Research Article
Aminah Saad Aldossary, Alia Abdullah Aljindi, Jamilah Mohammed Alamri
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep536
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to provide an analysis of students’ perceptions of the role of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in education, through five axes: (1) level of knowledge and awareness, (2) level of acceptance and readiness, (3) the role of GenAI in education, (4 (level of awareness of potential concerns and challenges, and (5) The impact of GenAI tools on achieving the sustainable development goals in education.
Materials and methods: The study followed a descriptive quantitative methodology based on surveying through a questionnaire. The sample consisted of 1390 students from 15 Saudi universities.
Results: The students have positive perceptions towards the role of GenAI tools in education, as students have a high level of awareness and acceptance of adopting these tools. In addition, students are highly aware of the role of GenAI tools in improving their understanding of complex concepts, developing skills, improving their self-efficacy, learning outcomes, providing feedback, and making learning meaningful. The results also confirm their general awareness of the concerns and challenges. A relationship exists between students’ perceptions of GenAI and their scientific specializations, as students in computer sciences showed greater awareness regarding concerns and challenges, whereas students in agricultural sciences showed greater awareness of the impact of GenAI tools on achieving sustainable development goals.
Conclusions: The study offers valuable insights on GenAI adoption in higher education, also there is an urgent need to consider developing appropriate use policies, spreading awareness, and creating systems capable of detecting unethical cases.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, LLM, technology role, education filed, perceptions of Saudi students
Research Article
Rosita Rahma, Andayani, Atikah Anindyarini
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep530
ABSTRACT
This illustrative case study investigation was conducted to learn how Indonesian in-service teachers perceived teaching reading in a digital era and the challenges they encountered. The data were submitted by a total of 30 teachers who participated in the subject post for Indonesian junior high schools. Data collection strategies include participatory classroom observation, interviews, and guided written reflection. The data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. The study’s findings highlight issues concerning teachers’ perceptions and teachers’ challenges while teaching reading in a digital setting. As many as 63% of teachers believe that the proportion of time teachers spend to practice reading skills from online sources is 40%–50% of total teaching hours at school. Furthermore, 40% of them believe that the criteria for teacher success in reading is when pupils improve their reading comprehension skills. The analysis also revealed that teachers encountered a number of challenges: (1) lack of knowledge about models and media for learning to read in a digital context, (2) lack of students’ ability to read multi-text sources, and (3) lack of motivation and awareness among students in reading. The findings of this study impact the understanding and training requirements of junior high school teachers concerning reading instruction methods in a digital context. Future studies should focus on innovation and the development of learning models to improve the quality of reading comprehension in a digital environment.
Keywords: digital era, Indonesian in-service teachers, teaching reading, teachers’ challenges, teachers’ perceptions
Research Article
Carmen Ricardo, Camilo Vieira, Roxana Quintero-Manes, John Cano
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep465
ABSTRACT
While some students had experience receiving online education prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergency remote modality offered a different experience given that higher education faculty had limited time for planning and, most of them, did not have any experience in online education. This research aims to identify the differences between undergraduate students’ perceptions and preferences on emergency remote and online education. Researchers identified a set of online education courses–that pre-existed COVID-19 times–and courses that were transformed into remote education courses–designed as a response of the COVID-19 emergency. Participants of this study are a group of students who, during the same academic semester, participated in both online and (emergency) remote courses. Researchers used a survey to understand students’ perceptions and preferences assessing their experiences in different dimensions (e.g., interaction and evaluation). Researchers used the add-on preferential groups model to identify which of the two modalities was preferred by the students for each dimension. The quantitative analysis was complemented using content analysis of responses to open-ended questions, seeking to gain a better understanding of students’ perceptions and preferences between online and emergency remote education. The results show that students have a positive view of the online and remote modalities; however, each of these modalities offers students advantages for specific dimensions. For example, the remote modality was preferred for having greater interaction among peers and with the instructor. On the other hand, online education provided more flexibility. Students suggested improving assessments’ approaches and instructors’ technological skills for both modalities.
Keywords: emergency remote education, preferences, perceptions, online learning, higher education
Research Article
Sang Eun Lee, Naya Choi, Jieun Kiaer
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep424
ABSTRACT
The study explored the social perceptions of young children’s use of smart devices in South Korea using big data methodologies. Big data methodologies allowed to uncover underlying thoughts and feelings about young children’s use of smart devices that had not been discovered in existing studies. The study extracted raw data from three different groups: the public, the journalist, and academia. Then, the study conducted keyword frequency, sentiment analysis, and CONCOR analysis with UCINET 6.0. The results of the study revealed that each group viewed young children’s use of smart devices in a different way. The public was interested in effective use of smart devices while the journalist focused on educational aspects. The academia focused on parents’ perception of smart devices from a developmental perspective. Regarding the results of sentiment analysis, they showed that each group had different opinion on young children’s use of smart devices. The public had an ambivalent attitude toward young children’s use of smart devices. While the journalist showed a positively inclined attitude, the academic had a negatively inclined attitude.
Keywords: big data methodologies, smart devices, social perceptions, young children
Research Article
Gulnara M. Kassymova, Saule B. Tulepova, Madina B. Bekturova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 1, Article No: ep396
ABSTRACT
Digital competence has become a crucial capability in the learning process, in the working place, and in personal communication. The aim of the article is to explore master students’ perceptions of their digital competence by identifying frequency, expertise, and satisfaction in using information communication technologies (ICT) in their learning process when studying at university and teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in the context of online education. The sample comprised 49 master students who participated in distant evening classes at a private university in Kazakhstan while working simultaneously as teachers of English in various educational institutions during the day. Master students’ perceptions of digital competence is one of the approaches to reveal the gaps in students’ digital competence development necessary for learning and teaching EFL online. The main research tool for data collection was the online survey allowing the master students to measure their level of digital competence. Evident from the results, the majority of respondents are digitally competent; yet there is a cohort of master students who scored low on ICT skills needed for teaching and admitted the necessity of improvement. Also, according to the findings, the respondents’ frequency, expertise, and satisfaction level by their digital competence needed in the learning is higher than that in teaching. This can also imply that even though the frequency and expertise in using digital technologies for learning contributes to the development of the expertise in using them for conducting their own classes, master students need special training on the use of ICT for pedagogical purposes.
Keywords: perceptions, digital competence, ICT, learning, teaching, EFL, online
Research Article
Cristina A. Huertas-Abril, Francisco Javier Palacios-Hidalgo
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 4, Article No: ep390
ABSTRACT
This study examines the perceptions of pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers of their skills to face emergency remote language teaching (ERLT) situations, and to determine whether these vary according to gender, age, university, or course. A cross-sectional survey model was used with 332 pre-service EFL teachers studying in two Spanish universities, an onsite institution, and a distance university. After analyzing the results, it can be said that participants’ ERLT skills are moderate, and they vary significantly according to age, course, and type of university, but no statistically significant differences are found regarding gender. The results can guide teacher trainers and researchers, as they reveal the needs of pre-service EFL teachers to teach effectively in ERLT situations.
Keywords: distance university, English language teaching, teacher education, teacher perceptions
Research Article
Min Young Doo
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep331
ABSTRACT
This study investigated flipped learners’ perceptions, perceived usefulness, intention to register for flipped learning classes, and learning engagement using cluster analysis with a sample of 306 undergraduate students in flipped classes. The students were classified into five clusters based on their level of social influence and cognitive instrumental processes using the technology acceptance model 2. There were significant differences among the five clusters in perceived usefulness, intention to register for flipped learning classes, and learning engagement. The perception of and preference for flipped learning also varied by cluster. The flipped learning feature that most participants commented on was online pre-learning sessions. The advantages of flipped learning that have to do with online pre-learning sessions include facilitating understanding of lectures, providing review opportunities for learning, flexible learning time, and individualized learning. These advantages indicate that providing students with instructionally sound pre-learning sessions leads to successful flipped learning. The research findings also suggest that flipped class instructors and school administrators utilize cluster analysis with meaningful variables to provide students with effective and tailored learning support.
Keywords: flipped learning, perceptions of flipped learning, perceived usefulness, learning engagement, registration intention, cluster analysis
Research Article
Trang Phan, Mary Paul, Meina Zhu
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep307
ABSTRACT
This study portrays profile uses of technology in the classroom by faculty at a school of education at a university in Central California (N = 47). First, it describes their professional uses of certain technology on a frequency scale. Second, it reports the effects of faculty’s teaching philosophy and perceptions of instructional technology (IT) in their teaching practice with regards to use of technology. This study employed quantitative data analysis. The findings indicate that faculty’s teaching goals and perception of the learning environment play an important role in determining their uses of technology. Third, it reveals faculty’s motivation and challenges to use certain technological tools in their teaching. Specifically, the participants reported high levels of motivation for using various new technologies, minimal challenges to IT use in their classroom and their actual uses of such technology being unknown. Given the faculty’s high motivation (or absence of barriers) of using various innovative technology, one of the suggestions for future professional development programs is to offer training which moves beyond understanding how to use technology, and addresses the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching with technology.
Keywords: technological practice, perceptions, teaching philosophy, instructional technology, professional development
Research Article
Ardita Todri, Petraq Papajorgji, Howard Moskowitz, Francesco Scalera
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 1, Article No: ep287
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the perceptions on distance learning approaches, assessed through an online survey, using experimental design of ideas (Mind Genomics). Students and professors of higher education institutions who had not yet experienced distance learning before COVID-19 pandemic period participated in the study. The participants belong to the universities located in Mediterranean basin, e.g., Albania, Italy, Morocco, Algeria and few African countries.
Results suggest that distance learning will shift many of the responsibilities formerly on the professors to those of the students. The data suggests the need for emotional support during this transition, specifically to maintain interaction among students and professor as well as among students themselves in distance learning platforms as in traditional classrooms. The study shows that the effectiveness and the interactivity of this new paradigm are very important and any further developments of distance learning should provide strong support for these components. The position of the professor is indispensable as the guide to the entire process, suggesting that at least at the time of this writing (2020) distance learning approach is perceived only to be an intermittent complementary path to in-person interactions.
Keywords: distance learning, Mind Genomics, survey, user’s perceptions
Research Article
Erin Stratton, George Chitiyo, Allen M. Mathende, Krista M. Davis
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 131-142
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to compare how face-to-face instruction and flipped learning differed in terms of student achievement in seventh grade science classes, as well as to assess how students who were in the flipped classroom felt about their experiences. A total of 81 students received face-to-face instruction, and 73 received flipped instruction. All students completed pre- and post-assessments. Additionally, students in the flipped classroom completed a survey to assess perceptions of their experiences with the flipped model. Analysis of variance results showed no differences in performance between the two groups of students. There were also no interactions between instructional method with both gender and ability. The student survey data showed that the majority of students enjoyed the flipped model. Large percentages of students reported increased engagement and motivation under the flipped model. In conclusion, we found that flipped instruction was as effective as face-to-face instruction.
Keywords: flipped classroom, seventh grade, perceptions, face-to-face instruction
Research Article
Kevin Smith
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 2, pp. 111-130
ABSTRACT
Adaptive learning programs are frequently used in the K-8 mathematics classroom. These programs provide instruction to students at the appropriate level of difficulty by presenting content, providing feedback, and allowing students to master skills before progressing. The purpose of the study was to seek to interpret how preservice teachers’ experiences influence their perceptions and plans to integrate adaptive learning programs in their future K-8 mathematics classroom. This was a qualitative study with 17 participants who were enrolled in an undergraduate teacher education program. Data was collected and analyzed from archived journals the participants completed as a part of their K-8 Math Methods course, a survey, and semi-structured interviews. The findings from this study indicate that the participating preservice teachers perceive adaptive learning programs to be beneficial for students, and they recognize they have many decisions to make regarding what adaptive learning programs are used and how they are integrated into the classroom. The study also found that the instruction the preservice teachers received in their K-8 Math Methods course played a critical role in making them aware of the features available and myriad of options available in adaptive learning programs.
Keywords: Preservice teacher education, Mathematics education, Adaptive learning systems, Perceptions for technology
Research Article
Andrew C. Lawrence, Adel T. Al-Bataineh, Douglas Hatch
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 2, pp. 206-224
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine educator’s perceptions regarding the quality of student learning during the implementation of a one-to-one computing program in a private secondary school in central Illinois. The sample of the study consisted of 26 teachers, administrators, and counselors who worked with 320 students during one-to-one technology implementation program. First a Likert type scale was administered and then interviews were conducted with the participants to find out their observations, perceptions, and opinions with regard to student learning. The results show that most educators believe that student learning has slightly improved with the implementation of one-to-one technology program
Keywords: One to one technology, Technology implementation, Challenges of technology, Teacher perceptions of technology use
Research Article
Khitam Shraim, Helen Crompton
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 6, Issue 4, pp. 301-318
ABSTRACT
Smart mobile devices (SMDs), especially smartphones and tablets, are becoming increasingly ubiquitous among educators and students in Palestine. While their use is on the rise, many academics are not effectively incorporating this technology into their teaching, which may be attributable to their negative perceptions of these devices. This study therefore examined academics’ perceptions of the value of integrating SMDs into their teaching activities. A questionnaire survey collected data from 56 academic staff of the Palestine Technical University - Kadoorie, eliciting perceptions of the physical attributes of SMDs, participants’ self-efficacy, the pedagogical affordance of mobile devices and challenges to their use in teaching. The findings show that participants were still at the stage of actively experimenting with smartphones and iPads, trialing their use at different levels and for different purposes. In general, although participants were unaware of the full potential of their functionalities, they viewed positively the various pedagogical affordances of integrating these devices into their teaching activities. The most important affordances were linking formal and informal learning spaces by providing anywhere-anytime learning opportunities, and developing interest in the subject matter, thus making learning experience more enjoyable, meaningful, and accessible. The results also identify various challenges including lack of experience and knowledge, finding the time to design and implement such integration, and selecting appropriate apps for the content being taught. Participants also expressed concerns with the limited connectivity and unreliability of Wi-Fi and 3G/4G networks in Palestine.
Keywords: Higher education, Smart mobile devices, Mobile learning, Faculty perceptions
Research Article
Angelos Konstantinidis, Dimitra Theodosiadou, Christos Pappos
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 3, pp. 212-221
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this review is to analyze and evaluate the research findings on using Plagiarism Detection Services (PDS) in universities. In order to do that, conceptual issues about plagiarism are examined and the complex nature of plagiarism is discussed. Subsequently, the pragmatic forms of student plagiarism are listed and PDS strategies on detecting plagiarism are accounted briefly. Research findings are categorized into four interconnected areas: (a) effectiveness and efficiency of PDS; (b) university and course context; (c) perceptions and attitudes towards use of PDS from educators; and (d) perceptions and attitudes towards use of PDS from students. Finally, the authors discuss their own perspective on the issue of implementing PDS in various educational contexts.
Keywords: Plagiarism detection services, Plagiarism forms, Plagiarism prevention, Academic integrity, Perceptions about plagiarism.
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