Critics and Reflections on Scholarly Writing
- AE QuiSan
- Jun 10, 2024
- 3 min read
The first scholarly document I want to reflect upon is titled “Factors Hindering Academic Outcomes in a School that Implements Technology-Based Learning.” I worked on this paper for the course LTEC 5030, where I evaluated and critiqued one chapter from the book Theories of Learning and Performance of the Foundations of Educational (2015) by Spector. In this chapter, the author argues that technology, specifically gamification features, contributes poorly to learning enhancement. This argument is based on cases where a school invested a large amount of money to acquire technology for students, which parents argued resulted in little improvement in their children’s academic performance. My position in this paper was to propose a feasible solution to leverage technology for education and to act as a consultant, helping those in charge of acquiring the technology make better choices to assist students in the classroom.
In summary, the first scholarly document is well-structured, presenting the reader with an introduction to the topic, a breakdown of the pros and cons of the case, and strategic solutions to the problem scenario. Additionally, all the information is supported by professional advice based on experience, references, verifiable evidence, and solutions to similar problem scenarios.
This scholarly document was one of the first in my Learning Technologies (M.S) program, so there is understandably a lot of room for improvement, especially in the selection of words to communicate ideas. For example, I noticed that I had little variation in transition words. While this does not disrupt the flow of the content, it is a common trait of someone who is still learning to expand their vocabulary, particularly as an English as a Second Language student. Aside from that, I observed that the content is clear and has an academic tone. I am confident that anyone with little to no knowledge of the topic can follow along and understand the problem, the arguments, the evidence, and the proposed solutions.
The second scholarly document selected for this deliverable is from LTEC 5610. The document is a research article critique of the chapter The Construction of Gamer Identity in Narratives About Video Game Playing and Formal Education Learning Experiences from Research in Learning Technology by Ai, J., Cross, B., & Bignell, C. (2023). The purpose of this text was to analyze the role of gamification in a formal learning setting through the collection of qualitative data from college students in China and Scotland. In contrast to the scholarly document discussed earlier, this document aimed to break down the authors’ strategy for studying the influence of video games on learning and to provide reasoning either in favor of or opposing the approach selected to collect data to support arguments.
The LTEC 5610 document is a proper example of a scholarly paper, as it presents ideas in a logical sequence, starting with providing the reader with the source information and continuing with expanding on key points where I state my arguments about how the study was addressed by the authors. The research article critique includes specific jargon related to gamification, technology, and education, while still communicating the content to the reader in a clear and formal tone. Additionally, the document is free of grammar and spelling errors, both essential to scholarly writing.
One aspect I am still working on improving is reducing the use of ambiguous words in scholarly writing, such as “great” and “good.” Although I have not used them in the deliverables referenced here, as a personal commitment to improving my professional writing, I acknowledge the need to continue expanding my vocabulary to enhance the quality of my written work.
The two scholarly documents mentioned here were delivered in different formats and for different purposes, but there is a consistent interest in understanding how technology can aid learning outcomes in the classroom. While I have not researched gamification for learning extensively, I am genuinely interested in better understanding technology for educational purposes and how to leverage positive emotions through interaction with technology to enhance the learning experience and knowledge retention.
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