ERIC Number: EJ1180710
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jun
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0119-5646
EISSN: N/A
A Clamour for More Technology in Universities: What Does an Investigation into the ICT Use and Learning Styles of Malaysian 'Digital Natives' Tell Us?
Thang, Siew Ming; Nambiar, Radha M. K.; Wong, Fook Fei; Mohd Jaafar, Nurjanah; Amir, Zaini
Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, v24 n2 p353-361 Jun 2015
Prensky ("On the Horizon" 9:1-6, 2001a, b) and other proponents of the concept of 'digital natives' claim that the current generation of undergraduates possesses advanced knowledge and skills in Information Communication Technologies and is highly motivated to learn in this mode. In contrast, there are studies that revealed a variation in the levels of students' access and a greater tendency to use it for social rather than academic purposes. This suggests that the concept of 'digital natives' need further investigation. Studies undertaken on digital natives in Malaysia have generally shown that students are receptive to technology use in learning English; however, no study has clearly delineated the characteristics of Malaysian 'digital natives'. Thus, the present study intends to fill this gap in knowledge by exploring Malaysian 'digital natives' usage of technologies in terms of extent of use, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use and the influence of learning styles on this usage by juxtaposing the Technology Acceptance Model with Willing's learning styles construct. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data which were analysed quantitatively. The findings support those of other studies undertaken in other countries. The students only used common technological tools such as emails and Facebook and generally had positive perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of technology in the learning of English, regardless of learning styles. Although students expressed interest in using more technology, they were using less technology than anticipated in their learning of English and showed a preference for teacher-centred learning.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Technological Literacy, Undergraduate Students, Technology Uses in Education, Educational Technology, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Usability, Difficulty Level, Cognitive Style, Questionnaires, Student Surveys, Social Media, Electronic Mail, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Malaysia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A