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Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences

Special Issue

ISSN 1112-9867 Available online at

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A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON PRE PRE-SERVICE SERVICE TESOL TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USE OF ICT FOR TEACHING IN MALAYSIA

J. A. Kumar1,∗, S. Osman2 and R. K. M. Pranchis3 1

Centre for Instructional Technology and Multimedia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

2 3

Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 81310Johor Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

School chool of Languages, Literacies and Translation, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Published online: 25 May 2018 ABSTRACT This paper presents the preliminary findings of pre pre-service service Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) teachers’ attitude towards using ICT for language teaching. Technology is ambiguous and the demand for utilizing it to support the needs of a 21st century learner is ever growing. Therefore, we aim to explore how millennials as future teachers perceive their role in catering to this requirement especially in language learning. The study was conducted in a university in Malaysia using descripti descriptive ve quantitative design on 50 pre-service service TESOL teachers. It was found that overall attitude is positive and device ownership has no effect on their overall attitude on using ICT for teaching. They perceived ICT as beneficial in developing interesting tools for teaching and a motivating factor. However, they negatively perceived their competency in developing and integrating such tools for teaching in the future. Keywords: ICT; language learning learning; pre-service teachers; attitude.

Author Correspondence, e-ma mail: [email protected] doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jfas.v10i1s.94

Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Attribution 4.0 International License. Libraries Resource Directory Directory. We are listed under Research Associations category.

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1. INTRODUCTION Would it be possible for teachers to run away from using technology in their classroom today? The answer is most probably NO. Research on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integration in the classroom such as online learning, social media and mobile communication hassomewhatconcentratedonthepotentialbenefitsthesetoolsonstudentsandhowit has catalyst the growth of the education industry. ICT is seen as a core element in today’s classrooms [1]. It has been universally accepted that, the 21st century education is online, interactive, open, distributed and widely accessible and classrooms everywhere are racing to fulfil this ever demanding needs. Therefore, teachers are introduced to different methods of instructional technology in the hopes they will be able to meet with the demands by higher education instructions goals of educational technology integration in today’s classroom [2]. Some of the examples are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Learning Management Systems (LMS), Virtual Learning Environments(VLEs) and mobile learning. In reference to language learning, in [3] claims that there is a large body of literature relatingtothebenefitsofICTbyusingComputerAssistedLanguageLearning (CALL). They added that language learning especially for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) by utilizing technology such as blogs, podcast, online games, LMS, social media are found to be positively perceived by students and improve learning outcomes. According to the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013 - 2025 [4], it is a priority of the Ministry to simultaneously boost English language learning (Shift-2) and apply innovative online teaching methodologies (Shift-7) to uplift the educational paradigm of Malaysia. Nevertheless, we sometimes tend to forget the focal point in any education systemarenot always students but the teachers who are the ambassador or more like "movers and shakers" that determines the successful implementation of any instructional technology in the classroom. Therefore, the issue lies in trying to understand their attitude towards adapting and balancing to the needs of this generations learning goals, policy makers’ goals and their very own teaching goals. The demand of technology in today’s classroom has a significant impact on how teachers manage pedagogy in a modern education [5]. According to [6],

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technology mastery for teaching and learning requires a paradigm change for teachers and it is obvious that ICT through internet, mobile computing and online learning has created a vast number of possibilities and also problems to teachers [5]. We are not referring the obvious benefits of ICT in the classroom, but were looking tan other point of view relating to teachers’ attitude in fulfilling this need.

ICT skills of teachers are known to be limited to basic skills in computers, smart phones and web-based application that are commonly used in their daily lives [7]. For language learning, in [3] claims that adapting and integrating technology is crucial. Therefore, pre-service teachers will need to adapt to these needs because a teachers is not only a person that delivers contents but also facilitates modern teaching scenario [5] as per the needs of today’s students. Therefore, it is highly important for pre-service teachers to be trained with skills required for them to adapt to ICT integration and innovation in the classroom and at the same time have the right attitude to ensure its success [7]. Nevertheless, with the ever-growing availability and innovation of ICT for teaching and learning, some researchers do believe that it may not really have a prominent role in learning language as a whole [3]. Therefore, in this study, we explore the attitude of pre-service TESOL teachers in using ICT for teaching English and if device ownership has an influence on their overall attitude. Secondly, we will explore their perceived benefits and challenges in the role of ICT in teaching English.

2. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The research questions of this study are as follow. i. What are the perception of pre-service TESOL teachers in the adaption of ICT in teaching English? ii. Does mobile device ownership influence pre-service TESOL teachers’ perception towards using ICT in teaching English? iii. What are the perceived benefits of using ICT in teaching English? iv. What are the perceived challenges in using ICT in teaching English?

3. METHODOLOGY This quantitative study attempts to establish a foundation on further exploring pre-service

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TESOL teachers’ attitude towards using ICT for teaching English. The sample of the study were TESOL pre-service teachers who are minoring in multimedia in one of the universities in Malaysia. The intervention was carried out prior to the respondents participating in a semester of class relating to the application of ICT in teaching. This preliminary test was carried out on the second week of the semester to explore the initial attitude of these teachers. The sampling method used in this study is purposive sampling. The instrument used in this study was adapted from the "Lecturers’ attitude towards using ICT in EFL education" by [8] with permission. The original questionnaire had a reliability coefficient of α = 0.85. Some of the items were changed to suit the context of the study such as from “ICT is particularly important for the running of the course I teach” to “ICT is particularly important for teaching English”. The questionnaire had 20 items and the response was measured using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The questionnaire was categorised in three sections; overall attitude (Item 1-3), perception on the benefits of ICT (Item 4-10) and negative perception on the use ICT (Item 11-20). Respondents were also required to fill in details such as gender, age, and number and type of mobile device ownership used to access learning tools. The results of the questionnaire will not only show the initial attitude of the respondents towards using ICT but also if device ownership has a significant impact on their perception.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The data obtained in this study were analysed using SPSS 20. The reliability coefficient obtained for the instrument was α = 0.872which surpass the preferable value of 0.8 [9]. Prior to calculating the reliability value, items 11 to 20 were reversed as they were negatively worded.

The demographic profile of the respondents are reported in Table 1. The total number of respondents were 50 and majority of them were female (N= 44, 88 %). Most respondents own at least two devices (N=28, 56%) that were used for their current learning activities. The most commonICTdeviceusedforlearningisthelaptop(86%),followedbythesmartphone(80%).

The

Shapiros-Wilk tests showed that the measures used in the analysis were normally distributed at p> 0.05. Based on this finding, parametric analysis were performed using ANOVA and

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independent t-test. Table 1. Demographic profile of the respondents Demographic Gender

Age

Laptop Ownership

Smartphone Ownership

Tablet Ownership

Device Ownership

Characteristics Frequency Percentage Male

6

12

Female

44

88

18-20 years old

6

12

21-25 years old

44

88

Yes

43

86

No

7

14

Yes

40

80

No

10

20

Yes

7

86

No

43

14

1

16

32

2

28

56

3

6

12

Overall, it was found that pre-service TESOL teachers had an above average yet tending towards a positive attitude towards the use of ICT in TESOL education with M=3.715 and SD= 0.492. For the first research question, based on an one-way ANOVAtest, it was found that there was no statistically significant difference in the number of devices used (Laptop, smartphone or tablet) on their attitude towards using the ICT for teaching at F(2,47)= 0.921, p= 0.405). The same results were also obtained based on the ownership of each device using independent t-test respectively [laptop: t(48)= 1.68, p= 0.868; smartphone: t(48)=1.528,p= 0.133; tablet: t(48)=324, p=747]. For the next research question that is to explore the overall perception of pre-service teachers’ attitude towards using ICT in teaching English, items 1-3 were explored (Table 2). For the first item relating to the overall belief on the importance of ICT in teaching English, the results reflected a positive attitude (M=3.94, SD= 0.956). A similar results were obtained for the second item on enthusiasm level (M=4.04, SD= 0.880). However, their confidence in using ICT (Item 3) are slightly lower than the first two items.

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4.1. Perceived Benefits of using ICT Items 4 to 10 are related to the perceive benefits of using ICT. The highest mean value obtain was for item No.4 indicating that "ICT makes English teaching more interesting" (Mean=4.40, SD= 0.728) followed by perceiving that ICT increases the motivation to learn English (Mean=4.06, SD= 0.712). Overall, the findings on perceived benefits shows that the respondents have positive perception on the benefits of ICT. Nevertheless, in regards to creating teamwork and collaboration, they perceived that ICT not really catering to this factor (Mean=3.64, SD = 0.861). The difference between the items mean scores are presented in Figure 1. Table 2. Pre-service teachers attitude towards using ICT No.

Statement

N Mean S.D.

1 ICT is particularly important for teaching English

50

3.94 0.956

2 I am enthusiastic about using ICT in my teaching

50

4.04 0.880

3 I am confident about using ICT in my teaching

50

3.66 0.823

4 ICT makes English teaching more interesting.

50

4.40 0.728

5 ICT can enhances the interaction between the lecturer and

50

3.88 0.849

6 ICT can increase flexibility in English teaching and learning

50

3.98 0.820

7 ICT can help students become more effective in their English

50

3.78 0.887

8 ICT can increases students’ motivation to learn English

50

4.06 0.712

9 ICT can increases students’ ability to learn on their own.

50

3.96 0.755

10 ICT can help students develop better teamwork and collaborative

50

3.64 0.851

11 The use of ICT is not appropriate for English teaching.

50

1.66 0.717

12 Using ICT does not meet the needs of teaching English.

50

1.68 0.741

13 ICT may add little knowledge towards teaching.

50

2.78 1.217

14 The use of ICT is a time consuming activity.

50

2.72 1.144

15 Using ICT makes it more difficult to control the class.

50

2.50 1.035

students.

Learning

skills.

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16 Students may not have adequate ICT skills to engage in e-learning.

50

3.22 1.075

17 I may not be able to use ICT in teaching due to heavy workload.

50

2.84 1.037

18 The use of ICT restricts the content of the course.

50

2.30 0.886

19 E-learning is counterproductive due to insufficient ICT resources

50

2.96 0.925

20 E-learning is not as effective as traditional face-to-face learning.

50

2.38 0.967

Fig.1. Perceived benefits of using ICT 4.2. Concerns Relating Towards the Application of ICT In addition to exploring the pre-service teachers’ perception on using ICT for teaching and learning, we explored if they had concerns towards using ICT. Based on the mean value from Item 11 to 20, the main concern is not having the required skills to use ICT in class for teaching (Mean=3.22, SD=1.075) and followed by perceiving e-learning as counterproductive due to lack of resources (Mean=2.96, SD = 0.925). In addition, when question if they felt the use of ICT is not appropriate for English teaching (Mean=1.66, SD= 0.717) and if it does not meet the needs of teaching English (Mean=1.68, SD= 0.741), they disagreed. Therefore indicating that they believe that teaching English with ICT is beneficial. Figure 2 illustrates the overall findings from the items relating to negative attitudes. Overall, the respondents’ negative attitude is pertaining to self-competency skills relating to the application and development of the right ICT tools for teaching which was also evident in the findings of the overall attitude.

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Fig.2. Challenges relating to towards ICT for teaching

5. CONCLUSION Based on the findings, it can be concluded that preliminary findings of the overall attitude of pre-service TESOL teachers towards using ICT in teaching English is positive. It was also observed that mobile device ownership in regards to the application of ICT in learning has no impact towards their attitude. The same results were obtained by [6] in their study of pre-service teachers in UK, where they found no relationship between computer ownership towards the use of ICT for teaching and learning. In this study, it was found that some of the benefits these pre-service teachers observe is the possibility of making the learning content more interesting therefore improving their motivation and technology increases the possibilities for autonomous learning. In Thailand, EFL teachers do perceive that it is important to have more training in ICT technology integration, especially for teaching English as foreign language [8]. In another study in Turkey on pre-service teachers, positive correlation were found between computer competency and attitudes towards using ICT in teaching [6]. In addition, there were positive correlation between the amount of practice and exposure pre-service teachers gain in their

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curricula towards their computer competency for teaching. They added that it was crucial to train pre-service teachers to be independent developers in technologies for teaching and learning in the classroom. Even language course undergraduates in a Malaysian university were found to perceive online learning especially mobile-based learning positively [2]. Technology is ubiquitous, it is impossible to imagine life without it [5]. Nevertheless, the main concern remains in self-confidence in using ICT. In a study done by [10] in Malaysia on preschool teachers, the same outcome which is lack of self-confidence was found. The findings also showed that they were less likely to use ICT due to skepticism in improving learning as whole. In a study done on pre-service English teachers in Japan, teachers who are digital natives admitted that even if they were to adapt smartphones in the classroom they are worried about how the demands of technology may affect their lives and how they teach [5]. According to [3], even if teachers are aware of the effectiveness of ICT in teaching, they still struggle in using it to provide meaningful interaction. They added that the demand for teachers to be ’up to date’ in all kinds of technology for teaching has been seen as stress trigger as teachers do not want to lose face in front of their students. Nevertheless, teachers have no choice but to adapt. Therefore, it can be concluded that for this preliminary study, the overall perception of the pre-service teachers are positive as they are undergraduates that are also from the millennials generation. Their perception on using technology for teaching and learning are not influenced by their mobile device ownership. They also perceive ICT as a tool that will be beneficial in teaching language in the classroom, however, their concerns are related to their competency in integrating these technology in the classroom.

6. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY As per any study, this study was also observed some limitation. Most of the respondents were female respondents and were from one institution. As a preliminary study, we only explored the initial perception of these pre-service teachers prior to undertaking an ICT program that will help them develop their ICT skills for teaching. This study will be followed by their attitudes after completing an ICT course catered to develop skills relating to ICT integration in the classroom.

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7. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We would like to thank Dr. Siti Nazleen Abdul Rabu for her support in data collection and Dr. Poranee Deerajviset for permission to utilize.

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How to cite this article: Kumar J A, Osman S, Pranchis R K M. A preliminary study on pre-service tesol teachers’ attitudes towards the use of ICT for teaching in Malaysia. J. Fundam. Appl. Sci., 2018, 10(1S), 1268-1278.