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Social and Behavioral Sciences
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 83 (2013) 942 - 946 —
2nd World Conference on Educational Technology Researches - WCETR2012
Studying the Effects of Faculty Members' knowledge, Skill and Approach to Software on Their Self-Confidence in Employing Information and Communication Technology in Their Teaching
Saeed Ahmadi a*, Abdollah Keshavarzi b
a Department of Educational science, Firoozabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Firoozabad, Iran b Department of English language, Firoozabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Firoozabad, Iran
Abstract
In accordance with the remarkable effect of information and communication technology (ICT), this study attempts to investigate its application in teaching and learning processes. To collect data, a questionnaire containing five sections (personal information, knowledge, skill, approach, and self-confidence), the validity and reliability of which had previously been calculated, was used. The statistical population consisted of the faculty members of the branches of Islamic Azad University in Fars province. The statistical sample was selected clustered-randomly. The results revealed that:The faculty members' approach to information and communication technology with the regression coefficient of 0.42 at 0.001 level of significance was the most predicting factor in creating self-confidence in the faculty members to use it. The next predicting factors in creating this self-confidence in the faculty members to use ICT in their teaching were knowledge of software with the regression coefficient of 0.39 at 0.001 level of significance, and software skill with the regression coefficient of 0.22 at 0.005 level of significance. Among faculty members with different experience of teaching, their approach to software was the most predicting factor in creating self-confidence in them to use ICT in their teaching. Also it was revealed that between male and female faculty members, their approach to ICT was the strongest predicting factor in creating this self-confidence in them to apply it in their teaching.
©2013TheAuthors.Publishedby Elsevier Ltd.
Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hafize Keser Ankara University, Turkey
Keywords: Knowledge of Software, Software Skill, Approach to Software, Faculty Members' Self-Confidence, Information and Communication Technology;
1. Introduction
Since man's employment of instruments, technology affecting to shape societies started. Among new food resources, increasing population, enlarged territories, and factories which were shaping social life of people, stone tools lost their values. Thenafter, the appearance of new technologies affected on societies and the way people started to manage their daily life (Richard, 2002; Tyler, 2004). Constructivism has supported including technology in educational courses, believing that its inclusion in classroom can be effective in developing an educational environment (Jonassen, et al, 2003). Instead of using information and communications technology (ICT) just as a helping tool to present information throughout their lecture, instructors can use the advantages of this theory
* Corresponding Author: Saeed Ahmadi, Tel. +989173161295 Email address: saeed_5184@yahoo.com
1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hafize Keser Ankara University, Turkey doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.176
supporting education through information and communications technology. Jonassen, et al has said that employing technology can support a proper, meaningful and cooperative learning effectively. The constructivist Jonassen, in 1991, has claimed that internet and new media of digital techniques yield remarkable efficiency in supporting educational centers, cooperatives and educational environments.
Employing new technologies such as developed instruments, media software, and information and communications technology in supporting education of educational centers with real function are considered a positive point in education. Richard (2004) states that ICT presents strong potentiality to change education in society. Ro him, effective use of ICT in education requires a kind of cultural change in the structure, not just in words but practically (p. 350).
Young (2008) believes that a great number of faculty members have announced the benefits of the use of internet. As such, in lectures, this announcement should be much more emphasized. He has also found out that presentation of lectures online has a lot of supporters in many of conferences.
Rother (2005) has come to decision that in America, most of teachers are dependent on their computers, but a few of them set their computers with their courses daily (p. 38). Cuban had also described the matter in 2001. Ertmer, et al (1999) has mentioned some of obstacles in front of teachers' direction, such as shortage of facilities, shortage of time and extra-curricula classes, lack of communication, and inconfidence (p. 17). Beggs (2000) claims that shortage of time and education is the most significant obstacle in employing ICT in higher education.
Becker (2007) and Cuban (2001) have concluded that one of the main difficulties in front of employing ICT in teaching is faculty members' improper understanding of employing present instruments better. Spodark ((2003), mentions five difficulties for the application of ICT in a small college: lack of a clear approach, leadership, critical group, motivation and faculty members' participation. He stated that "these five main and important items, as five results, have been recognized, and each one is necessary for the success of the achieved attempts" ( p. 5).
Brill and Galloway (2007) claimed that weak class environment and lack or restrictions of facilities availability are the most important obstacles. Szabo and Sobon (2003) realized that university instructors are evaluated on the basis of their own university journals and they are not evaluated on the basis of their employing ICT in their classes.
Findings of Larson (2003), Nicolle (2005) and Brill and Galloway (2007) revealed that many instructors who employ ICT in their classes have felt similarly that their use of it has positively affected their students' learning and their own teaching. They have also reported that according to the instructors, the most important obstacle in the way of using ICT in classes is unavailability of it in classrooms. Also, Ramcharan (2006) induced that use of ICT has been beneficial and has improved students' function.
The present study, through reviewing the effects of software knowledge, personal use of it, and the effectiveness of ICT on faculty members' attitude toward its application in teaching, tries to clarify the effective factors on faculty members' use of it in their teaching. The aim of this paper is to prompt the authorities to invest in this field in order to increase and improve teachers' function. The findings will help the scholars, instructors and the policymakers to realize ways of entering ICT in higher education. As such, the results of this study can help the current knowledge related to the application of ICT in education. Also, they might deal with planning a model for the achievement of its regular application.
2. Research methodology
This descriptive-survey study is of correlation sort because it deals with the effects of software knowledge, its personal application and faculty members' attitude toward it on their self-confidence in use of it in their teaching. The statistical population includes faculty members of Islamic Azad University in Fars province. The number of branches of Islamic Azad University in this province is 20. Through random-cluster method, 7 branches of these were selected as sample, and their faculty members completed the related questionnaire. Finally, 207 questionnaires were statistically analyzed. 148 of the faculty members were male and 59 were female; 179 were instructors, 28 were professor assistants and 28 were higher.
The questionnaire used in this study consisted of five sections. The first section included faculty members' personal information, and the other sections were used to yield the following information: 1. faculty members' awareness and knowledge of software, 2. frequency of faculty members' use of software for their personal purposes, 3. faculty members' attitude toward using ICT in the processes of learning and teaching, and 4. faculty members' self-confidence in using ICT.
To calculate the validity of the questionnaire, material analysis method was used, and the correlation coefficient of all items in each scale was calculated by adding all scales. The results of correlation coefficient of each scale as the range of correlation coefficient (the lowest to the highest correlation coefficient of items in each scale) have been shown in table 1. As it is observed in table 1, all scale items of knowledge, application, attitude and self-confidence showed a significant positive correlation with the scores of all scales. To calculate the reliability of the questionnaire, Coronbach's alpha method was used. The results of Coronbach's alpha correlation for each scale have been shown in table 2 which reveals very high reliability of the scales.
Table 1: the range of items correlation coefficient with the related score of all scales
Scales Software knowledge Skill Attitude Self-confidence
Coefficient 0.51-0.77 0.49-0.82 0.48-0.70 0.50-0.70
Table 2: Coronbach's alpha correlation
Scales Software knowledge Skill Attitude Self-confidence
Coronbach's alpha 0.91 0.90 0.82 0.80
3. Findings
Question 1: Are software knowledge, skill and attitude significant predicting factors for faculty members' self-confidence in applying ICT in their teaching?
Table 3: Regression analysis of variables of knowledge, skill and faculty members' attitude toward ICT
Variables R R2 ß T Significant level
Knowledge 0.39 3.94 0.001
Skill 0.74 0.55 0.22 2.85 0.005
Attitude 0.42 8.68 0.001
Revealed from table 3, faculty members' attitude toward software, with the regression correlation of 0.42 (P = 0.42) and significant level of 0.001, is the strongest predicting factor of faculty members' self-confidence in using ICT. The next factor is software knowledge (P = 0.39, significant level = 0.001), and then is software skill (P = 0.22, significant level = 0.005).
Question 2: Are software knowledge, skill and attitude significant predicting factors for self-confidence of faculty members with different teaching experience in applying ICT in their teaching?
Table 4: Regression analysis of variables of knowledge, skill and faculty members' attitude toward ICT with respect to their teaching experience______________
Experience Variables R R2 ß T Significant level
Low experienced knowledge 0.66 0.43 0.36 2.42 0.019
Skill 0.10 0.68 0.49
Attitude 0.48 4.53 0.001
Medium experienced Knowledge 0.77 0.59 0.29 2.53 0.013
Skill 0.26 2.20 0.03
Attitude 0.41 5.23 0.001
High experienced Knowledge 0.79 0.62 0.36 2.13 0.037
Skill 0.22 1.25 0.021
Attitude 0.42 5.13 0.001
It is induced from table 4 that among low experienced faculty members, their attitudes toward ICT (P = 0.48, sig. lev. = 0.001) is the strongest predicting variable of their self-confidence in using ICT in their teaching. Next variable is soft ware knowledge, and then is software skill. Among medium experienced faculty members, their attitude
toward ICT is the strongest predicting variable, then there is their software knowledge, and finally their software skill. Also, among high experienced faculty members, their attitude toward ICT is the strongest predicting variable, then their software knowledge and lastly their software skill.
Question 3: Are software knowledge, skill and attitude significant predicting factors for self-confidence of faculty members of both male and female gender in applying ICT in their teaching?
Table 5: Regression analysis of variables of knowledge, skill and faculty members' attitude toward ICT with respect to their gender
Gender Variables R R2 ß T Significant level
Knowledge 0.29 3.18 0.002
Male Skill 0.73 0.55 0.23 2.46 0.015
Attitude 0.44 7.54 0.001
Knowledge 0.39 2.67 0.010
Female Skill 0.80 0.64 0.19 1.28 0.021
Attitude 0.40 4.68 0.001
This table shows that among male faculty members, their attitude toward ICT is the strongest predicting variable of their self-confidence in using ICT in their teaching, then there is their software knowledge and skill respectively. Among female faculty members, their attitudes toward use of ICT, their software knowledge and skill are variables predicting their self-confidence in using ICT in their teaching respectively.
4. Conclusion
Based on the results obtained from the review of the data of the questionnaire, it can be concluded that although studies concerning the relationship between faculty members' attitude toward the use of ICT and its application are rare, the results of this study showed that faculty members' attitude is the strongest predicting element of their self-confidence in using it in their teaching. Actually, there is positive correlation between the application of ICT in education system and faculty members' attitude toward ICT. As such, faculty members' attitude toward ICT is an important factor in the creation of an effective learning environment (Loague 2003, Hall & Eliot 2003, Ertmer 1999).
The results revealed that among faculty members with different teaching experiences, their attitude toward software and ICT is the strongest predicting variable of faculty members' self-confidence in the use of ICT in their teaching. There is correlation between faculty members' experience and their efficiency, the point which in the line of Diehil's (2005) and Loague's (2003) study results.
Thee results also reveals that among male and female faculty members, their attitude toward ICT is the strongest predicting variable of their self-confidence in using it. These results are in line with the results of scholars such as Jamieson, Proctor, Burnett, Finger & Watson (2006) as well as the results acquired by the University of Minnesota (2007).
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