minimal expectations of the assignment. Key components are not included.	1.6 (16%) Most parts of assignment are completed. Topics are not fully developed.	1.8 (18%) All parts of the assignment are completed, with fully developed topics.	2 (20%) Assignment exceeds expectations, integrating additional material, information, or both.	1.5
Adherence to Assignment Expectations	1 (10%) Assignment demonstrates minimal understanding of the course or module’s criteria.	1.6 (16%) Assignment demonstrates some understanding of the course or module’s criteria.	1.8 (18%) Assignment demonstrates a clear understanding of the course or module’s criteria.	2 (20%) Assignment demonstrates an exceptional understanding of the course or module’s criteria.	1.5
Assimilation and Synthesis of Ideas	1 (10%) Shows a minimal understanding of the assignment’s purpose.	1.6 (16%) Shows some degree of understanding of the assignment’s purpose.	1.8 (18%) Demonstrates a clear understanding of the assignment’s purpose.	2 (20%) Demonstrates a clear understanding of the assignment’s purpose as well as the intellectual ability to explore and implement key instructional concepts.	1.5
Assimilation and Synthesis of Ideas	1 (10%) Does not include specific information from course videos or required readings.	1.6 (16%) Minimally includes specific information from course videos or required readings.	1.8 (18%) Includes specific information from course videos or required readings to support major points.	2 (20%) Demonstrates exceptional inclusion of major points, using creditable sources, in addition to course videos or required readings.	1.5
Written Expression and Formatting	1 (10%) The quality of writing, APA formatting, or both are minimally acceptable for advanced graduate level work. The writing has many grammatical or mechanical errors. (1 point) The writing includes some attempt to convey ideas, but they need to be expressed more clearly and concisely.	1.6 (16%) Somewhat represents scholarly, advanced graduate-level writing. The writing shows more than a few grammatical or mechanical errors. Generally, follows APA style, but the elements of effective communication, such as an introduction and conclusion, are not included.	1.8 (18%) Work is well organized and uses mostly correct APA formatting throughout with few, if any, grammatical or mechanical errors. The elements of effective communication, such as an introduction and conclusion, are included.	2 (20%) Work represents scholarly writing in correct APA format; effective sentence variety; and clear, concise, powerful expression. The entire piece is well organized and includes an introduction and conclusion.	1.5
Total Points: 10	7.5

Name: EDDD_8003_Week6_Assignment_Rubric

The Impact of Virtual Learning on Academic Success in Early Childhood Education

Angel Winslow

EDD: Early Childhood Education, Walden University

EDDD 8113- Tools for Doctoral Research

Instructor: Steven Wells

October 9, 2021

The Impact of Virtual Learning on Academic Success in Early Childhood Education Comment by Steve Wells: Audio Comments: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/ZZCKLmr3ashrNcMWiUH1cC?

Introduction

The emergence of digital technologies has revolutionized the instructional and learning environments. Many learning institutions are adopting virtual education tools such as computers, teleconferencing, and telecommuting tools to improve student engagement and learning outcomes. Additionally, policymakers and researchers in the education sector are recommending the adoption of such technologies to respond to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted the physical face-to-face education system. While the success of virtual learning systems is widely acknowledged in higher learning institutions, few studies have been conducted on its impact in early childhood educational settings. Comment by Steve Wells: This section is not part of the assignment. Delete, please. Comment by Steve Wells: Need citation here. Comment by Steve Wells: Need citation here Comment by Steve Wells: Why do you believe this? You need to support this statement with evidence from peer-reviewed research lit. Do this in every paragraph, even if I do not mark it. :-) Present evidence in an unbiased manner. Only make assertions with support from the literature. Please review the following: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/logicalfallacies

Background

During the 2020-2021 school year when the pandemic forced schools to pivot to a virtual environment, school readiness goals were not met, and children’s scores decreased by 25%. Virtual learning is increasingly being promoted by educational policymakers to replace face-to-face models during the COVID-19 pandemic (Dhawan, 2020). This decision is informed by the desire to maintain young children’s learning while preventing the spread of the disease among the children population (Kaden, 2020). However, parents, teachers, and learners’ beliefs and attitudes towards its efficacy in accomplishing the desired academic outcomes remain largely unexplored by past and contemporary scholars (Avgerinou & Moros, 2020). This phenomenon is widely attributed to the newness of the technology among early learners.

Many schools in North America closed in-person learning following the outbreak of the pandemic. As a result, it has become clear that returning to physical learning models will be delayed from 2021 until the pandemic will have been managed in appropriate ways including immunization. In response to this crisis, many educational agencies have shifted teaching and learning from the physical to online platforms. While institutions of higher learning had already explored the academic feasibility of virtual learning on academic success, there is still a scarcity of knowledge on its impacts on early childhood education environments (Donohue et al., 2020). Therefore, there is a need to conduct research that directly responds to this concern by assessing the distinct challenges associated with remote teaching and learning and its impact on academic success in early childhood education contexts. Comment by Steve Wells: Please reduce this background section by half. Only one paragraph allowed.

Problem Statement

The problem is the lack of adequate resources to support virtual learning, and low rates of application of virtual learning technologies in early childhood education settings. Despite current advancements in computer-based and internet-based learning technologies, t Thehere rate at which the virtual learning technologies have been applied in early childhood education environments is significantly low (Donohue et al., 2020). Consequently, ECD education has seriously been affected especially due to the COVID-19 precautions that discourage closed classroom environments where the likelihood of the spread of the infection is high. Although vVirtual learning technologies have been applied in ECD education, its application has largely been limited to the traditional physical classroom learning environment (Timmons et al., 2021). The use of virtual learning technologies in ECD education has not been emphasized sufficiently. There has been an overreliance on the assumption that learning in ECD and low primary grades is mainly inquiry-based and play-based in which learning oriented to the development of motor and cognitive skills are highly emphasized (Timmons et al., 2021). As a result, application of virtual learning technologies has not been prioritized with the seriousness it deserves in light ofconsidering the COVID-19 pandemic. Comment by Steve Wells: Here are two problems. Choose one only. Comment by Steve Wells: Significantly is a quantitative concept dealing with probabilities less than .05 or .01. This doesn’t fit here. Comment by Steve Wells: What is ECD? Please follow abbreviation guidelines in APA. “When you first use a term that you want to abbreviate in the text, present both the full version of the term and the abbreviation” (APA, 2020, p. 173). Comment by Steve Wells: Keep working to write much more concisely. Please go through this passage one sentence at a time and reduce the number of words…write it more concisely. Then be sure that you used the best words to clearly communicate your meaning. Conciseness http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/scholarlyvoice/writingconcisely Refer to APA: Economy of Expression

Learning in ECD education has been paralyzed due to the overreliance on the traditional classroom teaching methods, and low application of virtual learning technologies. It is dangerous for children to learn in traditional closed classroom settings due to the risk of spread of the coronavirus. As a result, children in the ECD level are unable to progress academically since there are no effective and efficient virtual ECD learning models for teaching the children at home (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020). Although the virtual learning resources are affordable for some families, parents and guardians from low-income settings cannot be able to afford them unlike their counterparts from high-income settings. In this regard, it would be unfair for the department of education to expect all parents to purchase virtual learning resources for ECD education due to imbalances in wealth distribution in the society (Ferri et al., 2020). Therefore, it is crucial to examine ways through which virtual learning can be implemented effectively and efficiently without affecting the quality of life of the parents and learners or obstructing the curriculum. Comment by Steve Wells: I recommend deleting this paragraph and developing only the problem of low application rates. Add evidence from the lit.

I don’t see the sub-section on local evidence. I’m grading on this, so please include it.

The Gap in Practice (or the gap in the literature about practice) Comment by Steve Wells: This sub-section should only be one paragraph long. Please reduce all of this verbiage to one paragraph about the gap in practice formed by your problem.

The existing gaps in studies examining the effects of virtual learning technologies on educational success in early childhood educational settings is largely attributed to its newness in such contexts (Gillett-Swan, 2017). While previous researchers have found a strong positive correlation between their use in higher learning and educational success, a wide gap still exists on their impact in early childhood academic environments (Gillett-Swan, 2017). In that connection, Donohue et al. (2021) ributedattributed the absence of scholarly investigations on this important area of pedagogy on the newness of virtual learning to professional development in the field of early childhood education. According to them, such a gap has resulted in a few studies being generated to determine the efficacious practices for students or instructors who are still new to this learning approach. Similarly, Timmons et al. (2021) observed that the existence of a knowledge dearth on virtual learning programs is partly owed to the fact that learning in kindergarten and early primary school environments is often largely play- and inquiry- based. Consequently, educational researchers have placed minimal attention on the need to explore the importance of virtual learning on academic success in early childhood learning environments. Comment by Steve Wells: You can delete most of this paragraph. Your job is not to show a gap in research, but a gap in practice. There is a difference. Note for increased understanding: For both the EDD Dissertation and Project Study, the problem must be about a gap in practice as the EDD is an applied degree. A gap in practice is the difference between what is currently happening and what stakeholders would want to happen to achieve best practices. Keep in mind that a gap in the research/knowledge is not, in and of itself, a reason to conduct research. The need to address an identified gap in practice must be clear, current, and relevant to the discipline and area of practice. Comment by Steve Wells: Please review the lit in past tense, per APA. Comment by Steve Wells: Please review the lit in past tense, always. Please go through the rest of your paper and address all other instances of this issue, even if I did not mark them.

While the efficacy of virtual learning in supporting knowledge acquisition is widely mentioned by many researchers, their studies only emphasize on higher educational settings. According to Gayatri (2020), many early childhood education invitations and governments have switched from the traditional face-to-face learning to distance learning to respond to the outbreak of the pandemic without prior research understanding of its effectiveness in such contexts. Additionally, Ferri et al. (2020) observed that issues such as unreliability of internet connectivity and students’ lack of necessary electronic devices pose challenges to effective virtual learning. Similarly, Gillet-Swan (2017) argues that virtual learning enables institutions to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to education. However, he cautions against low engagement of learners who become physically isolated from their colleagues while using the technologies. Furthermore, he observes that such learners encounter many challenges to their full participation compared to their traditional counterparts (Gillet-Swan, 2017). Therefore, there is a need to fill this knowledge gap by exploring the impact of virtual learning models on early childhood education success. Comment by Steve Wells: So, we still do not know what the problem is. We have an idea about the general topic, but no research problem. Comment by Steve Wells: Same comment this time. Need a narrower, more concise, clearer problem statement with evidence.

Virtual learning is an educational exercise that occurs over the internet as a form of distance knowledge acquisition. It is an educational exercise that occurs over the internet and with the support of other digital tools, which include computers, smartphones, and tablets. The practice is widely becoming ubiquitous in the face of the emergence and spread of the COVID 19 pandemic. According to Kim (2020), the existing gap in studies associated with virtual learning in early childhood education the slow pace of adoption in such contexts and teachers’ hesitance to gain the technical skills required to tailoring them towards optimizing children’s intellectual growth and development. Adedoyin and Soykan (2020) explain that the process of digital transformation of schools against the backdrop of the pandemic is an uphill task that requires sufficient strategic preparation, trust establishment, and collaborative organizational knowledge and skills. To fill this knowledge gap, researchers need to equip learners and educators with the technological competence required to use digital technologies for optimizing academic success. In the same vein, Timmons et al. (2021) urge modern researchers to turn their attention to investigating the use of virtual learning tools to optimize academic success since the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended temporary closure of schools as part of their efforts to promote children’s health and safety due to the pandemic.

Some of the public health measures that WHO recommends include mask wearing and mandatory social distancing. According to the researchers, the latter recommendation directly affects early childhood educational practices since it paves the way for the introduction of alternative learning models, such as distance or virtual education. However, the researchers observe a major paucity of studies that have been previously conducted on the area within the context of early childhood education. Additionally, they call for the need to explore how such technological tools can be employed to optimize students’ knowledge acquisition and retention. To fill the knowledge gap, there is a need to conduct a study, which is geared towards determining the impact of virtual learning tools in determining students’ academic success. Most specifically, such a study will go a long way in encouraging subsequent scholarly investigations into this problematic area of knowledge.

Evidence

During 2020-2021 school year School Readiness Goals of a Head Start Agency declined by25%. Within the same timeline, the communication education Tool “Seesaw “was used to Improve School Readiness Goals. Schools are increasingly becoming aware of the diversity of their existing and prospective learners. Consequently, they are shifting from traditional models of learning to incorporate flexible strategies that accommodate remote learners. In the face of such shifts, however, schools are not yet fully ready to adopt hybrid learning techniques. The lack of application ineffective use of virtual learning in early childhood education is also attributed to shortage of technological systems that are customized to meet children’s needs. For instance, Inan (2021) states that when schools closed abruptly due to the pandemic, they lacked systems, teaching and learning models, and procedures for online learning including study content. Therefore, application and implementation of virtual learning in ECD education need to be examined in order to model effective and relevant virtual learning systems.

Purpose Statement

The study aimspurpose of this study is to investigate 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 literature on the subject. Most researchers who investigate the relationship between virtual education and academic success often focus on higher institutions (Alves et al., 2017). As such, there is scarcity of knowledge regarding the impact of distance learning on early childhood educational success. Comment by Steve Wells: We would like to see the methodology and the population in the purpose statement, please.

References

Adedoyin, O. B., & Soykan, E. (2020). Covid-19 pandemic and online learning: the challenges

and opportunities. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-13.

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.

Donohue, C., Johnson, A., Lucas, P., Lynd, C., Mukerjee, J., & Thouvenelle, S. (2020). Distance

.Learninglearning and Early Childhood Educationearly childhood education.

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

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

Gayatri, M. (2020). The Implementation of Early Childhood Education in the Time of Covid-19

Pandemic: A Systematic Review. Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews, 8(6), 46-54.

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

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

Kaden, U. (2020). COVID-19 school closure-related changes to the professional life of a K–12

teacher. Education Sciences, 10(6), 165.

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/

Schachter, H. L. (2017). Organization development and management history: a tale of changing

seasons. Public Administration Quarterly, 233-253.

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

Shafiei Sarvestani, M., Mohammadi, M., Afshin, J., & Raeisy, L. (2019). Students’ experiences

of e-Learning challenges; a phenomenological study. Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual

Learning in Medical Sciences, 10(3), 1-10.

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-

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