Article Critique
1. Provide the complete article title and author?
2. State the intended audience. What is empirical research and how does it help in the classroom?).
The article I have chosen to critique is called "Laptops and Fourth Grade Literacy: Assisting the Jump over the Fourth -Grade Slump", completed by Kurt A. Suhr, David A. Hernandez, Douglas Grimes, and Mark Warschauer. The study was completed to see if a "one-to-one laptop program" could improve English Language Arts (ELA) scores of upper-elementary students over a two year period (Grimes, Hernandez, Suhr, & Warschauer, 2010). Typically, there has been a "slow down or English Literacy development (ELA) during transition form learning to read to reading to learn" during this time known as the fourth grade slump (Grimes, Hernandez, Suhr, & Warschaurer, 2010). The research intended audiences is upper elementary grades in school systems all over the country. The study hoped to demonstrate how empirical research can aid in classroom instruction using active learning (with laptop computers) with students in conjunction with traditional methods.
3. What is/are the research question.questions or hypothesis/hypotheses?
The purpose of this study included three questions; these questions would be researched over two year period. There would be a treatment group; students participating in a one-to-one laptop program, and a control group of students who did not participate in the program (one-to-one laptop). The three questions were as followed: 1) Were there significant differences in the total ELA score changes in the California Standard Test (CST) over a two year period from third to fifth grade between the one-to-one laptop group and and the non-laptop group, after controlling for other factors? 2) Were there significant differences in six sub-tests used to compute those total ELA scores for the same group? 3) Can participation in a one-to-one laptop program be used to predict changes in ELA total and subtest scores over a two year period from third grade to fifth? (Grimes, Hernandez, Suhr, & Warschaurer, 2010, p.11). Many school systems are struggling with trying to determine if technology instruction can equate to higher standardized test scores, or due the fact that pencil and paper is not being used with this type learning could it have a negative effect?(Grimes, Hernandez, Suhr & Warschaurer, 2010, p.10-11). Hopefully, trying to answer the questions above will give educators more information for discussions.
4. Describe the subject (participants) and the procedures (methods) used by the researcher(s)?
The researchers used three different schools in southern California for the study, a total of 108 participants were used. The participants were divided into two groups; a treatment group, consisting of students using laptops and a control group of students not using laptops. Each group has an equal 54 participants. Gender was divided as follows among the participants; 55 females and 53 males. The participants were also divided among ethnic groups mainly two; White (49) and Asian (50). Others represented were Filipino (1), Hispanic (7), Pacific Islander (1), and one label as an English Language Learner. I did not totally understand this since the populations of the participating schools were 47% Hispanic, 28% White, and 20% Asian (Grimes, Hernandez, Suhr & Warschauer, 2010, p.12,16).
The participants California standard test (CST) in third-grade were used as pre-test baseline, and their CST in fifth grade were used as post-test. Several background characteristics of participants were also looked such as parent education level. In the articles introduction and literature review it was pointed out that the fourth grade reading slump phenomenon was "especially prevalent among low socioeconomic status students", especially non-whites. However, children of economic advantage homes they pointed out score significantly higher on reading performance and the gap widens in fourth grade (Chall & Jacobs, 2003). Therefore, background information characteristics such as parent education level were looked at along with ethnicity and gender. Each group of participants had different set of teachers each year of the study, therefore, limiting the influence of one teacher having a advantage in teaching the program.
5. What were the conclusions of the researchers? Do you agree or disagree with the conclusions? Support your position.
At completion of the study it was revealed that the laptop group outperformed the non-laptop group, proving their hypotheses. I do agree with their basic conclusion, however, several things were pointed out in their discussion of the study that need to be taken into account. First, the change in reading comprehension scores were still negative for both groups, less for for the treatment group versus control group, therefore, the fourth grade slump was still evident. Second, the positive effect of lap-top use appeared only after second year, possibly due to the learning curve experience by both teachers and students in the first year of a one-to-one classroom. This would be consistent with other research data on laptop programs (Grimes & Warschauer, 2008). Third, ethnic groups (other than White and Asian) were not sufficiently represented in the study. Fourth, hard to rule out limitations due to school funding, school size, teacher education level, etc. Fifth, the researchers pointed out a larger sample size might produce different results looking at past research (Smith, 1981;Streiner, 2006). A couple of other variables noted not performed by the study were a "cost-benefit analysis" comparing laptop interventions to other types of intervention, and finally duration of the study. It was pointed out that if the positive effect was greater after the second year, what if the study would have been continued would positive effects continue to go up?(Grimes, Hernandez, Suhr, & Warschaurer, 2010, p.37,38). Therefore, I cannot totally support their conclusion due to their own discussion pointed out to many variables in my opinion.
6. What suggestions for further research do the authors suggest? What other suggestions for future would you suggest?
Further research needs to include some the variables discussed above in my opinion. I think the correlation of one-to-one computing instruction to standardized test scores would be very important to look at in future research, considering the importance of standardized testing as it relates to university admission polices today. Roblyer and Doering point out several educational issues & implications on how technology and one-to-one computing advocated by this article could affect school systems. These include lack of funding, cultural and equity issues such as digital divide, a discrepancy in access to technology associated with socioeconomic groups with which was addressed in this article (p.17-18).
