Research Article
Adeeb M. Jarrah, Kamar Fayez, Hanan Almarashdi, Patricia Fidalgo
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep516
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an unprecedented reliance on digital technologies in education, regardless of the pre-existing attitude of teachers. This study explores elementary school teachers’ perceptions about teaching mathematics through distance education. Using a quantitative approach, an online questionnaire was administered to primary teachers in the UAE during the spring semester of 2020-2021. The results show teachers’ readiness to adopt digital technology in teaching against increased workload. Difficulties emerged in optimizing student performance in online environments. While the institution supports digital integration, teachers prefer traditional in-person classroom instruction. Therefore, the research would inform some educational systems and curriculum planning worldwide on the best way to integrate digital technology within elementary mathematics education. The study aims to close the gap in mathematics education within a digital context to solve the emerging educational demands.
Keywords: distance education, elementary education, information and communication technology, mathematics education, United Arab Emirates
Research Article
Olga V. Sergeeva, Marina R. Zheltukhina, Zhanna M. Sizova, Alfia M. Ishmuradova, Oleg V. Khlusyanov, Elena P. Kalashnikova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep500
ABSTRACT
It is essential for pre-service teachers to hold positive beliefs about information and communication technology (ICT) and possess digital skills to integrate digital technology successfully into the teaching and learning environments. Although numerous studies have examined teachers’ attitudes toward ICT, little research has examined teachers’ ICT competency beliefs. This research aimed to explore pre-service teachers’ ICT competence beliefs. We used an instrument developed by previous researchers for data collection. The results showed that the pre-service teachers had good ICT competence beliefs. A few gender differences were found between participants’ mean scores on six dimensions of the data collection instrument. No gender differences were found for many items. It was found that there were no significant differences in the years of study of participants across five different grade levels. However, the lowest mean scores were found in analyzing and reflecting, problem-solving, and information and data literacy. Conversely, the highest mean scores were detected in communication and collaboration, digital content creation, and safety and security. Based on these findings, recommendations have been made for practice and future research.
Keywords: ICT competence beliefs, digital skills, pre-service teachers, information and communication technology, ICT
Research Article
Olga V. Sergeeva, Marina R. Zheltukhina, Goliya I. Bikbulatova, Ekaterina G. Sokolova, Olesya Yu Digtyar, Alexey I. Prokopyev, Zhanna M. Sizova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep483
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to explore the impact of different dimensions of communication skills, namely competence (COMP), self-esteem (SELF), social communication challenge (SCC), and listening-speaking (LI-S) on the utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) for student support (SS) and instructional design (ID). This study implemented inferential statistical methods to explore the impact of different dimensions of communication skills on the utilization of ICT among pre-service teachers. A sample of 324 pre-service teachers from Kazan Federal University was examined, utilizing validated scales adapted to the Russian context, with data analyzed using structural equation modeling to identify complex relationships between variables and to ascertain potential differences according to gender and department. The results demonstrated a significant positive relationship between participants’ perceived COMP in communication skills and their information and communication technology competencies (ICTCs), both in SS and ID. This suggests the need for targeted training to enhance educators’ communication competencies for optimal ICT utilization. Conversely, SELF and LI-S communication skills did not significantly influence ICTCs, indicating that these elements do not necessarily result in more effective ICT use in educational contexts. However, handling SCCs was positively associated with ICTCs in ID but not for SS, indicating a nuanced relationship between different communication skills and areas of ICT utilization. The study findings provide implications for professional development programs and underline the importance of certain dimensions of communication skills in leveraging ICT in education. Further research is recommended to verify these findings across different populations and educational settings.
Keywords: information and communication technology competency, communication skills, pre-service teacher, structural equation modeling
Review Article
Lizzeth Navarro-Ibarra, Omar Cuevas-Salazar, Alan Robles-Aguilar
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep480
ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study is to find new emerging lines of research in education with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). To this end, we carried out a meta-analysis selecting an index, which contained scientific articles, and which provided free access to complete documents. The search covered five years, 2017-2021 in which 748 were identified. For the analysis the articles were read in order to identify information and record it. Previously, categories were established such as the date, country, continent, language, level of schooling or demographics of the population of publication and the kind of study and area of research. With respect to the demographics we identified that the aged were the category, which had been studied the least. With reference to years of schooling, pre-school and graduate levels had the fewest articles. That said, we found that the majority of the articles were aimed at education and technology in general. However, it is important to point out that the areas with limited research such as autism, rural area, inclusive education, disabilities, cyberbullying, Indigenous affairs, social exclusion, and down syndrome. These findings show the emerging lines of research to which studies should be expanded with further knowledge.
Keywords: teaching and training, information and communication technologies, level of education, population, research of academic literature
Research Article
Mohammed AbdAlgane
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep476
ABSTRACT
Due to the quick effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the educational system, English instructors were required to retrain and build a new normal in order to prepare for an online classroom while still keeping their teaching style and professional identity. The study’s overarching goal was to look at how English teachers’ developing senses of who they are as professionals have affected their views on remote learning. 135 Middle Eastern English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers were surveyed for the research. Responses to a questionnaire based on the teacher professional identity scale and semi-structured interviews with 13 participants provided the data for this analysis. Content analysis was used to categorize the codes representing the qualitative information gleaned from the semi-structured interviews. It seems that many EFL teachers were unprepared for the pedagogical and technical problems they faced while teaching English to foreign students online, and this has had a profoundly destructive impact on the instructors’ professional identities as they migrate away from teaching in-person. The findings revealed that the participants’ long-term engagement with Edu-Tech during and after their formal education significantly influenced their perception of themselves as professionals. Possible avenues for further research include action research, increasing faculty and staff awareness, and continuous professional development.
Keywords: e-learning, COVID-19 pandemic, information and communication technologies, professional identity of teachers
Research Article
Marina R. Zheltukhina, Natalia N. Kislitsyna, Olga V. Sergeeva, Roza M. Ignateva, Yuliya P. Kosheleva, Larisa Yu. Lutskovskaia
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep455
ABSTRACT
Communication style refers to the distinct ways individuals exhibit verbal, paraverbal, and nonverbal communication patterns in social interactions. It involves receiving, interpreting, and delivering feedback and messages. Factors like culture and personality affect communication styles, and tools like communication styles inventory (CSI) help evaluate and improve individuals’ communication skills. Cultural differences significantly impact communication styles, so it’s important to adapt and validate measurement instruments for diverse cultural settings, such as adapting CSI for the Russian context. This study aims to adapt CSI for use in the Russian context. The research follows a quantitative approach, collecting data from 407 undergraduate and graduate students across different universities. CSI is a questionnaire assessing six distinct communication patterns with 96 items. The researchers conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to examine CSI’s validity and reliability in the Russian context. The analyses yielded an eight-factor model explaining 59.5% of the total variance. Although two factors from the original scale were preserved, other factors were newly named. The confirmatory factor analysis tested the relationship between the original sub-dimensions and the new dimensions, resulting in a better-adapted model with significant relationships between items and factors. The findings indicate the scale’s suitability for different cultures and sample groups, supporting its validity and reliability. Further research should adapt the scale to other cultures and utilize it in studies in the Russian context.
Keywords: adaptation of inventory, communication styles inventory, Russian
Research Article
Dirgha Raj Joshi, Krishna Prasad Adhikari, Jeevan Khanal, Shashidhar Belbase
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep454
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of classroom practices of using communication tools, collaboration skills, digital skills, and software skills of teachers on the communication behaviors of students during mathematics instruction. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 466 mathematics teachers in Nepal. The primary statistical techniques applied in the data analysis were mean, standard deviation, one-sample t-test, and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that the level of skill transformations of mathematics teachers in digital skills was found to be significantly low. Moreover, practices of using communication tools, collaborative skills of teachers, digital skills enhancement of teachers, and software skills enhancement of teachers were found to be significant predictors of the communication behavior of students. The results of this study suggested that teachers’ technological empowerment is essential for developing digitally competent teachers who can transform the traditional mathematics classrooms into an online mode that is more constructive, collaborative, engaging, and supportive to the learners in a flexible and joyful learning environment. The study contributes to providing the knowledge of digital instructional skills of mathematics teachers to the communication behavior of the students. Moreover, the study gives an insight into using multi-group SEM in studying teachers’ technological skills on students’ learning of soft skills, such as communication behavior.
Keywords: collaboration, communication, communicative behavior, digital tools, mathematics teaching, transformation
Research Article
Niurka Guevara-Otero, Elena Cuevas-Molano, Esteban Vázquez-Cano, Eloy López-Meneses
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep451
ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to identify university student profiles with different levels of predisposition and usage of digital competences in social communication and collaborative learning (CSCCL) as well as technology use in information search and treatment (CSTI). The sample comprised 383 students from three state universities in Spain. The study employed a questionnaire called “basic digital competences 2.0 in university students” (COBADI). Chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) algorithm was used for data analysis due to its capability to handle both quantitative and qualitative variables, enabling profiling and the generation of predictive models with easily interpretable graphical representations (decision trees). The results revealed a high level of digital competence in socialization and execution of tasks online, managing digital tools for planning study time, and using resources for information searching and browsing. These findings align with previous works on collaborative writing on the Internet and digital competence. However, students demonstrated low digital competence in data analysis processes and image production using social software apps, which has been linked to task complexity and heavy workload in other studies. Interestingly, the students’ sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, and university attended) did not influence their predisposition towards the analyzed digital competences. In conclusion, enhancing effective digital teaching in higher education can be achieved by incorporating the teaching of critical analysis of information, addressing information overload, providing instruction on social software apps, and emphasizing collaborative learning. These strategies aim to help students acquire and apply knowledge relevant to the current job market.
Keywords: digital competence, university, collaborative learning, social communication, ICT, CHAID algorithm
Research Article
Kannattha Chaisriya, Siriwatchana Kaeophanuek, Lester Gilbert
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 2, Article No: ep416
ABSTRACT
Communication skills are soft skills critical for students’ development in educational institutions in the digital age. This study aims to determine the feasibility and practicality of a learning model, which combines digital storytelling with a metacognitive strategy called the DSTMC model. This learning model utilized digital storytelling as a primary learning step and integrated metacognitive strategies to monitor the thinking process to improve students’ communication, such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, and presentation skills. The research was conducted through case studies at a regional, southern Thailand university. The data were collected from 30 undergraduate participants. The research instruments were expert validation, pre-/post-test data, and a self-assessment questionnaire. The study showed that the DSTMC learning model is an alternative teaching method to improve communication skills, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The results of students’ test scores and self-assessments provide significant evidence indicating that it increases their learning and retention of information. The paper concludes with suggestions for using various strategies and motivating activities to encourage learners’ communication proficiency. Future research should investigate the creation of a system to track how learners improve their communication skills.
Keywords: digital storytelling, metacognition, communication skill, learning model, active learning
Review Article
Ritesh Chugh, Darren Turnbull
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 2, Article No: ep405
ABSTRACT
Gaming is becoming a popular method of engaging students in learning processes across all levels of the educational community. The effective integration of gaming activities into course curricula has the potential to enhance student learning, motivation, and knowledge acquisition in a range of disciplines. However, gamification of education is not without its opponents, with many educators concerned about the negative impacts of game use on effective learning. This study enhances our understanding of contemporary practices related to the areas, usage and characteristics of gamification in education. It is of particular relevance to educational institutions with a focus on developing innovative teaching methods and curricula that utilize gamification techniques in a multi-disciplinary, cross-national context across all stages of formal learning. Through the use of bibliometric analysis techniques, our study of the citation relations of 3,617 publications identified ten prominent themes dominated by gamification: mobile gaming, physical education, health and medicine, business, learning performance, programming and computing, English language, teacher adoption, primary & secondary education, and mathematics. Clear evidence of increased student motivation to learn and improved course results were evident in the examined literature. This study will benefit serious game designers, educators, and educational institutions to develop more inclusive and engaging pedagogies that exploit the ubiquitous availability of gaming technologies for inclusion in more traditional course delivery methods.
Keywords: learning strategies, information and communication technology, teaching practices, knowledge creation, gamification, bibliometric analysis
Research Article
Valentina Lukina, Tuiaara Sidorova, Nadezhda Okoneshnikova, Egor Nikolaev, Viktoria Shamaeva, Irina Kuznetsova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep376
ABSTRACT
The subject of the study is the psychological difficulties of adopting distance education technologies by university students. The materials of exploratory research obtained on a sample of students from several universities of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) are presented. The study involved respondents aged 19 to 22 (N = 86), 39% of whom were males. In the research, the unstructured interview method was used, during which we asked students to share in detail about their user experience, describing not only the learning process itself but the whole learning context in general. Considering the results using the TAM model, it can be assumed that students are not satisfied with any of the components. Distance learning technologies are not perceived by students as easy to use, and there is a low assessment of the perceived usefulness of these technologies. The attitude towards technology is also rather negative. From the point of view of student acceptance of technology, it can be said that distance learning causes some difficulties associated with cognitive, and emotional aspects, as well as interaction in a virtual environment, and the learning process. Learning creates anxiety and dissatisfaction with the learning process itself.
Keywords: distance education, psychological difficulties, pedagogical communication, students, technology adoption model (TAM)
Research Article
Ayodeji Awobamise, Yosra Jarrar, Gabriel E. Nweke
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 2, Article No: ep354
ABSTRACT
This study aimed at furthering the research on the relationship between social communication apprehension, self-esteem and Facebook addiction. To measure the three variables, a questionnaire comprised of The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RES), and The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) was administered to 654 university students in Uganda. Pearson’s correlation analysis and multiple linear regression coefficient analysis were carried out. A positive significant relationship between communication apprehension and Facebook addiction and a negative significant relationship between self-esteem and Facebook addiction were reported. Findings further revealed that self-esteem and communication apprehension significantly predicted Facebook addiction.
Keywords: social communication apprehension, self-esteem, Facebook addiction, Uganda
Research Article
Roza Sh. Akhmadieva, Tatyana Yu. Guryanova, Aleksey V. Kurakin, Alexandr L. Makarov, Anna I. Skorobogatova, Victoria V. Krapivina
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 21-29
ABSTRACT
The relevance of this article is conditioned by the need to analyze and study the student views and positions on the issue of intercultural communication and intercultural interaction, as it is obvious that in the foreseeable future we will continue to live in a multi-ethnic, multicultural society and strive for the successful coexistence of many different cultures in social networks. The aim of the study is to identify the attitude of students communicating in social networks to ethnocentrism. The leading methods for the study of this problem are the methods of questioning and testing, allowing making a qualitative analysis of the peculiarities of the attitude of students communicating in social networks, to ethnocentrism, and allowing identifying the position of students on the issue of intercultural communication and intercultural interaction. The article reveals the criteria peculiar to the representatives of different ethnic groups with a high level of ethnocentrism. These students consider everything that happens in their culture to be natural and correct, and in others to be wrong; consider the customs of their group as universal: “what is good for us is good for others”; consider the norms, roles and values of their group to be absolutely correct; act so that the representatives of their group feel like winners; feel hostility towards external groups. It is determined that the presence of a set of these criteria and properties (or most of them) in the ethnic consciousness of the individual, allows us to talk about a high level of ethnocentrism. The novelty and originality of the study lies in the fact that a set of criteria characterizing the opinion of students, supporters of cultural relativism is revealed: they are often in contact with representatives of other ethnic groups and nationalities in social networks; absolutely do not feel discomfort in communicating with foreign cultural representatives, on the contrary, such communication is of great interest; in the formation of any group do not give preference to representatives of their own people, and are guided by other selection criteria; do not regard the culture of their people as a role model for other Nations. A set of criteria is identified for supporters of ethnocentrism: they believe everything that happens in their culture, natural and correct and others wrong; consider the customs of their group as universal; consider the norms, roles and values of their group is certainly correct; feel hostility towards external groups; in General, are rarely in contact with the representatives of other ethnic groups and nationalities; feel discomfort in communicating with other cultures representatives; believe that the loss of identity of their ethnic group is an unambiguously negative phenomenon; they do not consider the cultures of all peoples equally important and equal.
Keywords: students, intercultural communication, intercultural interaction, ethnocentrism
Research Article
Frederick Kwaku Sarfo, Francis Amankwah, Stephen Baafi-Frimpong, Joseph Asomani
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 2, pp. 103-118
ABSTRACT
Research findings in the literature show that teachers’ concern about change process is
extremely personal and it influences the implementation of innovation. This study aimed at
assessing information and communication technology teachers’ stages of concern regarding
the implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) curriculum in basic
schools. It also examined the effects of teachers’ personal factors or variablessuch as gender
and teaching experience on their stages of concern towards the implementation of ICT
curriculum. Modified Stages of Concerns Questionnaires (SoCQ) (Hall, George & Rutherford
1979) based on Concern Based Adoption Model (CBAM) were used to collect data from 346
respondents. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.
The result of the study showed that teachers generally had their first and second high
concerns at informational and consequence stages respectively and with low concern at
awareness stage. Furthermore, statistically significant difference was found between gender
and informational, management, consequence, collaboration and refocusing concerns.
However, according to the results, teachers’ stages of concerns were not related to their
teaching experience.
Keywords: information and communication technology, curriculum implementation, basic education, teacher concerns
Research Article
Fırat Tufan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 2, pp. 160-173
ABSTRACT
Within the scope of this study, which deals with distance education method as a communication process, a focus group interview was conducted with voluntary students who were randomly selected from various areas/majors at the Department of Distance Education in Istanbul University in order to determine the relationship between their general Internet usage habits and their Internet usage as a part of distance learning and in line with their expectations. The questions posed for the students during the interview process were drawn up on the basis of Internet medium serving a mass medium and for multi-purposes. The study revealed a positive relationship between general Internet usage habits of distance education students and their particular Internet usage habits during their education. It is concluded that the ability of students to adapt to social media applications and especially to social networks, which are the latest Internet applications based on interactive communications, is considerably high. The expectations of the students from the latest Internet applications are also high when it comes to distance education process.
Keywords: Distance Education, Internet usage habits, Information and communication technologies in education, Communication
Research Article
Tor Soderstrom, Lars Hall, Tore Nilsson, Jan Ahlqvist
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 4, pp. 293-307
ABSTRACT
This study compares the influence of two learning conditions – a screen-based virtual reality radiology simulator and a conventional PowerPoint slide presentation – that teach radiographic interpretation to dental students working in small collaborative groups. The study focused on how the students communicated and how proficient they became at radiographic interpretation. The sample consisted of 36 participants – 20 women and 16 men – and used a pretest/posttest group design with the participants randomly assigned to either a simulation-training group (SIM) or conventional-training group (CON) with three students in each collaborative group. The proficiency tests administered before and after training assessed interpretations of spatial relations in radiographs using parallax. The training sessions were video-recorded. The results showed that SIM groups exhibited significant development between pretest and posttest results, whereas the CON groups did not. The collaboration in the CON groups involved inclusive peer discussions, thorough interpretations of the images, and extensive use of subject-specific terminology. The SIM group discussions were much more fragmented and included more action proposals based on their actions with the simulator. The different learning conditions produced different results with respect to acquiring understanding of radiographic principles.
Keywords: Educational computer based simulations, Collaborative learning, Health care education, 3D Simulations, Peer communication
Research Article
Bandhana Bhasin
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 2, pp. 130-140
ABSTRACT
The incorporation of technology into teaching and research is one of the most important challenges for education today. It is time to move beyond the walls of our classrooms to join forces with other institutions and societies to revitalize education. The present paper focuses on the use of technology in teaching-learning process that will greatly contribute to meet student needs for learning anywhere, anytime. Integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into teaching and learning process is a growing field which has variety of definitions according to different points of view. A very common view asserts that the application of ICT processes should be presented in an integrated way as well as concrete model need to be developed for the teachers in order for the integration process to improve students’ learning. Based on the premise that “The integration process should strengthen learning of students”, there is a need to present an integrated point of view in the application of these processes and to develop some concrete examples for teachers. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to develop a model assessing the ICT integration process and helping to improve students’ learning.
Keywords: Information and Communication Technologies, ICT intregration, Enhancing learning, Educational improvement, Teacher Education
Research Article
Charles Buabeng-Andoh
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 36-49
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to explore teachers’ skills, perceptions, and practices about ICT in second-cycle institutions in Ghana. Questionnaires were distributed to 273 teachers in different departments, 241 were returned, and 231 were valid for data analysis, representing a response rate of 85%. The validity of the questionnaire was approved by a panel of experts in the field. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was 0.91. Descriptive statistics and correlation were used to analyze data. Of the 231 teachers, 66% were males and 34% were females. Majority of the respondents were between the ages 30-39. The correlation analysis revealed positive correlation between ICT use and teachers’ competences. Further, teachers’ perceptions in terms of using ICT were found to be positive but not statistically significant. Finally, the study revealed inverse correlations among ICT use, age, and teaching experience. The descriptive results indicated that teachers’ knowledge in basic ICT applications as well as integrating ICT into teaching and learning processes was low. These results provide evidence that the introduction of ICT in teaching and learning has not brought any change in the delivery of education in second-cycle schools in Ghana. This also implies that teachers have not shifted from teacher-centered instruction to student-centered learning. From the findings of the study, it is recommended that courses such as computer supported learning, ICTs and designing instructional materials should be introduced in initial teacher training programs to improve teachers’ level of confidence and perceptions towards the use of ICT.
Keywords: Technology integration in schools, Teachers’ perceptions of ICT, Student-centered learning, Information and communication technologies, Teacher education
Research Article
Alireza Badeleh, G. Sheela
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 213-237
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based approach and the Laboratory Training Model of Teaching (LTM) chemistry. It strived to determine whether the ICT or the LTM would be more effective with respect to the male and female students’ overall as well as component-based achievement in chemistry and their retention of learning. The sample of the study consisted of 120 seventh standard students from two English-medium elementary schools in Mysore city, India. Four homogenous groups were formed randomly for the study and the effects of independent variables were tested under experimental conditions. The Test of Higher Mental Ability in Science (THMAS) was used to determine the homogeneity of the participants. After one month, the delayed posttest for achievement in chemistry was administered to determine the retention level of the students. The statistical techniques used to analyze the data were the independent sample t-test and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings indicated that as far as the overall achievement in chemistry, component-based achievement, and retention of knowledge, comprehension, application, and skills are concerned, the ICT-based method of teaching chemistry was more effective than the LTM of teaching. The effects of gender varied according to comparisons.
Keywords: Information and communication technology, Laboratory training model of teaching, Achievement in chemistry, Retention of learning
Research Article
Nkasiobi S. Oguzor
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 188-199
ABSTRACT
The use of computers has become one of the driving forces in the delivery of instruction of today’s vocational education and training (VET) in Nigeria. Though computers have become increasingly accessible resources for educators to use in their teaching activities, most teachers are still unable to integrate it in their teaching and learning processes. Computers are used to improve teaching quality where quality is very expensive to reproduce, or to substitute for the lack of teachers, or schooling opportunities that cannot be made available with conventional teaching methodologies. This paper examines the challenges of integrating ICT into instructional practices in VET and the barriers confronting implementation. Hence, the need for compatible computer education policies, suggestions to integrate ICT into teaching and learning practices are provided to assist the teachers to the use of computers in order to help the students acquire theoretical knowledge, grounded in real practice. It is the contention of this paper that though creating an ICT environment for teaching and learning in Nigeria may seem difficult, it would enhance students’ achievement in vocational education and training.
Keywords: Instructional resources, Computer Usage, Information and communication technology, Vocational education and training
Research Article
Filiz Tiryakioglu, Funda Erzurum
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 2, pp. 135-150
ABSTRACT
Social network, particularly Facebook, can be defined as a unique online service, platform, or area where social communication and/or social relations can be established and individuals intensely share information. This definition implies that communication specialists should have more expertise and interest in social media than any other group of experts. Based on this assumption, the present study investigated the views and attitudes of instructors in the Faculty of Communication Sciences at Anadolu University in Turkey, which is a country where the total number of Facebook users ranks fourth in the world. The sample of the study consisted of 67 professors with various levels of academic titles. Data were gathered through a specially-designed survey form including 52 items in four subcategories. Results suggest that three fourth of instructors have a Facebook account and they spend less than half an hour per day on Facebook. There is no gender-related difference among the faculty in terms of attitudes toward Facebook. Instructors who are younger than 45 years old login Facebook on daily basis, while senior faculty login several times a week. Two in every three instructors use Facebook mainly as a tool of communication with friends. Finally, two thirds of the faculty think that Facebook can provide important contributions to social interactions among students as well as to communications between instructors and students.
Keywords: Facebook, Social networks, Communication technologies, Educational tools
Research Article
Hwee Ling Lim
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp. 306-321
ABSTRACT
Sociocultural constructivism assumes that a learner’s capacity for intellectual growth increases with the presence of scaffolding or support during interaction. Moreover, from participating in dialogic interaction, there is appropriation of the knowledge shared and jointly created by learners which could transform individual understandings. Hence, interactions are opportunities for scaffolding and appropriation that affect intellectual development. This paper presents a study of an online course based on constructivist principles and evaluates the extent to which an instructional activity, supported by synchronous communication technology in a virtual environment, fosters collaborative learning. Survey findings on two student groups’ experiences of collaborative learning during online tutorials are presented. The results indicated that scaffolding was available as peers’ efforts in provision and clarification of ideas during tutorial discussions. Also, appropriation of shared knowledge was present as students’ perceptions of own attainment of learning from peer contributions during discussions. The conclusion discusses the effectiveness of the instructional activity in facilitating collaborative learning and offers recommendations for future research.
Keywords: Collaborative learning, Computer-mediated communication, Educational technology, Sociocultural constructivism, Virtual learning environment.
Research Article
Ali Simsek, Shirley Nuss
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp. 288-305
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary students can learn about the culture of another country and how technology can play a role in this process. The sample of the study included 135 fifth grade students from the United States and Turkey. Initial knowledge and information sources of students were assessed at the beginning of the study. Then, they exchanged multimedia presentations which they prepared to make their peers more knowledgeable about their own country. After studying the presentation about the other country, the students responded to a post-survey assessing their knowledge gains. Results showed that the Turkish students had much more initial knowledge about the American culture compared to knowledge of the American students about Turkey. Both groups had certain prejudices or misperceptions about each other. Media, school, and family were main sources of information, while books and friends played a small role. Studying multimedia-based presentations and discussing its content as a group was highly effective to learn about the culture of another country. By exchanging intercultural information through technology, students became less prejudiced and more understanding of each others’ respective cultures.
Keywords: Intercultural learning, Cross-cultural education, Multimedia-based learning, Information and communication technologies, Snapshots
Research Article
Zengguan Chen, Charles M. Reigeluth
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 3, pp. 233-254
ABSTRACT
Fundamental change, or systemic transformation, in public school systems is increasingly recognized as essential for best meeting all students’ needs in a digital, information-based society. The success of this kind of change depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of a district-wide Leadership Team (LT), which in turn depends on the communication practices of that team. This study describes the communication practices of the LT in a district-wide systemic transformation, focusing on the members’ values and beliefs about communication within the team, communication problems, communication channels, and communication sources. The purpose of the study was to improve the guidance offered by the School System Transformation (SST) protocol, a knowledge-base about the systemic transformation process, by identifying preventive measures that could reduce communication problems in a LT. Based on the findings, suggestions are made to improve several of the 18 continuous processes in the SST Protocol, namely sustain motivation, develop and maintain appropriate leadership, develop group-process and team-building skills, establish team spirit, engage in reflection, communicate with stakeholders, and foster organizational learning.
Keywords: Systemic transformation, Change process, Leadership team, Communication
Research Article
Juliet Stoltenkamp, Jephias Mapuva
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 3, pp. 208-220
ABSTRACT
The utilization of the knowledge economy in the information age has been promoted by various tools developed both for communication and marketing purposes. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have proved their propensity to influence the flow, acquisition and dissemination of information across the globe. The business and education sectors have been the most conspicuous of all beneficiaries of ICT applications, especially in the fast-globalizing environment where interaction has become a necessity and an obligation rather than leisure. Enhanced tools for education, marketing and communication purposes have been coined with unprecedented efficacy and efficiency. Some of these technologies (e.g. blogs) have even livened communication and interaction among users. This paper will therefore focus on various e-tools and their application to open education, with prevalence being on the blog tool.
Keywords: E-tools, Globalized education, E-learning, Communication, Technology, Blogs
Research Article
Metin Argan, Necip Serdar Sever
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 2, pp. 118-133
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate the constructs of edutainment applications and their relationships during marketing communication courses. A sample of 347 undergraduate students completed a 27-item questionnaire to gather research data. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed five valid constructs: Participation and interaction, perceived learning effects, drama and practice, instructor and classroom atmosphere, and story and material. These constructs were further analyzed by the structural equation modeling (SEM), which indicated that four of the constructs were found to be effective on the perception of learning. Instructor and classroom atmosphere was revealed to have a direct (mediating) impact on perceived learning, whereas other constructs had an indirect effect on perceived learning. It appears that the research findings would help tertiary institutions to develop more learner-centered approaches to learning, and will certainly help marketing individual courses at the micro level.
Keywords: Edutainment, Entertainment, Marketing Communication Education, Experiential Learning
Research Article
Yavuz Akbulut, Yusuf Levent Sahin, Bahadir Eristi
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 1, pp. 46-59
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to develop a scale to investigate cybervictimization among the members of an online social utility. Eight hundred ninety-six participants were recruited with a 36-item web-based survey, which was developed through literature review and expert opinions. The dataset was used for an exploratory factor analysis. After dysfunctional items were eliminated, a 28-item set emerged with a very high internal consistency coefficient explaining half of the total variance with a single-factor structure. The second administration was realized with 200 new participants to confirm the single-factor structure. Along with acceptable fit indices, higher values of internal consistency coefficient and explained variance were observed. It was confirmed that different forms of cyberbullying identified in the literature were included in the questionnaire such as flaming, harassment, cyberstalking, denigration, masquerade, outing and trickery, and exclusion. Receiving religious or politic messages, and unwanted behaviors specifically directed at participants were within the factor structure of the scale. When unwanted behaviors were directed at a larger set of audience, or when the exact target was not the users themselves, such behaviors were not within the factor structure even though somebody else was mistreated. Preliminary findings were discussed followed by implications and suggestions for further research.
Keywords: Cyberbullying, online bullying, electronic harassment, cybervictimization, online communication tools, factor analysis