an investigation on the use of microsoft powerpoint to

THE USE OF MICROSOFT® POWERPOINT® TO LEARN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AMONG UITM PRE-DIPLOMA STUDENTS

VALERIE CHAN SUE LIN

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

THE USE OF MICROSOFT® POWERPOINT® TO LEARN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AMONG UITM PRE-DIPLOMA STUDENTS

VALERIE CHAN SUE LIN

A project report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Education (Teaching of English as a Second Language)

Faculty of Education Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

SEPTEMBER 2006

ii

iii

To my beloved mother and father

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are many people I would like to thank for their assistance in writing this report. There are a few who I would like to specifically thank here.

I appreciate very much the guidance and direction given to me by my supervisor, Dr. Noor Zainab Abdul Razak from the inception of this project to its conclusion. I would also like to thank my friends, Euphrasia Lee, Jacqueline Sim and Shirley Su who were always there when I needed them.

I also appreciate the support and cooperation of my good friend at Universiti Teknologi Mara, Mukah Campus, Ananda Tilaka Sekara, for taking time to read and edit this piece of work. I must also thank my buddies Zainol, Audrey and Winston for keeping me sane throughout my course of study.

Finally, a word of thanks also to my father, Frankie and my mother, Grace who instilled in me a lifelong love of learning and my lovely sisters, Angeline and Geraldine who were always there to support me.

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ABSTRACT

This study seeks to examine the effects of using presentation software Microsoft® PowerPoint® to teach English. Specifically, this study attempts to investigate student motivation, attitude and anxiety when presentation software Microsoft® PowerPoint® is used to learn English. The respondents in this study were 40 Pre-Diploma students who were following the BEL 040 course offered by UiTM, Mukah Campus. The main methodology employed in this study was a survey questionnaire. Interviews were conducted on 10 of the students who had also responded to the questionnaire. The data were analyzed and computed as percentages.

The results obtained showed a generally positive motivation of

students towards learning English through the use of computers and Microsoft® PowerPoint®. Also, this study found that students have positive attitudes towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English. Anxiety level varies depending on the situation.

Based on this study, it could be concluded that the use of

Microsoft® PowerPoint® and CALL to teach must be encouraged as it helps to motivate students and develop a positive attitude towards learning English.

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ABSTRAK

Tujuan kajian ini ialah untuk mengenalpasti kesan-kesan pengunaan perisian Microsoft® PowerPoint® untuk mengajar Bahasa Inggeris.

Secara

khususnya, kajian ini cuba untuk menyelidiki motivasi, sikap dan kebimbangan pelajar apabila perisian untuk membuat penyampaian seperti Microsoft® PowerPoint® digunakan untuk mempelajari Bahasa Inggeris. Responden dalam kajian ini ialah 40 pelajar Pra-Diploma yang mengikuti kursus BEL 040 yang ditawarkan oleh UiTM, Kampus Mukah.

Metodologi utama yang digunakan

dalam kajian ini ialah borang soal selidik. Temu bual juga dijalankan ke atas 10 orang pelajar yang juga telah memberi respon kepada borang soal selidik. Analisis data telah dijalankan dan telah diubah kepada peratusan. Keputusan yang telah diperolehi menunjukkan bahawa secara umumnya, motivasi pelajar adalah positif terhadap pengunaan komputer serta Microsoft® PowerPoint® untuk mempelajari Bahasa Inggeris. Selain daripada itu, kajian ini telah mendapati bahawa pelajar mempunyai sikap yang positif terhadap pengunaan Microsoft® PowerPoint® untuk mempelajari Bahasa Inggeris. Paras kebimbangan adalah berlainan berdasarkan situasi.

Berdasarkan kajian ini, kesimpulannya ialah pengunaan

Microsoft® PowerPoint® serta CALL untuk mengajar perlu digalakkan kerana ia dapat membantu untuk memberi motivasi kepada pelajar dan sikap yang positif terhadap pembelajaran Bahasa Inggeris.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

1

TITLE

PAGE

DECLARATION

ii

DEDICATION

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

iv

ABSTRACT

v

ABSTRAK

vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS

vii

LIST OF TABLES

xi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

xii

LIST OF APPENDICES

xiii

INTRODUCTION

1

1.1

Introduction

1

1.2

Background of the Study

3

1.3

Statement of the Problem

4

1.4

Objectives of the Study

5

1.5

Research Questions

5

1.6

Significance of the Study

6

1.7

Scope of the Study

7

1.8

Definition of terms

7

1.8.1

Motivation

7

1.8.2

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

7

1.8.3

Microsoft® PowerPoint®

8

1.8.4

Attitude

8

1.8.5 Anxiety

8

viii 1.8.6

2

BEL 040

LITERATURE REVIEW

9

2.1

Introduction

9

2.2

Motivation and Language Learning

9

2.2.1

Role of Teachers to Increase Student Motivation

2.3

Attitude and Language Learning 2.3.1

2.4

Anxiety and Language Learning 2.4.1

2.6

12

14 15

Role of Teachers in Reducing Student Anxiety

2.5

11

Role of Teachers in Changing Student Attitude

16

Educational Technology and CALL in Malaysia

16

Benefits of CALL

20

2.6.1

Time for Interaction

20

2.6.2

Learner Autonomy

21

2.6.3

Enhancement of Presentation with Multimedia

2.6.4

22

Learner Participation in a Motivating Environment

3

8

23

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

25

3.1

Introduction

25

3.2

Sample of the Study

25

3.3

Data Collection Instruments

26

3.3.1. Questionnaire

26

3.3.2

27

3.4

Interviews

Data Collection Procedures 3.4.1

27

Change in BEL 040 Classroom Practice

28

3.4.2

Administration of Questionnaire

28

3.4.3

Administration of Interviews

28

ix 3.5

4

Data Analysis

29

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

30

4.1

Introduction

30

4.2

Findings of the Questionnaire

30

4.2.1. Demographic Information

31

4.2.1.1 Distribution of Respondents by Gender

31

4.2.1.2 Distribution of Respondents by Age

31

4.2.1.3 Distribution of Respondents by Race

32

4.2.1.4 Distribution of Respondents by SPM English Results

33

4.2.1.5 Distribution of Respondents by English Use at Home 4.2.2

33

Students’ Knowledge of Computer and Microsoft® PowerPoint®

34

4.2.2.1 Students’ Knowledge of Computer

34

4.2.2.2 Students’ Knowledge of Microsoft® PowerPoint® 4.2.3

37

Students’ Motivation, Attitude and Anxiety towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

39

4.2.3.1 Motivation in Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

40

4.2.3.2 Attitude towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom 4.2.3.3 Anxiety towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in

46

x an ESL Classroom 4.2.4

Comments from students

52 54

4.3

Findings of the Interview

55

4.4

Discussion of Findings

58


58

4.4.2


4.4.3

59


61


61

4.4.3.2 Attitude towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

64

4.4.3.3 Anxiety towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

5

65

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

67

5.1

Introduction

67

5.2

Conclusion

67

5.3

Pedagogical Implications

69

5.4

Recommendations for Further Research

70

REFERENCES

APPENDICES A-E

72

79-95

xi

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE NO.

TITLE

2.1

Dornyei’s Framework of L2 motivation

2.1

Summary of the Three Phases of Educational

PAGE 11

Technology in Malaysia

16

4.1

Distribution of Respondents by Gender

31

4.2

Distribution of Respondents by Age

32

4.3

Distribution of Respondents by Race

32

4.4

Distribution of Respondents by SPM English Results

33

4.5

Distribution of Respondents by English Use at Home

33

4.6

Students’ Knowledge of Computer

35

4.7

Students’ Knowledge of Microsoft® PowerPoint®

38

4.8

Ratings to Determine High and Low Motivation

40

4.9

Students’ Motivation towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint®

42

4.10

Ratings to Determine Positive and Negative Attitude

46

4.11

Students’ Attitude towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint®

48

4.12

Ratings to Determine High and Low Anxiety

52

4.13

Students’ Anxiety towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint®

53

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

BEL 040

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Intensive English I

CALL

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Computer -Assisted Language Learning

CMC

-

Computer-Mediated Communication

EFL

-

English as a Foreign Language

ESL

-

English as a Second Language

L2

-

Second Language

MoE

-

Ministry of Education

OHP

-

Overhead projector

UiTM

-

MARA University of Technology

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LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX

TITLE

PAGE

A

Questionnaire

79

B

Interview Questions

85

C

Raw Data from the Questionnaire

86

D

Letter Requesting for Permission to Conduct Research

E

94

Letter of Permission to Conduct Research from UiTM Sarawak

95

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Introduction

Educational technology and Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) provide many benefits for the acquisition and application of English Language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and grammar. Wen (1999: 83) states that “the use of computer is a tide we cannot stop [and] if we do not swim along we will only be drowned.” Since the introduction of CALL, students in the west have benefited. Hence, this leads to the need to investigate whether Malaysian students are also getting the benefits of educational technology and CALL and progressing on par with students in other parts of the world.

There are various factors that contribute to the success of learning English as a Second Language (ESL). One of the much talked about and written about factors is motivation. Nesamalar, Saratha and Teh (1997: 10) assert that “it is indisputable that motivation is an extremely important factor in successful language acquisition”. English is a compulsory subject in the Malaysian School Curriculum.

The concerted effort by the Ministry of Education to improve

competency levels among Malaysian students will not succeed even with progressive teaching and learning strategies, if the students themselves are not motivated to learn. Also, according to Nesamalar, Saratha and Teh (1997: 9) although English is a compulsory subject in schools, “a high percentage of students

2 fail to achieve an acceptable level of competence” in English and one of the reasons is “low motivation.”

Literature suggests that educational technology can help to motivate learners of English as a Second Language develop language skills and as stated by Eggen and Kauchak (2004: 414), “research has identified positive effects of technology on motivation in at least four areas: self-esteem and self-efficacy, attendance, attitudes, and involvement”. However, not all lecturers in universities are putting this knowledge into practice as they are still not utilizing the technology tools provided for them to use in their teaching methods. Some are still having problems being ‘techno phobic’. Students are becoming more advanced in the use of technology and if educators do not follow this trend, they will be out-of-date. In order to keep-up with the trends in education, educators need to incorporate technology into their teaching. However, many educators are still unaware of the benefits or purposely ignoring the fact that students enjoy using technology to learn because of personal reasons.

Some educators do use computer technology for personal purposes but not for teaching. A study by Rosli, Zamalia and Shafiee (2002) on ICT (Information Communication and Technology) usage among MARA University of Technology (UiTM), Shah Alam Campus lecturers, found that ICT literacy among UiTM lecturers is high but the usage of ICT for teaching and learning is still low. Majority or 82.5% of the respondents indicated that UiTM should increase its investment in ICT skills training for staff and 76.9% indicated that it should also increase its investment in ICT facilities and the ratio of computers to lecturers should ideally be 1:1. UiTM took the suggestions and made the effort to ensure the ratio and the providing computer related training courses on programs like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Flash to enable the lecturers to update themselves.

Fisher (2003) suggests using PowerPoint for ESL teaching. PowerPoint is a type of presentation software that allows users to show coloured text and images with simple animation and sound. CALL involves the use of computer and its

3 application to teach and learn language. PowerPoint can be considered as a part of CALL. Fisher (2003) explains that “PowerPoint has been in existence for many years, it has just begun to spread to schools and ESL classrooms… [and]…the reason for this delay is that technology requires hardware, which is relatively expensive.” However, this is not a problem for lecturers in Malaysian universities as presentation software like Microsoft® PowerPoint® is easily available and usually comes bundled with most of the office computers as part of the Microsoft Office package. Though, many are still unaware of how useful it can be as an aid in teaching. This study involves the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® to teach and learn the English language. Effects on students’ motivation, attitude and anxiety in learning through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint are investigated.

This

provides an insight into the effectiveness of the technique with goals of improving instruction, teaching methods and other pedagogical practices employed by educators.

1.2

Background of the Study

At present, the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MoE) is spending a lot of money on encouraging teachers to incorporate the use of technology into classroom teaching and also CALL. MoE (1999:2) states:

“The vision and mission of teacher education in Malaysia is to develop a system of education that is on par with world standards in producing teachers who are constantly striving to achieve excellence and who are willing to work diligently towards fulfilling the aspirations of the nation.”

In line with this, strategies have been designed to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to use technology effectively in the classroom. Information Technology (IT) is also introduced as a subject major in courses offered by teacher training colleges. The MoE has also made a strong commitment to use information

4 technology and provide both equipment and training to all 10,000 schools all over the country (Intel Business Centre, 2004).

Providing all school teachers with

training, laptops and computers is an important step taken to promote the use of technology and also CALL. The equipment and training are also provided in institutions of higher learning.

Technology tools like computer, overhead projector (OHP), LCD projector and software are provided with the hope that teachers and lecturers will use them for teaching purposes. However, in both schools and universities, not all tools are fully utilized for many reasons. Some do make use of the OHP to do their presentation but many are still dependent on the conventional chalk and black board or markers and white board.

Universities do encourage the use of

presentation software in teaching although it is not compulsory.

1.3

Statement of the Problem

Mukah Campus UiTM Exam Reports for 7 semesters show that students’ performance in the English proficiency course, Intensive English 1 (BEL 040) generally range from average to poor.

One of the reasons for this poor

performance could be motivation in the classroom.

As such, this calls for

suggestion of new methods to be incorporated into the English class to motivate the learners and increase their proficiency level. This study introduces the use of presentation software Microsoft® PowerPoint® in the BEL 040 class. Also, in the study by Rosli, Zamalia and Shafiee (2002), the majority of the lecturers in UiTM indicated that UiTM should increase its investment in ICT skills training for staff, facilities and the ratio of computers to lecturers should ideally be 1:1. By early 2006, UiTM had succeeded in ensuring this ratio and while this study is being conducted, UiTM is also providing computer related training courses to all its academic staff, hoping that they would be able update their teaching methods. Academic staff are being exposed to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Flash and Adobe Acrobat skills. However, it is also important to let them know that students

5 are actually interested in learning through the use of educational technology. This study will provide an insight into student motivation, attitude and anxiety when presentation software like Microsoft® PowerPoint® is used to learn English. If there is a positive outcome, this study will also be able to further support, encourage or promote the use of technology in teaching and learning.

Both

quantitative and qualitative data will be collected to find out if the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® by lecturers in their teaching, works in motivating students and developing a positive attitude towards learning English.

1.4

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are: 1.4.1

To

investigate

students’

motivation

towards

using

Microsoft®

PowerPoint® to learn English. 1.4.2

To determine students’ attitude when using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English.

1.4.3

To evaluate students’ anxiety when using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English.

1.5

Research Questions

This research aims to address the following research questions: 1.5.1

What is students’ motivation towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English?

1.5.2

What are students’ attitudes towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English?

1.5.3 Do the students feel anxious when using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English?

6

1.6

Significance of the Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate students’ motivation, attitude and anxiety when presentation software Microsoft® PowerPoint® is used to learn English using a survey research design. It is hoped that the findings would benefit the teachers of English and encourage them to make full use of the resources available to them. The findings of this study will reveal whether the use of simple software like Microsoft® PowerPoint® can actually motivate learners and develop a positive attitude towards learning English. If it contributes to a certain degree, the success of students in learning English, the money invested by the government in preparing the technology for learning institutions is invaluable. Technology can be used to solve problems or shortcomings of the conventional methods of teaching and learning. This study could be shared as valuable “insights” for those involved: the ministry, the university, and the lecturers.

Gaining an insight into what motivates the students to learn English is invaluable in assisting the lecturers and the university to provide the correct incentives to further promote the use of computers and specifically presentation software in language learning. Recommendations will be made to the university and policy makers. The findings will also be shared among the lecturers who teach the same course in Malaysia and teachers in general with the aim to improve the present teaching and learning methods. This project has great significance, both locally for Sarawak and nationally for Malaysia as a whole as it will make a major contribution to the national drive towards developing a Knowledge-Based Economy in which intellectual power in the form of English language expertise can be harnessed together with the power of computer technology to fulfil Malaysia’s wider development goals.

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1.7

Scope of the Study

The scope of this study were 40 Pre-Diploma students from UiTM Sarawak, Mukah Campus. Due to time constraint in doing this study, the data collection was restricted to examining a cross-section of the students’ thoughts and emotional stances at a particular point in time. The data for this study were gathered from the 40 students after their experiencing the treatment for six weeks. The central problem of this study was to investigate student motivation, attitude and anxiety when presentation software Microsoft® PowerPoint® is used by students to learn English.

1.8

Definition of Terms

For the purpose of this study, the terms used are defined as follows:

1.8.1

Motivation

“Motivation can be defined as the dynamically changing cumulative arousal in a person that initiates, directs, coordinates, amplifies, terminates, and evaluates the cognitive and motor processes whereby initial wishes and desires are selected, prioritized, operationalised and (successfully or unsuccessfully) acted out.” (Dörnyei and Otto, 1998: 65)

1.8.2 Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

CALL is the use of computer and its application in language teaching and learning.

8

1.8.3

Microsoft® PowerPoint®

Microsoft® PowerPoint® is a type of presentation software created by Microsoft Corporation that allows users to show coloured text and images with simple animation and sound.

1.8.4

Attitude

Attitude is a predisposition to respond in a certain way to a person, object, event, idea or situation (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). The response may be derived without conscious reflections. Attitude can be seen from three aspects; cognitive, affective and behavioural (Rosenberg and Hovland, 1960 and Triandis, 1971).

1.8.5

Anxiety

Anxiety is associated with feelings of uneasiness, self-doubt, apprehension, or worry (Brown, 1987: 106).

1.8.6 BEL 040

BEL 040 refers to the 16-hour per week Intensive English 1 course for prediploma students in UiTM.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1

Introduction

This chapter focuses on the theories and related readings in connection with how motivation, attitude and anxiety are related to language learning and the use of technology in teaching. The literature suggests that there is a need to integrate computers into teaching, as there are positive impacts on students. Towndrow and Vallance (2004: 291) state that “integrating computers appropriately played an important role in their motivation, involvement and persistence” as it allows multiple expression modes and representation, promotes community and shared responsibility.

2.2

Motivation and Language Learning

The most influential motivational theory in the field of second language was put forward by Robert Gardner.

Gardner (1985: 50) asserts “motivation

involves four aspects, a goal, effortful behaviour, a desire to attain the goal and favourable attitudes toward the activity in question.” Gardner’s theory was the basis of researches in the area of motivation. His overall finding shows that positive attitudes and motivation are related to success in second language learning. Although it is uncertain whether the effect of motivation can lead to successful learning of English in Malaysia, the major emphasis here is that motivation can be developed among ESL learners.

This could lead to better

10 success because the desire to learn English will emerge from the learners themselves.

Motivation is necessary in second language learning. As Lightbrown and Spada (1999: 56) point out, “Motivation in second language learning is a complex phenomenon which can be defined in terms of two factors: learners’ communicative needs and their attitudes towards the second language community.” The first factor denotes that if there is a need for the use of the language, the learner will be motivated to acquire proficiency. The second factor denotes that if the learners have favourable attitudes towards speakers of the English language in their own community, they will make an effort to communicate with them. The existence of both factors is related to success in second language (L2) learning.

Dörnyei (1994) points out that Gardner’s theory does not cover all aspects of motivational factors of language learning because of the lack of the psychological aspect. Dörnyei (1994:280) conceptualised L2 motivation within a framework of three relatively distinct levels (see Table 2.1): language level, learner level and learning situation level. The language level includes various components related to aspects of the L2, such as culture and the community. The learner level involves individual characteristics that the learner brings to the learning process. The learning situation level is associated with situation-specific motives rooted in various aspects of language learning within a classroom setting. Dörnyei (2001: 112) explains that the “rationale for separating the three motivational levels was that they seem to have a vital effect on the overall motivation independently of each other.” For example, by changing the parameters at one level and keeping the other two dimensions constant, the overall motivation might completely change.

11 Table 2.1: Dörnyei’s Framework of L2 motivation LANGUAGE LEVEL

LEARNER LEVEL

Integrative motivational subsystem Instrumental motivational subsystem

Need for achievement Self-confidence • Language use anxiety • Perceived L2 competence • Causal attributions • Self-efficacy

LEARNING SITUATION LEVEL Course-specific motivational components

Interest (in the course) Relevance (of the course to one’s needs) Expectancy (of success) Satisfaction (one has in the outcome)

Teacher- specific motivational components

Affiliative motive (to please the teacher) Authority type (controlling vs. autonomy supporting) Direct socialisation of motivation • Modelling • Task Presentation • Feedback

Group-specific motivational components

2.2.1

Goal-orientedness Norm and reward system Group cohesiveness Classroom goal structure (cooperative, competitive or individualistic)

Role of Teachers to Increase Student Motivation

Teachers also can help increase student motivation to learn a language. As Dörnyei (2001:116) points out, “teacher skills in motivating learners should be seen as central to teaching effectiveness.” Lightbrown and Spada (1999: 163)

12 explain that “the principal way that teachers can influence learners motivation is by making the classroom a supportive environment in which students are stimulated, engaged in activities which are appropriate to their age, interests and cultural backgrounds, and, most importantly, where students can experience success.” A tense classroom climate can undermine learning and demotivate learners (MacIntyre, 1999 and Young, 1999). This means that a supportive classroom environment would most likely mean a higher chance for the learner to succeed in learning whereas the reverse would happen in a tense classroom environment. However, this does not mean that motivated students do not encounter difficulties in language learning. What it means is simply is that learners who want to learn tend to do better than those who do not.

Brown, Armstrong and Thompson (1998: 1) state that “Well-motivated students have always succeeded in higher education and will continue to do so: the challenge has always been to stimulate, engender and enhance the motivation of those students whose enthusiasm for learning cannot be taken for granted.” Teachers are the ones responsible to take the challenge. Wong, Quek and Divaharan (2003:50) explain that “motivational activities are meant to grab your students’ interest so that your students will be actively engaged in the lesson. There are lots of strategies that the teacher can use for this purpose.” One of their suggested activities is student presentations.

Presentations software like

Microsoft® PowerPoint® with multimedia applications can be used to enhance the presentation to make it more interesting. Student presentations would mean active participation by the student in the learning process. This enables a more studentcentred classroom resulting in learning being reinforced.

2.3

Attitude and Language Learning

Thomas (1971) views attitude as “a complex of feelings, desires, fears, convictions, prejudices or other tendencies that have given a set of readiness to act because of varied experience.” Experience is an important factor that builds a

13 person’s attitude. Hills (1983: 81) asserts that in education, attitudes “are considered very important since they affect the learning process.” Attitude is actually a part of student motivation which influences the learning process. In explaining Gardner (1979) view, Noor Zainab (2005) states that:

“Attitudes are relevant to second language acquisition because they serve as motivational supports…[and]…he believes that attitude and motivation are important because they determine the extent to which individuals will actively involve themselves in learning the language.”

Also, according to Noor Zainab (2005), “attitude is also thought to provide answers to why some students avoid while others approach educational tasks.” Noor Zainab (2005) gave an example that “if students develop positive attitudes towards learning English language, they presumably can enhance their favourable attitudes towards learning the language which in turn may lead to successful achievement.”

Hedge (2000: 21) points out that, “a learner who has generally negative attitudes towards learning English will have a high affective filter and the task for the teacher will be substantial.” Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis deals with the functions of affective variables. Krashen (1987: 39) explains that based on researches done, anxiety, motivation and self-confidence are affective variables related to success in second language acquisition. These affective variables form a filter or mental block, which prevents the acquirers from using input effectively. Krashen (1987: 39) also gives a clear example that if the acquirers are anxious, on the defensive, or not motivated, they may understand the input but it will not enter the ‘language acquisition device’. This means that the higher the ‘filter’, the lower the acquisition ability and vice versa. Thus, it is necessary for a teacher to lower the ‘filter’ to enable learners to learn.

Findings from several studies show that learners who had positive attitude towards the English language performed better in proficiency tests. Oller, Baca

14 and Vigil (1977) studied a group of Spanish speaking students in New Mexico City. They concluded that students who perceived English as important had better proficiency in English as they found a strong relationship between the students’ attitude and attained proficiency in English. Rajagopal (1976), as cited in De Alwis, Saira and Sharifah (2004) surveyed 240 Form Five Malay medium students in Selangor, Malaysia and found that those who had a positive attitude towards the study of English language performed significantly better in an achievement test than those who had a negative attitude. Also, Lau (1999) found that there is a significant and positive relationship between the attitudes and the proficiency of Form Four Iban students. The students displayed favourable attitudes towards the use and study of English.

Lau’s study highlighted the fact that the more

comfortable and confident the Iban students were in learning English, the better their English proficiency.

Harmer (2001: 51) points out, “ the motivation that brings students to the task of learning English can be affected and influenced by the attitude of a number of people [and] is worth considering what and who these are since they form part of the world around students’ feelings and engagement with the learning process.” Harmer’s suggestion stresses that it is important for teachers not to be ignorant of each student’s surrounding.

They must make an effort to understand each

student’s need and try to develop a positive attitude in the learner in order to enable language learning to take place.

2.3.1

Role of Teachers in Changing Student Attitude

Teachers also can help in changing student attitude to learn a language. Disick (1972) as cited in Noor Zainab (2005) suggests that “attitudes towards second language learning can be improved if teachers seek to promote their students’ needs and interests.” Since teachers spend a lot of time with students in the class, they would understand the students better. They would know what the students are interested in and make an effort to incorporate it in their teaching to

15 maintain interest. Then, learners would most likely develop a positive attitude towards learning as they know their interests are taken into consideration.

2.4

Anxiety and Language Learning

Anxiety can be defined as “a state of uneasiness and apprehension or fear caused by the anticipation of something threatening” (Koba, Ogawa and Wilkinson, 2000). Also, Speilberger (1972: 482) defined anxiety as “unpleasant emotional state or condition which is characterized by subjective feelings of tension, apprehension, and worry, and by activation or arousal of the autonomic nervous system.” In general, anxiety includes tension, nervousness, fear or worry and is a rather negative or unfavourable feeling. Noor Zainab (2005) points out that “anxiety is the other component of motivation, which some researcher like Gardner have seen as important in a language learning classroom because it can have an impact upon the learning process of a student.”

Von Wörde (2003) believes that both foreign and second language learners experience language anxiety and poses potential problems as it can interfere with the acquisition, retention and production of the new language. High levels of anxiety could prevent a student from trying in the learning process. However, Scovel (1991) explains that facilitating anxiety produces positive effects on learners’ performance, but too much anxiety may cause a poor performance. This means that anxiety must be reduced to facilitate language learning.

Hedge (2000: 21) insists, “the greatest anxiety seems to relate to negative experiences in speaking activity.” Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1991) also found that anxiety typically centres on listening and speaking. Speaking seems to be the skill that most language learners fear and therefore should be given more emphasis. Price (1991) as cited in Koba, Ogawa and Wilkinson (2000), investigated on what made students most anxious in foreign language classroom and found that all the subjects answered that having to speak a foreign language in front of other students resulted in the most anxiety.

16 2.4.1

Role of Teachers in Reducing Student Anxiety

Teachers play an important role in reducing student anxiety. Von Wörde (2003) found that, “teachers who provide a supportive and understanding environment, who employ non threatening teaching methods, and who use appealing and relevant topics seem to enhance the foreign language experience.” Bailey (1995) as cited in Hedge (2000: 20) “links anxiety to competitiveness and argues that if we can discover its various causes we will be in a better position to reduce it.” If teachers are able to determine the cause of anxiety, it is possible for them to develop strategies to help reduce students’ anxiety.

2.5

Educational Technology and CALL in Malaysia

In Malaysia, educational technology has been regarded as a very important field to disseminate learning concepts in all levels of education (Ghaniah and Chang, 1998). Ghaniah and Chang (1998) looked as educational technology in Malaysia from a few aspects. Based on their view, the emergence of educational technology in Malaysia can be categorized into three phases; the first phase was from 1980’s, the second phase was the 1990’s and the third phase was after the year 2000. Table 2.2 shows the summary of the three phases. The three phases show that the MoE is trying to keep up with the developments of educational technology.

Table 2.2: Summary of the Three Phases of Educational Technology in Malaysia • • PHASE 1 1980-1989

• •

Computers are being introduced to schools as an external programme frequently organised jointly by the school administration and a computer company. Emergence of computer awareness and computer literacy among educators and students. Computer Clubs are formed. By the end of the ‘80’s, using computers in learning had reached new heights.

17

PHASE 2 1990-1999

• Integration of computers into the education curriculum especially in institutions of higher learning and public schools. • Emergence of the interactive multimedia technology, the Internet and the World Wide Web. • Multimedia technology has taken the lead to transform traditional learning styles to make learning more interesting, dynamic and meaningful.

PHASE 3 After 2000

• •

•

Smart Schools are introduced and implemented. Smart Schools see the utilisation of computers and software in learning in an environment where technology is made available to access a wide variety of learning resources, to challenge students to learn more and to express that learning in a variety of ways Integration of multimedia technology is included to make technology more interesting and meaningful. Source: Adapted from Ghaniah and Chang (1998)

Although students still use their books, educational technology offers them a chance to escape from canned knowledge and discover other means of learning. Computers play a major role in educational technology. It is only appropriate as Lee (2000) states, “Computers are most popular among students either because they are associated with fun and games or because they are considered to be fashionable.” Generally, students associate computers with positive feelings because they enjoy using computers to play games either on-line or through CDROMs. Lee (2000) further explains that “Student motivation is therefore increased, especially whenever a variety of activities is offered, which make them feel more independent.”

Harrington-Lueker (1997) as cited in Eggen and Kauchak (2004: 416) states that “using technology to increase motivation isn’t as simple as it appears on the surface. If technology is to be used effectively, teachers must be very clear about the goals they expect to accomplish with it.” Indeed this is true as asking the students to use computers or technology does not necessarily produce learning. They may enjoy it for a while but if the learning is not meaningful to them, they

18 will get bored and detract from learning.

Kenning and Kenning, (1984: 1)

emphasize that “the computer is merely a tool, to be used or not, as the teacher thinks fit.”

CALL is a part of educational technology because it is considered a form of computer-aided instruction. CALL includes the use of any computer applications to teach language. Chapelle (2001: 3) states that, “In the US, computer-aided instruction was first used in the 1950s, but examples of CALL were not documented until the 1960s.” Also, according to Reiser (1987) and Saettler (1990) in Chapelle, (2001: 28), “CALL has its roots in educational technology, a specialization within the study of education that has been active since the 1960s.” If it was first introduced in the United States in the 1960s, then this shows that CALL has been around for quite some time. However, it was just only in the late 80s and early 90s that some Malaysian English teachers developed an interest in computer-aided instruction.

This means that English teachers in Malaysia are already behind their counterparts in the west by about 20 years. Therefore, it is necessary for them to update themselves to be on par with their counterparts in other countries. According to The Committee for the Planning and Coordination of English Language Programmes in Schools, (CPCE) (1991: 91):

“CALL is an exciting way of harnessing new technology in a variety of ways to help students learn whatever language they are studying …[and]…language teachers need to examine ways computer can help them to enhance their students’ language learning capabilities.”

A study Cobb (2002) concludes that CALL was found to enhance students' motivation and confidence in using the English language and can assist with language acquisition in ESOL students. This research also shows that the use of CALL software can facilitate language acquisition.

19 CPCE (1991: 91) further explains that, “The computer has two distinct advantages (limitless patience and phenomenal memory) over the teacher [and]…each of these attributes can be used by the language teacher to help encourage students’ motivation and attitudes towards learning.” This shows that the Malaysian MoE encourages the use of CALL. Noyan (1998: 15) concluded that, “What is more important is that teachers should start exploring the vast potential which CALL can offer in helping to enrich their teaching experience” and recommends “A more inquiring attitude amongst language teachers towards new technology.”

Warschauer (1996) states “The history of CALL suggests that the computer can serve a variety of uses for language teaching.” However, incorporating CALL is a challenging task. Lam (2000) notes that the top-down implementation of technology by authorities may cause resentment and avoidance by teachers. A study by Egbert, Paulus and Nakamichi (2002) found that the teachers, who did not use CALL activities in their teaching, cited time, administrative or curricular activities and lack of resources as their main reasons.

According to Lee (2000), among the common barriers of using CALL to teach are financial barriers, availability of computer hardware and software, technical and theoretical knowledge and acceptance of the technology. Lee (2000) explains that financial barriers are mentioned most frequently in the literature by language education practitioners and they include the cost of hardware, software, maintenance and to some extend, staff development. However, teachers need to see the advantages to using CALL to teach before resenting the implementation. Lee (2000) concludes that engaging in CALL is a continuing challenge that requires time and commitment. What really matters is how we use technology to solve some of our problems in the classroom.

20 2.6

Benefits of CALL

There are many benefits of using CALL. “The increasing awareness and use of CALL in Malaysian institutions of higher learning means that many paranoia-stricken and computer-illiterate language teachers will have to get to know what CALL is all about and what it can do to enrich the teacher’s teaching experience” (Noyan, 1998: 15). This means that language teachers must first know the advantages of CALL before they can employ this method in their classroom. Among the advantages of using CALL is more time for interaction, learner autonomy, enhancement of presentation with multimedia, and learner participation in a motivating environment.

2.6.1

Time for Interaction

CALL facilitates more time for interaction among teachers and students. According to Long (1996), interaction helps learners be more conscious of linguistic forms. This claim is further supported by Gonzalez-Lloret (2003) who posits that learning conditions with interaction facilitates better comprehension. Her numerous experimental studies on communicative language teaching in CALL environment have shown that students engaging in second language interactions have produced output that is of high quality. Chen, Belkada, and Okamoto (2004) in their research on the learning effectiveness of a Web-based course reveal that positive interaction with the teacher in a CALL environment will pave the way for positive reinforcement on the learning of a language, and simultaneously, the reduction of fossilized errors.

Presentation software can also be used to facilitate more time for interaction as teachers do not have to waste time copying or transferring questions or learning content to the board with chalk or white board marker for every lesson. Fisher (2003) suggested that presentation software like “PowerPoint can be used to teach new ideas and concepts to students.” Preparation can be done before the class and would be ready for use during the lesson.

21 2.6.2

Learner Autonomy

CALL can also develop learner autonomy. Learner autonomy means that the learner will be responsible for his or her own learning. Little (1991) defines learner autonomy as “a capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision making and independent action.” Dwan (2005:144) in a small-scale study in Gyeongju University, Korea found proof that a CALL project is a promising approach for the promotion of autonomous learning. According to Dwan (2005: 143), learners have opportunities to control the content and structure of their learning; time, pace, path to the goal and measurement of success. However, this does not mean that learners work in isolation and have total autonomy. Consultation and feedback from an expert or the instructor are necessary. Selfassessment, peer-editing and group evaluation are also necessary to raise learners’ self-consciousness in learning and in enabling them to do self-monitoring even after the completing of the course.

Faizah and Rohayah (2004) also conducted another small-scale study on a group of learners with varying language proficiencies to investigate the effects of autonomous language learning on the learners in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). The main aim of the study was to determine the types of learners who would most likely benefit from this learning mode. They concluded that almost all learners improved themselves after undergoing autonomous learning at the SelfAccess Centre.

Good learners did not show great improvement through the

autonomous learning mode but the lower proficiency learners were the ones who gained the most benefit. This shows that it is necessary to developing learner autonomy among the lower proficiency students in order to improve their proficiency level.

However, proficient learners can be exempted from this

programme as they do not benefit much and they might be bored if forced to attend this programme.

In a study by Stepp-Greany (2000) it was found that the general use of technology in classrooms resulted in increased motivation, improvement in selfconcept and mastery of basic skills, more student-centred learning and engagement

22 in the learning process and more active processing resulting in higher-order thinking skills and better recall. For low-achieving students, the multimedia effect seems to benefit them as it can better illustrate concepts and factual information. It was also found that students became more confident and independent learners.

2.6.3

Enhancement of Presentation with Multimedia

Multimedia refers to the combination of a variety of media – text, graphics, sound and video, into a single medium i.e. the computer (Ravet and Layte (1997). Multimedia is an integration of existing technologies. Multimedia enables teachers to change teaching and presentation methods. “The way we learn bears a strong relationship to the way our senses operate…[and] …a very high proportion of all sensory learning is visual,” claim Avgerinou and Ericson (1997: 287) . Also, according to Wong and Cheung (2003) “We learn 83% through the sense of sight, 10% through the sense of hearing and the remainder through the senses of smell, touch and taste.”

This means that visuals and audios are very important for

learners. Language teachers should just capitalize on this fact and use it to the fullest advantage in helping learners learn more effectively.

With computer

technology, these media can be presented separately or put together easily and effectively.

Wong and Cheung (2003) also stress that “Visuals that are well

designed can also help motivate students to learn by attracting and maintaining their attention…[and]…meet the needs of those students who learn better through visual means.”

Microsoft® PowerPoint® is a user friendly software which allows the integration of visuals and sounds.

Schcolnik and Kol (1999) concluded that

PowerPoint is a tool that allows students to experience a world of real language opportunity, based on their observation on hundreds of tertiary level EFL students using PowerPoint. Schcolnik and Kol (1999) further explain that the students are motivated to invest time and energy into the quality of their English tasks as they

23 know that there is something attractive for them and to show others. The students usually derive great satisfaction from this task and take pride in their creation.

The use of presentation software in a friendly, non-threatening classroom atmosphere encourages use of all four skills.

Fisher (2003) explains that

PowerPoint “can be used for initial teaching, for practice and drilling, for games, for reviews, and for tests.” However, Towndrow and Vallance (2004: 109) remind that “the design of language learning tasks is not context-free, stand-alone exercise. It is important that there is a proper lesson outline that specifies clear and achievable language learning objectives.

2.6.4

Learner Participation in a Motivating Environment

Morris (2005: 4) is of the opinion that although computer-mediated communication (CMC) can be incorporated into L2 learning, it is unwise to assume that it resembles and “generates the same learning context as face-to-face interactions.

Research in CMC indicates that it helps to illicit more learner

participation and that it promotes a less stressful environment for language learning. A study by Bada and Okan (2004) found that students' tendency toward working individually and/or in pairs is well perceived by teachers and a significant number of students expressed their views in favour of more outside-classroom activities that would help them gain proficiency in English and teachers' responses seem to correlate with these views.

Jiang and Ramsay (2005) in their research on rapport building through CALL emphasize that language learning is facilitated when there is rapport between the teachers and the students. They went on to show the strong link between learner motivation and student-teacher rapport. They concluded that the social-interactive benefits of CALL can enhance learner-teacher rapport, which will support a successful pedagogical experience in the classroom.

24 It is a formidable task for language teachers to develop a positive attitude in the learner in order to achieve success in language learning. Adding to the already challenging task is to develop a positive attitude towards using CALL to learn language.

However, Ahmad, Corbett, Rogers, and Sussex (1985) as cited in

Dunkel (1991:12) suggest that “non-native speakers’ attitudes toward CALL work improve if the students are computer literate as a result of taking literacy-training courses.”

This means that teachers need to do proper planning before they

implement CALL in their classroom.

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1

Introduction

This chapter presents the methodology that was used to conduct the study. This study is a survey on the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English language among UITM Pre-Diploma students. This chapter describes the sample and instruments in this survey.

The primary sources of this study were the

questionnaires and interviews, administered by the researcher in order to obtain the data.

The chapter then elaborates the procedure of data collection before

presenting the procedure for the data analysis of the survey.

3.2

Sample of the Study

The respondents for this study were 40 students who were taking a PreDiploma course offered by UiTM. The respondents consisted of male and female students. They were taking a one semester diploma preparatory course. They had to take a compulsory English proficiency course, Intensive English 1 (BEL 040) for 16 hours a week. The course covered the four language skills and grammar with an allocation of a certain number of hours per week; listening (2 hours), speaking (4 hours), reading (3 hours), writing (5 hours) and grammar (2 hours). The students taking this course were of various proficiency levels but the target group was that with lower English proficiency. BEL 040 aims to remedy students’ weaknesses in the use of English and to raise their proficiency level. They were

26 also expected to develop a positive attitude towards the language by the end of the course.

For the purpose of this study, the researcher focused on the lower

proficiency students based on the criterion of scoring a passing grade of 7D and 8E for English in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. Based on this criterion, 40 students out of 103 were selected as the respondents.

3.3

Data Collection Instruments

This study used two types of data collection instruments, which were the questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires and interviews provided the primary sources of the data in this study.

3.3.1

Questionnaires

The quantitative method of data collection was through the use of a survey questionnaire. Lightbrown and Spada (1999: 51) explain that “when researchers are interested in finding out whether an individual factor such as motivation affects second language learning, they usually select a group of learners and give them a questionnaire to measure the type and degree of their motivation.”

This questionnaire was designed to gather information on

students’ motivation, attitude and anxiety when Microsoft® PowerPoint® is used to learn English (refer to Appendix A). The questionnaires were divided into three sections; Section A, which requires the respondents to provide background information about themselves, Section B, which requires the respondents to provide information on their knowledge of computer and Microsoft® PowerPoint® and Section C, which requires the respondents to provide information on their motivation, attitude and anxiety towards the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® in their English class. The questionnaire was based on a 5-point Likert Scale. At the end of the questionnaire, there was one openended question which was constructed to enable respondents who were

27 interested, to give their personal comments. The questionnaire carried a total of 71 items. The questions were designed according to the needs of this study, based on the research objectives. The questionnaire was administered by the researcher on the 40 respondents.

3.3.2

Interviews

Dörnyei (2001: 193) points out that “quantitative methods are generally less sensitive to uncovering the motivational dynamics involved than qualitative techniques”. Therefore, to solve this problem, it was important to include the qualitative data. Interviews would produce the qualitative data which will reinforce the findings of the quantitative data. This will also increases the validity of the data collected and provide greater confidence in the generalization of the results. A set of 7 interview questions was designed based on the research objectives to find out if the information provided by the respondents’ in the questionnaire corresponds with information provided in the interview (refer to Appendix B). Also, the researcher could find out additional information which may have been left out or not captured in the questionnaire. Usually, interviews are conducted on 10% of the sample. However, for this study 10% would mean 4 respondents and the data obtained would not be enough to form strong conclusions. Therefore, the researcher conducted the interviews on 25% of the sample, or 10 respondents to enable more reliable conclusions. The 10 respondents were chosen randomly and were interviewed.

3.4

Data Collection Procedure

Different procedures were involved in the data collection.

Firstly,

Microsoft® PowerPoint® was incorporated into BEL 040 classroom practise. Secondly, a set of questionnaire was distributed to all the respondents. Finally, the interview sessions were conducted.

28 3.4.1 Change in BEL 040 Classroom Practice

The researcher is also the lecturer involved in teaching the BEL 040 course in UiTM, Mukah Campus.

The researcher used Microsoft® PowerPoint® to

present course materials which otherwise would have been presented in the traditional method of using whiteboard and markers. The researcher also prepared the students by giving them a two-hour training session to teach them the basic skills of using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. Hands-on experience was provided to allow them to familiarize themselves with the software. The training was done in the computer lab. After the training, students were asked to develop presentations as part of their language learning assignments. For example, students were asked to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation as an individual or pair work. Then, they had to present their products to the class. The students were given the opportunity to decide on the topic of presentation. The presentations were not graded but brief comments were given by the lecturer after every presentation. After six weeks, data were collected.

3.4.2

Administration of Questionnaire

The questionnaires were distributed to 40 Pre-Diploma students who were following the BEL 040 course offered by UiTM, Mukah Campus. They were provided with questionnaires during one session and were guided with brief explanation on how to complete the questionnaires. After the respondents had completed the questionnaires, they returned them to the researcher for analysis.

3.4.3

Administration of Interviews

The interview sessions were conducted on 10 of the Pre-Diploma students who were following the BEL 040 course offered by UiTM, Mukah Campus. They had also responded to the questionnaire. The students were chosen randomly and

29 interviewed in ten individual sessions and were given a brief explanation on how to respond to the questions. The researcher conducted the interview and wrote down the responses given by the respondents to all the interview questions.

3.5

Data Analysis

The data obtained from the questionnaires and interviews were categorized according to topics such as motivation, attitudes and anxiety of the students toward using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English. This is to enable a systematic way of analysis. The data were processed manually in the form of frequency tabulation and percentages. Similarly, the data obtained from the interview were also analysed manually and included in the discussion to answer the research questions.

CHAPTER 4

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1

Introduction

This chapter presents and discusses the analysis of data and findings obtained from the questionnaires (refer to Appendix A) and interviews (refer to Appendix B).

The data obtained from the questionnaires were analysed and

organized systematically in tables for discussion purposes. The raw data of the results are available in the appendices (refer to Appendix C) of this study whereas the information obtained from the interviews is analyzed and included in the discussions.

This chapter is divided into three main parts. The first part presents the findings of the questionnaire, which includes the students’ demographic information, students’ knowledge of computer and Microsoft® PowerPoint® and students’ motivation, attitude and anxiety towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL classroom. The second part presents the findings of the interview. The third part presents a discussion of the findings based on the research questions.

4.2

Findings of the Questionnaire

In this study, 40 sets of the questionnaire were distributed to 40 students who were taking a Pre-Diploma English course, BEL 040 offered by UiTM, Mukah Campus. The data are divided into three sub-topics. Data obtained from

31 Section A of the questionnaire were used to construct the demographic information of the students, Section B, to determine their knowledge of computer and Microsoft® PowerPoint® and Section C, to find out their motivation, attitude and anxiety towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in their English class.

4.2.1

Demographic Information

Data obtained from Section A of the questionnaire were used to construct the profile of the students. Information required consisted of gender, age, race, SPM English results and whether they spoke English at home.

4.2.1.1 Distribution of Respondents by Gender Table 4.1 shows the distribution of the respondents by gender. The respondents consist of 31 female students and 9 male students. The numbers of male and female students are not equally represented in this study.

Table 4.1: Distribution of Respondents by Gender Gender

Number of Students

Percentage (%)

Male

9

22.5

Female

31

77.5

Total

40

100.0

4.2.1.2 Distribution of Respondents by Age

Table 4.2 shows the number of students by age. There are 24 students between ages 17-18, 11 students between ages 19-20 and 5 students are between

32 ages 21-22. It is the age range expected as the Pre-Diploma course is usually offered to those aged 17-22.

Table 4.2: Distribution of Respondents by Age Age

Number of Students

Percentage (%)

17-18

24

60.0

19-20

11

27.5

21-22

5

12.5

Total

40

100.0

4.2.1.3 Distribution of Respondents by Race

Table 4.3 shows number of students by race. The respondents are from UiTM and consist of students with Bumiputera status only. All of the students are from the major ethnic groups and also ethnics unique to the state as UiTM Sarawak, Mukah Campus was built to cater to students in the state of Sarawak as UiTM has branch campuses in all Malaysian states. However, occasionally there would also be students from West Malaysian states. Out of the 40 respondents, 16 were Ibans, 12 were Malays, 6 were Bidayuhs, 2 were Kayans, 2 were Melanaus, 1 was a Berawan and 1 indicated others and specified the race as Punan. Table 4.3: Distribution of Respondents by Race Race

Number of Students

Percentage (%)

Malay

12

30.0

Iban

16

40.0

Bidayuh

6

15.0

Kayan

2

5.0

Melanau

2

5.0

Berawan

1

2.5

Others

1

2.5

Total

40

100.0

33 4.2.1.4 Distribution of Respondents by SPM English Results

Table 4.4 shows the number of students according to their SPM English results. The respondents selected for this study are those with lower English proficiency. This is based on the criteria of scoring a passing grade of 7D and 8E for English in the SPM. In the questionnaire, a choice of SPM English Results ranging from grade 1A-9F was provided to counter check if all the respondents are those with of grade 7D and 8E only. Since the respondents are from the correct groups, grade 1A-6C and 9F was left out from Table 4.4. A total of 26 students scored 7D and 14 scored 8E. The students taking the BEL 040 course are of various proficiency levels but the target group for this study are those with lower English proficiency.

Table 4.4: Distribution of Respondents by SPM English Results SPM English

Number of Students

Percentage (%)

7D

26

65

8E

14

35

Total

40

100.0

Results

4.2.1.5 Distribution of Respondents by English Use at Home

Table 4.5 shows the distribution of students based on English use at home. All the respondents do not speak English at home as 100 % answered ‘No’.

Table 4.5: Distribution of Respondents by English Use at Home English Use at Home

Number of Students

Percentage (%)

Yes

0

0.0

No

40

100.0

Total

40

100.0

34 4.2.2


Section B of the questionnaire was constructed to find out students’ access to computers, their knowledge of computers and Microsoft® PowerPoint® and their views on using them for education. The responses given by the respondents are rated according to the following scale: SA (Strongly Agree), A (Agree), U (Undecided), D (Disagree) and SD (Strongly Disagree). The data obtained were divided into two tables for analysis. Table 4.6 shows students’ knowledge of computer whereas Table 4.7 shows students’ knowledge of Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

4.2.2.1 Students’ Knowledge of Computer

Table 4.6 shows students’ knowledge of computer and their views on using computer for education. A total of 5 respondents strongly agreed and 25 agreed with the statement ‘I have access to computer at home’ whereas 7 respondents disagreed and 3 strongly disagreed. This shows that the majority (75%) of the respondents have access to computer at home and the minority (25%) of the respondents do not have access to computers at home.

All of the respondents had access to computer at the university. A total of 14 respondents strongly agreed and 26 respondents agreed with the statement ‘I have access to computer at the university’.

A total of 32 respondents strongly agreed and 8 agreed with the statement, ‘I believe that computer knowledge is very important’. On the other hand, a total of 31 respondents strongly agreed and 9 respondents agreed with the statement, ‘I believe that computer skills are very important.

This shows that all the

respondents believe that computer knowledge and skills are very important.

35 Table 4.6: Students’ Knowledge of Computer Statements 1

I have access to computer at home.

SA % 5 12.5%

A % 25 62.5%

U % 0 0.0%

D % 7 17.5%

SD % 3 7.5%

2

I have access to computer at the university.

14 35.0%

26 65.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

3

I believe that computer knowledge is very important.

32 80.0%

8 20.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

4

I believe that computer skills are very important.

31 77.5%

9 22.5%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

5

I believe that knowing how to use computers is essential to a university student.

30 75.0%

9 22.5%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

6

Computers are helpful in education.

17 42.5%

22 55.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

1 2.5%

7

I am not interested in using computers for education.

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

3 7.5%

15 37.5%

21 52.5%

8

I know how to do my work with a computer.

6 15.0%

26 65.0%

5 12.5%

3 7.5%

0 0.0%

9

I want to improve my ability in using computers to do my assignments.

25 62.5%

14 35.0%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

10

The use of computers gives me more work to do.

3 7.5%

10 25.0%

6 15.0%

16 40.0%

5 12.5%

11

The use of computers is a burden to me.

0 0.0%

2 5.0%

2 5.0%

23 57.5%

13 32.5%

Table 4.6 shows that a total of 30 respondents strongly agreed and 9 respondents agreed with the statement, ‘I believe that knowing how to use computers is essential to a university student’. However, 1 of the respondents was unable to make a decision. Nevertheless, this is still a strong indication that university students believe that knowing how to use computers is essential.

A total of 17 respondents strongly agreed and 22 respondents agreed with the statement, ‘Computers are helpful in education.’ Only 1 of the respondents strongly disagreed with this statement. This shows that almost all the respondents believe that computer is helpful in education.

36 Table 4.6 shows that only 1 respondent strongly agreed with the statement ‘I am not interested in using computers for education’ whereas 15 respondents disagreed, 21 respondents strongly disagreed and 3 respondents were undecided. This shows that 90% of the respondents are interested in using computers for education.

In response to the statement ‘I know how to do my work with a computer,’ 6 of the respondents strongly agreed, 26 of the respondents agreed, 3 of the respondents disagreed and 5 were undecided.

This shows that 80% of the

respondents knew how to do their work with a computer.

In response to the statement ‘I want to improve my ability in using computers to do my assignments,’ 25 respondents strongly agreed and 14 respondents agreed with the statement ‘I want to improve my ability in using computers to do my assignments’. However, 1 of the respondents was undecided on the response.

The respondents provided a range of responses to the statement, ‘The use of computers gives me more work to do.’ Table 4.6 shows that 3 respondents strongly agreed, 10 respondents agreed, 16 respondents disagreed, 5 respondents strongly disagreed and 6 were undecided. However, the percentage of those who generally disagreed with the statement, 52.5% is still higher than those who agreed, 32.5%. A total of 13 of the respondents strongly disagreed and 23 of the respondents disagreed with the statement, ‘The use of computers is a burden to me.’ Only 2 of the respondents agreed with this statement and another 2 were undecided. This shows that the majority (90%) of the respondents do not find the use of computer a burden to them.

37 4.2.2.2 Students’ Knowledge of Microsoft® PowerPoint®

Table 4.7 shows students’ knowledge of Microsoft® PowerPoint® and their views on using Microsoft® PowerPoint®

for education.

A total of 6

respondents strongly agreed and 19 respondents agreed with the statement, ‘I learnt how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation before entering university.’

On the other hand, 11 respondents disagreed and 4 respondents

strongly disagreed with the statement.

In response to the statement, ‘I am experienced in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®,’ 2 of the respondents strongly agreed and 13 of the respondents agreed with the statement whereas 3 of the respondents strongly disagreed and 14 of the respondents disagreed with the statement. A total of 8 respondents indicated that they were undecided. They were unable to determine whether they were considered experienced or not.

In response to the statement ‘I have improved my ability to use Microsoft® PowerPoint®after the training given,’ 14 respondents strongly agreed, 21 respondents agreed, 1 respondent disagreed and 4 were undecided. This shows that the majority of them felt that they have improved their ability to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® after the training given.

Also, responses to the

following statement reveal that they want to improve themselves further.

All of the respondents either agree or strongly agree with the statement ‘I want to be better in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®.’ A total of 18 respondents agreed and 22 respondents strongly agreed with the statement. They also want to have more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to do their assignments. Of all the respondents, 25 agreed and 14 strongly agreed with the statement ‘I want to have more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to do my assignments.’ Only 1 respondent disagreed with the statement.

38 As shown in Table 4.7, the respondents provided a range of responses to the statement ‘I am very weak in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®.’ In response to this statement, 2 of the respondents strongly agreed, 13 of the respondents agreed, 16 of the respondents disagreed, 1 of the respondents strongly disagreed and 8 were undecided. The percentage of those who generally disagree (42.5%) with the statement is slightly higher than those who agree (37.5%) whereas 8 respondents were unable to determine whether they were considered weak or not.

Table 4.7: Students’ Knowledge of Microsoft® PowerPoint® Statements 12

13 14

15 16

17 18

19

20

SA %

A %

U %

D %

SD %

6 15.0%

19 47.5%

0 0.0%

11 27.5%

4 10.0%

2 5.0%

13 32.5%

8 20.0%

14 35.0%

3 7.5%

14 35.0%

21 52.5%

4 10.0%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

22 55.0%

18 45.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

14 35.0%

25 62.5%

0 0.0%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

2 5.0% 9 22.5%

13 32.5% 4 10.0%

8 20.0% 0 0.0%

16 40.0% 21 52.5%

1 2.5% 6 15.0%

The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® is troublesome to me.

0 0.0%

1 2.5%

7 17.5%

22 55.0%

10 25.0%

I am not interested in using Microsoft® PowerPoint® for education.

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

2 5.0%

20 50.0%

18 45.0%

I learnt how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation before entering university. I am experienced in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I have improved my ability to use Microsoft® PowerPoint®after the training given. I want to be better in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I want to have more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to do my assignments. I am very weak in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® gives me more work to do.

39 In response to the negative statement ‘The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® gives me more work to do,’ 21 respondents expressed their disagreement and 6 respondents expressed their strong disagreement whereas 4 respondents expressed their agreement and 9 respondents expressed their strong agreement. This shows that the majority (67.5%) of the respondents felt that the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® does not give them more work to do.

Also, responses to the following statement show that the respondents feel that the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® is not troublesome to them. A total of 22 respondents disagreed and 10 respondents strongly disagreed with the statement ‘The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® is troublesome to me.’ This shows that generally, 80% of the respondents do not find the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® as troublesome. However, 7 respondents were undecided on the response whereas only 1 agreed with the statement.

In response to the negative statement, ‘I am not interested in using Microsoft® PowerPoint® for education,’ 20 respondents disagreed and a further 18 respondents strongly disagreed whereas 2 were undecided on the response. This shows that, 95% of the respondents are interested in using Microsoft® PowerPoint® for education purposes.

4.2.3


Section C of the questionnaire was constructed to find out students’ motivation, attitude and anxiety towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL classroom. The responses given by the respondents are rated according to the following scale: SA (Strongly Agree), A (Agree), U (Undecided), D (Disagree) and SD (Strongly Disagree). The data obtained were divided into three tables for analysis.

Table 4.9 shows students’ motivation towards using Microsoft®

40 PowerPoint®, Table 4.11 shows students’ attitude towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® and Table 4.13 shows students’ anxiety towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. In this study, ratings are used to determine high and low motivation, (refer to Table 4.8), positive and negative attitude (refer to Table 4.10) and high and low anxiety (refer to Table 4.12) in the respondents.


In this study, there are nineteen items in section C that investigate students’ motivation towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® (refer to Appendix A, Section C, items 1, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 35, 36 and 43). The items are shown in Table 4.11. Table 4.8 shows the ratings used to determine high and low motivation in the respondents.

In positive statements, high

motivation is depicted in the strongly agree and agree responses from the respondents. Low motivation is depicted in the “strongly disagree” and “disagree” responses from the respondents. In negative statements, low motivation is depicted in the “strongly agree” and “agree” responses from the respondents. An undecided response depicts a neutral stand.

Table 4.8: Ratings to Determine High and Low Motivation High Motivation

Neutral

Low Motivation

Strongly

Agree

Undecided

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Agree

(A)

(U)

(D)

(SD)

(SA)

From Table 4.9, it can be seen that in response to the statement ‘Microsoft® PowerPoint® has motivated me to learn English,’ 16 respondents strongly agreed and 22 respondents agreed with the statement. Only 2 respondents were undecided. This shows that the students have high motivation (95 %) when they use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English. This finding correlates with the

41 responses to the negative statement ‘Microsoft® PowerPoint® does not motivate me to learn English.’ A total of 15 respondents strongly disagreed and 22 disagreed with the statement. Only 3 respondents were undecided. Although the percentage (92.5%) is slightly lower, it still emphasizes that the students have high motivation when they use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English.

In response to the statement ‘My confidence in speaking has improved with the help of Microsoft® PowerPoint®,’ 10 of the respondents strongly agreed, 21 of the respondents agreed, 3 of the respondents disagreed and 6 were undecided. This shows that the majority (77.5%) of the respondents felt that their confidence has improved with the help of Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

In response to the statement ‘I am excited about preparing my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation,’ 6 of the respondents strongly agreed, 24 of the respondents agreed, 2 of the respondents disagreed and 8 of the respondents were undecided. Generally students were excited about preparing their own presentation as 75% of the respondents actually agreed with the statement. The percentage of those who disagreed with the statement is very low.

In response to the statement ‘I am proud that I am able to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation for my English class,’ 13 of the respondents strongly agreed, 24 of the respondents agreed and 3 of the respondents were undecided on the responses. This indicates that 92.5% showed high motivation from the feeling of being proud that they are able to prepare their own presentation.

In response to the statement ‘The Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation I prepared was worth my time and effort,’ 7 of the respondents strongly agreed, 19 of the respondents agreed, 4 of the respondents disagreed and 10 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that 65% of the respondents thought that the presentation they prepared was worth their time and effort. Also, in response to the statement ‘I want to be the one with the best presentation in class,’ 19 of the

42 respondents strongly agreed, 18 of the respondents agreed and 3 of the respondents were undecided. Generally most (92.5%) of the students want to be the student with the best presentation in class.

Table 4.9: Students’ Motivation towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® Statements 1

Microsoft® PowerPoint® has motivated me to learn English.

7

My confidence in speaking has improved with the help of Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I am excited about preparing my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. Microsoft® PowerPoint® does not motivate me to learn English. After viewing my friend’s presentations, I make an effort to read-up more on the topics presented in class. I enjoy doing a presentation on a topic of my interest. I am proud that I am able to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation for my English class. I enjoy putting multimedia elements like sounds into my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I enjoy putting multimedia elements like animated pictures into my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class fun. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class interesting. The Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation I prepared was worth my time and effort.

10

12

14

15 17

20

21

25

26

28

SA % 16 40%

A % 22 55.0%

U % 2 5.0%

D % 0 0.0%

SD % 0 0.0%

10 25.0%

21 52.5%

6 15.0%

3 7.5%

0 0.0%

6 15.0%

24 60.0%

8 20.0%

2 5.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

3 7.5%

22 55.0%

15 37.5%

9 22.5%

24 60.0%

5 12.5%

2 5.0%

0 0.0%

16 40.0%

22 55.0%

1 2.5%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

13 32.5%

24 60.0%

3 7.5%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

9 22.5%

27 67.5%

3 7.5%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

16 40.0%

22 55.0%

2 5.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

16 40.0%

18 45.0%

5 12.5%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

16 40.0%

22 55.0%

2 5.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

7 17.5%

19 47.5%

10 25.0%

4 10.0%

0 0.0%

43 29

30

32

33 35

36

43

Microsoft® PowerPoint® made it easy to merge ideas from different sources. I need more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to improve my presentation skills. Sometimes I am unable to complete my work because of insufficient computers in the lab. I want to be the one with the best presentation in class. Knowing how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation will be useful for me in the future. I can remember what I learn better by following a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I am sure I will be better in doing a presentation with Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

12 30.0%

27 67.5%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

14 35.0%

26 65.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

15 37.5%

21 52.5%

0 0.0%

2 5.0%

2 5.0%

19 47.5% 26 65.0%

18 45.0% 13 32.5%

3 7.5% 1 2.5%

0 0.0% 0 0.0%

0 0.0% 0 0.0%

8 20.0%

27 67.5%

4 10.0%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

11 27.5%

24 60.0%

3 7.5%

2 5.0%

0 0.0%

Table 4.9 shows that the majority (82.5%) of the respondents had high motivation to make effort to read up more on the topics presented in class after viewing their friend’s presentations in class. In response to the statement ‘After viewing my friend’s presentations, I make an effort to read-up more on the topics presented in class,’ 9 respondents strongly agreed, 24 respondents agreed, 2 respondents disagreed and 5 were undecided.

Apart from that, students also enjoy doing a presentation on a topic of their interest. In response to the statement ‘I enjoy doing a presentation on a topic of my interest,’ 16 respondents strongly agreed and 22 respondents agreed with the statement, only 1 respondent disagreed and 1 was undecided.

Students enjoy putting multimedia elements like sounds and animated pictures into their Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

In response to the

44 statement ‘I enjoy putting multimedia elements like sounds into my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation,’ 9 respondents strongly agreed and 27 respondents agreed with the statement, only 1 respondent disagreed and 3 were undecided. Also, in response to the statement ‘I enjoy putting multimedia elements like animated pictures into my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation,’ 16 respondents strongly agreed and 22 respondents agreed and 2 respondents were undecided.

In response to the statement ‘The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class fun,’ 16 of the respondents strongly agreed, 18 of the respondents agreed, 1 of the respondent disagreed and 5 of the respondents were undecided. This indicates that 85% showed high levels of motivation from the feeling of having fun in class. Apart from that, in response to the statement ‘The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class interesting,’ 16 of the respondents strongly agreed, 22 of the respondents agreed and 2 of the respondents were undecided. This indicates that 95% showed high levels of motivation because the class was interesting.

Table 4.9 shows that almost all (97.5%) of the students enjoy using one of the features of Microsoft® PowerPoint® which is easy for students to merge ideas from different sources. In response to the statement ‘Microsoft® PowerPoint® made it easy to merge ideas from different sources,’ 12 of the respondents strongly agreed, 27 of the respondents agreed, and 1 of the respondent were undecided.

In response to the statement ‘I need more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to improve my presentation skills,’ 14 of the respondents strongly agreed and 26 of the respondents agreed. Generally all students felt that they need more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to improve their presentation skills. Also, in response to the statement ‘I am sure I will be better in doing a presentation with Microsoft® PowerPoint®,’ 11 of the respondents strongly agreed and 24 of the respondents agreed. Only, 2 of the respondents disagreed and

45 3 of the respondents was undecided. Most (87.5%) of the respondents were sure that they will be better in doing their presentation with Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

In response to the statement ‘Sometimes I am unable to complete my work because of insufficient computers in the lab,’ 15 of the respondents strongly agreed, 21 of the respondents agreed, 2 of the respondents disagreed and 2 of the respondents strongly disagreed. Most (90%) of the students are affected and unable to complete their work because of insufficient computers in the lab.

Table 4.9 shows that a total of 26 respondents strongly agreed and 13 respondents agreed with the statement, ‘Knowing how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation will be useful for me in the future.’ Only 1 of the respondent was undecided. This shows that almost all (97.5%) the respondents are motivated by their perception that knowing how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation will be useful for them in the future.

A total of 8 respondents strongly agreed, 27 respondents agreed and 1 respondent disagreed with the statement, ‘I can remember what I learn better by following a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.’

However, 4 of the

respondents were undecided. This shows that most (87.5%) of the respondents are motivated to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation to learn because they can remember what they learn better by following a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

A total of 11 respondents strongly agreed, 24 respondents agreed and 2 respondents disagreed with the statement, ‘I am sure I will be better in doing a presentation with Microsoft® PowerPoint®.’ However, 3 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that most (87.5%) of the respondents are motivated to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation to learn because they sure they will be better in doing a presentation with Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

46 4.2.3.2 Attitude towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

In this study, there are nineteen items in section C that investigate students’ attitude towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® (refer to Appendix A, Section C, items 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 27, 37, 38 and 42). The items are shown in Table 4.11. Table 4.10 shows the ratings used to determine positive and negative attitude in the respondents. In positive statements, a positive attitude is depicted in the strongly agree and agree responses from the respondents. A negative attitude is depicted in the “strongly disagree” and “disagree” responses from the respondents. In negative statements, a negative attitude is depicted in the “strongly agree” and “agree” responses from the respondents. An undecided response depicts a neutral stand.

Table 4.10: Ratings to Determine Positive and Negative Attitude Positive attitude

Neutral

Negative attitude

Strongly

Agree

Undecided

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Agree

(A)

(U)

(D)

(SD)

(SA)

In general, the majority of the respondents had a positive attitude towards the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn the four skills of English; listening, speaking, reading, writing and also grammar. In response to the statement ‘I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn listening skill,’ 13 of the respondents expressed their strong agreement, 17 of the respondents expressed their agreement, 5 of the respondents expressed their disagreement and 5 of the respondents were undecided.

This shows that the majority (75%) of the

respondents had a positive attitude towards the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn listening.

In response to the statement ‘I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn speaking skill,’ 14 of the respondents expressed their strong agreement, 25

47 of the respondents expressed their agreement and 1 respondent was undecided. This shows that the majority (97.5%) of the respondents had a positive attitude towards the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn speaking.

In response to the statement ‘I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn reading skill,’ 18 of the respondents expressed their strong agreement and 22 of the respondents expressed their agreement. This shows that the majority (95%) of the respondents had a positive attitude towards the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn reading. In response to the statement ‘I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn writing skill,’ 16 of the respondents expressed their strong agreement, 21 of the respondents expressed their agreement and 3 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that the majority (92.5%) of the respondents had a positive attitude towards the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn writing.

In response to the statement ‘I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn grammar,’ 14 of the respondents expressed their strong agreement, 21 of the respondents expressed their agreement and 5 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that the majority (87.5%) of the respondents had a positive attitude towards the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn grammar.

A high percentage (70%) of the respondents likes their own presentation. In response to the statement ‘I like my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation,’ 8 of the respondents strongly agreed, 20 of the respondents agreed, 1 of the respondent disagreed whereas 11 were undecided. This corresponds with the results to the negative statement ‘I dislike my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation’ as 8 of the respondents strongly disagreed, 20 of the respondents disagreed, whereas 12 were undecided. This confirms that 70% of the respondents like their own presentation.

48 Students also find it interesting to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. In response to the statement ‘It is not interesting to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®,’ 12 of the respondents strongly disagreed, 22 of the respondents disagreed, 2 of the respondents agreed, 1 of the respondent strongly agreed and 1 of the respondent was undecided. This shows that 85% of the respondents had positive attitude towards learning English through Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

Table 4.11: Students’ Attitude towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® Statements

SA % 13 32.5%

A % 17 42.5%

U % 5 12.5%

D % 5 12.5%

SD % 0 0.0%

2

I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn listening skill.

3

I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn speaking skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn reading skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn writing skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn grammar.

14 35.0%

25 62.5%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

18 45.0%

22 55.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

16 40.0%

21 52.5%

3 7.5%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

14 35.0%

21 52.5%

5 12.5%

0 0.0%

0 0.0%

I like my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. It is not interesting to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I dislike my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. It is boring to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. It is boring to only listen to my lecturer in normal English class. I like working alone to prepare a presentation.

8 20.0% 1 2.5%

20 50.0% 2 5.0%

11 27.5% 3 7.5%

1 2.5% 22 55.0%

0 0.0% 12 30.0%

0 0.0% 1 2.5%

0 0.0% 0 0.0%

12 30.0% 2 5.0%

20 50.0% 24 60.0%

8 20.0% 13 32.5%

4 10.0%

13 32.5%

9 22.5%

12 30.0%

2 5.0%

4 10.0%

9 22.5%

7 17.5%

12 30.0%

8 20.0%

4

5

6

8 9

11 13

16

18

49 19 22

23

24

27

37

38

42

I prefer to work in groups to do a presentation. I like the features of Microsoft® PowerPoint® that allow me to change the colours and background of presentation slides. Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes it easy for me to make changes to my work when I realise that I have made mistakes. I like looking at the Microsoft® PowerPoint® slide presentations made by the lecturer. I prefer to learn English through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® instead of the conventional white board and marker. It was a challenge to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to prepare a presentation. I do not mind spending time to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I am not interested to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® in doing a presentation.

10 25.0% 17 42.5%

24 60.0% 20 50.0%

3 7.5% 2 5.0%

3 7.5% 1 2.5%

0 0.0% 0 0.0%

13 32.5%

24 60.0%

2 5.0%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

13 32.5%

24 60.0%

2 5.0%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

10 25.0%

16 40.0%

7 17.5%

7 17.5%

0 0.0%

10 25.0%

27 67.5%

2 5.0%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

6 15.0%

23 57.5%

5 12.5%

5 12.5%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

1 2.5%

6 15.0%

19 47.5%

14 35.0%

In response to the statement ‘It is boring to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®,’ 1 of the respondent strongly agreed, 24 of the respondents disagreed, 13 of the respondents strongly disagreed and 2 of the respondents were undecided. A high percentage (92.5%) of the students does not find it boring to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

A total of 4 respondents strongly agreed, 13 respondents agreed, 12 respondents disagreed and 2 of the respondents strongly disagreed with the statement, ‘It is boring to only listen to my lecturer in normal English class.’ However, 9 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that the number of

50 students, who find it boring (42.5%) to only listen to their lecturer in normal English class, is higher than the number of students who find that it is not (35%).

In response to the statement ‘I like working alone to prepare a presentation,’ 4 of the respondent strongly agreed, 9 of the respondents agreed, 12 of the respondents disagreed, 8 of the respondent strongly disagreed and 7 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that half of the students do not like to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation on their own. On the other hand, in response to the statement ‘I prefer to work in groups to do a presentation,’ 10 of the respondent strongly agreed, 24 of the respondents agreed, 3 of the respondents disagreed and 3 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that most (85%) of the students prefer to work in groups to do a presentation.

A total of 17 respondents strongly agreed, 20 respondents agreed, 1 respondent disagreed and 2 were undecided with the statement, ‘I like the features of Microsoft® PowerPoint® that allow me to change the colours and background of presentation slides.’ This shows that most (92.5%) of the students showed a positive attitude towards using Microsoft PowerPoint® to learn English because of the features of Microsoft PowerPoint® itself. Microsoft® PowerPoint® allows them to change the colours and background of their presentation slides.

A total of 13 respondents strongly agreed, 24 respondents agreed, 1 respondent disagreed and 2 were undecided with the statement, ‘Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes it easy for me to make changes to my work when I realise that I have made mistakes.’ Again, this shows that most (92.5%) of the students showed a positive attitude towards using Microsoft PowerPoint® to learn English because of the features of Microsoft PowerPoint® itself. Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes it easy for them to make changes to their work when they realise that they have made mistakes.

A high percentage (92.5%) of the respondents like their lecturer’s presentation.

In response to the statement ‘I like looking at the Microsoft®

51 PowerPoint® slide presentations made by the lecturer,’ 13 of the respondents strongly agreed, 24 of the respondents agreed, 1 of the respondent disagreed whereas 2 of the respondents were undecided. Also, in response to the statement ‘I prefer to learn English through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® instead of the conventional white board and marker,’ 10 of the respondent strongly agreed, 16 of the respondents agreed, 7 of the respondents disagreed and 7 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that more than half (65%) of the students prefer to learn English through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® instead of the conventional white board and marker.

A total of 10 respondents strongly agreed, 27 respondents agreed, 1 respondent disagreed with the statement, ‘It was a challenge to use Microsoft® PowerPoint®

to prepare a presentation.’ Only 2 of the respondents were

undecided. This shows that a high percentage (92.5%) of the respondents found it challenging to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to prepare a presentation. In response to the statement ‘I do not mind spending time to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation,’ 6 of the respondent strongly agreed, 23 of the respondents agreed, 5 of the respondents disagreed, 1 of the respondent strongly disagreed and 5 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that most (72.5%) of the students do not mind spending time to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

A total of 14 respondents strongly disagreed, 19 respondents disagreed, 1 respondent agreed and 6 respondents were undecided with the statement, ‘I am not interested to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® in doing a presentation.’ This shows that a high percentage (82.5%) of the respondents are interested to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® in doing a presentation

52 4.2.3.3 Anxiety towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

In this study, there are seven items in section C that investigates students’ anxiety towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® (refer to Appendix A, Section C, items 31, 34, 39, 40, 41, 44 and 45 ). The items are shown in Table 4.13. Table 4.12 shows the ratings used to determine high and low anxiety in the respondents. In positive statements, high anxiety is depicted in the “strongly agree” and “agree” responses from the respondents whereas low anxiety is depicted in the “strongly disagree” and “disagree” responses from the respondents. In negative statements, low anxiety is depicted in the “strongly agree” and “agree” responses from the respondents whereas low anxiety is depicted in the “strongly disagree” and “disagree” responses from the respondents. An undecided response depicts a neutral stand. Table 4.12: Ratings to Determine High and Low Anxiety High Anxiety

Neutral

Low Anxiety

Strongly

Agree

Undecided

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Agree

(A)

(U)

(D)

(SD)

(SA)

Table 4.13 shows that in response to the statement ‘I become anxious when I have to do a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation,’ 17 of the respondents strongly agreed, 10 of the respondents agreed, 1 of the respondent disagreed with the statement whereas 12 of the respondents were undecided. Generally, 67.5% of the respondents became anxious when they had to do a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

A high percentage (90%) of the respondents felt that the more opportunities they had to present, the less anxious they felt when it was their turn to present with Microsoft® PowerPoint®. In response to the statement, ‘The more opportunities I have to present, the less anxious I feel when it is my turn to present with Microsoft® PowerPoint®,’ 7 of the respondents strongly agreed, 29 of the

53 respondents agreed, 1 of the respondent disagreed whereas 3 of the respondents were undecided.

There are also other problems that cause high anxiety among the students, for example, when their presentation does not work. In response to the statement ‘I am worried when my presentation does not work properly,’ 10 of the respondents strongly agreed, 27 of the respondents agreed, 1 of the respondent disagreed, 1 of the respondent strongly disagreed and 1 of the respondent was undecided. This shows that 92.5% of the respondents had high anxiety because of technical problems.

Table 4.13: Students’ Anxiety towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® Statements 31

34

39

40

41

44

45

I become anxious when I have to do a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. The more opportunities I have to present, the less anxious I feel when it is my turn to present with Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I am worried when my presentation does not work properly. I am always worried when I have to use technology to do my work. I feel very disappointed when my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation does not work. I was anxious when I was told that I have to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation and I do not know how to use the software. After the training provided, I felt less anxious when I was asked to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

SA % 17 42.5%

A % 10 25.0%

U % 12 30.0%

D % 1 2.5%

SD % 0 0.0%

7 17.5%

29 72.5%

3 7.5%

1 2.5%

0 0.0%

10 25.0%

27 67.5%

1 2.5%

1 2.5%

1 2.5%

1 2.5%

17 42.5%

6 15.0%

12 30.0%

4 10.0%

9 22.5%

26 65.0%

3 7.5%

0 0.0%

2 5.0%

3 7.5%

20 50.0%

4 10.0%

13 32.5%

0 0.0%

7 17.5%

26 65.0%

3 7.5%

4 10.0%

0 0.0%

54 In response to the statement ‘I am always worried when I have to use technology to do my work,’ 1 of the respondent strongly agreed, 17 of the respondents agreed, 12 of the respondents disagreed, 4 of the respondents strongly disagreed and 6 of the respondents was undecided. Almost half (45%) of the students were worried when they had to use technology to do their work.

A total of 9 respondents strongly agreed, 26 respondents agreed and 2 respondents strongly disagreed with the statement, ‘I feel very disappointed when my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation does not work.’ However, 3 of the respondents were undecided. This shows that most (87.5%) of the respondents were very disappointed when their presentation does not work. In response to the statement ‘I was anxious when I was told that I have to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation and I do not know how to use the software,’ 3 of the respondent strongly agreed, 20 of the respondents agreed, 13 of the respondents disagreed and 6 of the respondents were undecided. More than half (57.5%) of the students were anxious when they were told that they have to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation and they did not know how to use the software.

A total of 7 respondents strongly agreed, 26 respondents agreed, 4 respondents disagreed and 3 were undecided with the statement, ‘After the training provided, I felt less anxious when I was asked to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.’ This shows that the high level of anxiety in most (82.5%) of the respondents was reduced after the training was provided.

4.2.4

Comments from Students

In the open-ended question in the questionnaires, the respondents were asked to give comments. The following are the most common comments from the respondents:

55 •

Computers make it easy for me to do my work.

•

I am still not good at using the computer and because of that my work is not perfect.

•

I am still weak at using the computer but I want to improve myself.

•

I am not satisfied with my presentation.

•

I hope the lecturer will give guidance to me

•

Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes my presentation interesting.

•

Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English is interesting.

•

I enjoy using Microsoft® PowerPoint® and it has made me interested to learn English.

•

I have gained confidence to do a presentation in front of the class.

•

Microsoft® PowerPoint® is important for me as a university student and for my future.

•

I need more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® because I am still not good at it.

•

I am worried that my presentation is not as good as my friend’s presentation.

•

I am worried and afraid of doing a presentation in front of the class because I am weak in English.

•

I am very anxious while doing the Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

•

I do not know how to find information on the Internet to do my presentation.

•

Sometimes, I am unable to finish my work because of insufficient number of computers in the lab.

•

The number of the computers in the computer lab needs to be increased.

4.3

Findings of the Interview

In this study, a set of 7 interview questions was designed to find out if the information provided in the questionnaire corresponds with the information provided in the interview. A total of 10 students were interviewed and related

56 information was included in the discussion of findings. The 10 students were among those who completed the questionnaire.

In response to question 1, ‘What are the benefits of using computer to learn English?’ all the respondents mention that the computer or specifically the Internet, gives them a lot of new information. At the same time they could improve their English. A total of 6 interviewees said that it is also easy for them to correct their own grammar and improve their writing, 1 interviewee said that she preferred to learn English through the use of a computers rather than books.

In response to question 2, ‘Do you enjoy doing assignments with the computer?’ all the interviewee said ‘Yes’ but gave different reasons for it. A total of 4 interviewees said that they have learnt something new, 5 interviewees said that the computer makes their work easy, 2 interviewees said that computer saves their time and 2 interviewees said that it enables them to show their creativity through their choice of colours, background, sound and animation.

In response to question 3, ‘Does Microsoft® PowerPoint® motivate you to learn English?’ all the interviewee said ‘Yes’ but gave the different types of motivation. After using Microsoft® PowerPoint®, 6 interviewees felt that their confidence in using English to do presentations improved. Also, 6 interviewee mentioned that they can correct their own grammar and spelling with the check spelling and grammar feature. They are motivated to learn English by this feature because they do not have to keep referring to the dictionary or the lecturer as often to check the meaning of words.

In response to question 4, ‘Do you have a positive or negative attitude towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English?’ all the interviewees said that they have a positive attitude. As most (6) felt that their confidence in using English to do presentations improved, they are positive that they will improve their English and also their presentation skills. Also, 2 students said that

57 Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes life easy for them and they do not have to write with their hands. Their work is also neat and tidy.

In response to question 5, ‘Did you face any difficulty when you use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English?’ 3 interviewees said that they did not encounter any problem. The rest of the interviewees mentioned a few problems that they encountered. Some said that they found it difficult to summarize the information they get from the internet. A few of the interviewees had some technical problems like not being able to open their saved work and they felt really frustrated about it. Sometimes, they face difficulties because they are not familiar with Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

In response to question 6, ‘Do you feel anxious when you have to do a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation?’ 6 of the interviewees said ‘Yes’, 2 of the interviewees said ‘No’ and another 2 of the interviewees said ‘Sometimes’. Those who said that they felt anxious whether it is sometimes or all the time, mentioned a few causes. Some are afraid to make pronunciation and technical mistakes during presentation. They are afraid that they press the wrong button and the presentation does not work.

Also, sometimes it is because the assignment given is not

completed and they are afraid that their lecturer will get angry with them.

In response to question 7, ‘Do you agree with the idea of including Microsoft® PowerPoint® in your English lessons?’ all students said that they agree. This is because they feel that using Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes their English lesson interesting and at the same time, they can improve their computer and language skills. They also enjoy using the computer to do their work.

58 4.4

Discussion of Findings

The following discussion focuses on the data obtained from the questionnaires and interviews.

Earlier in this chapter, the data obtained was

calculated in terms of frequency tabulation and percentages. A discussion of the findings of the demographic information and students’ knowledge of computer and Microsoft® PowerPoint®information is provided.

The main focus of the

discussion is students’ motivation, attitude and anxiety towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL classroom. This discussion will answer the research questions of this study. However, demographic information and information on students’ knowledge of computer and Microsoft® PowerPoint® will also be provided.


In this study, the numbers of male and female students are not equally represented as there are 9 male and 31 female respondents. The respondents are from UiTM and consist of students with Bumiputera status only.

All of the

students are from the major ethnic groups and also ethnicity unique to the state. All the respondents are aged 17-22 and they score the passing grade of 7D and 8E for English in their SPM. Based on background information from the students, it was found that all the students in this study do not speak English at home. This is one of the reasons why they are weak in English and are not motivated to use English. The students do not really see the need to learn English as they do not need it for communication at home. In reality, these students did not come from an ESL environment but English as a Foreign Language (EFL) environment. To them, English is merely a subject they are forced to take as a requirement by the university. However, these students need to realize that English is important to students in institutions of higher learning. Therefore, it is necessary for the lecturers to find ways to encourage the students to learn English and to increase their motivation through class activities.

59 4.4.2


A majority (75%) of the respondents have access to computer at home and a minority (25%) of the respondents does not have access to computers at home. However, all of the respondents have access to computer at the university. Generally, access to computers is not a problem to students as they have access to it either at home or at the university. However, the students themselves suggested that the number of computers in the lab should be increased because they could not finish their work because of the insufficient number of computers.

All the respondents believe that computer knowledge and skills are very important. Almost all (97.5%) of the respondents believe that knowing how to use computers is essential. Generally, this study shows that students believe that computer is helpful in education. Almost all (97.5%) of the respondents believe that computer is helpful in education except 1 respondent who strongly disagreed with it. This also shows that computers could be used to teach but it may not be accepted by all students. In the interviews, all the interviewees mentioned that the computer or specifically the Internet, gives them a lot of new information. They said that at the same time they could improve their English as it was easy for them to correct their own grammar and improve their writing. Also, 1 said that she preferred to learn English through the use of a computers rather than books.

A high percentage (90%) of the respondents is interested in using computers for education and also a high percentage (80%) of the respondents knew how to do their work with a computer. Usually, if students are interested in using computers for education, it is most likely that they will find ways to learn how to use computers to do their work. There may be some in the 20% who are still quite new at it and do not know how to do their work with a computer but this is not a deterrent to the students as they want to improve themselves. Almost all (97.5%) of the respondents indicated that they want to improve their ability in using computer to do their assignments.

60 The majority (52.5%) of the respondents find that the use of computers does not give them more work to do. However, a minority (32.5%) of the respondents find that the use of computers does give them more work to do. The majority (90%) did not find the use of computers as a burden to them but a minority (5%) of the respondents feels that the use of computers is a burden to them. This shows that not all students favour the use of computers. It is common not to be able to cater to all the learners as each learner has their own learning styles. The use of computers would only be successful for learners who enjoy it.

The majority (62.5%) of the respondents had some knowledge of how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation prior to entering the university. A high percentage (87.5%) of the respondents felt that they had improved their ability to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® after the training given.

All the

respondents want to improve themselves and be better in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

Almost all (97.5%) of the respondents want to have more

opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to do their assignments.

In response to the statement ‘I am experienced in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®,’ a low majority (42.5%) consider themselves as inexperienced whereas a minority (37.5%) consider themselves experienced. The opposite result was obtained in response to the negative statement ‘I am very weak in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®’. A minority (37.5%) consider themselves weak but a low majority (42.5%) consider themselves not weak by disagreeing with the statement. The contradicting results from the respondents only show that some of the students were not sure of the level of their skill in using Microsoft® PowerPoint® and whether they were experienced or weak.

A high percentage (67.5%) of the respondents felt that the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® does not give them more work to do. On the other hand, a low percentage (32.5%) of the respondents felt that the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® gives them more work to do. However, a high percentage (80%) of the respondents does not find the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® troublesome.

61 This means that most of the respondents do not find that the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® gives them more work to do and is not troublesome.

In this study, 95% of the respondents are interested in using Microsoft® PowerPoint® for education purposes. This positive feedback corresponds with their response to the statement on their interest in using computers for education. Since the students show that they are interested to use both computers for education and Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English, it is possible to include both as part of the teaching methodology. Students could be motivated to learn English through the use of computers.

4.4.3


The main focus of the discussion is students’ motivation, attitude and anxiety towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL classroom.

The following

discussion will answer the research questions of this study.


In response to the statement ‘Microsoft® PowerPoint® has motivated me to learn English,’ a high percentage (95%) of the respondents indicated that they had high motivation when they use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to lean English. This finding correlates with the responses to the negative statement ‘Microsoft® PowerPoint® does not motivate me to learn English.’ A high percentage (92.5%) of the respondents disagreed with the statement. This means that they emphasize that Microsoft® PowerPoint® has motivated them to learn English.

62 After using Microsoft® PowerPoint®, 6 interviewees felt that their confidence in using English to do presentations improved. They mentioned that they can correct their own grammar and spelling with the check spelling and grammar feature. Students are motivated to learn English by this feature because they do not have to keep referring to the dictionary or the lecturer as often to check the meaning of words. It can be concluded that Microsoft® PowerPoint® has motivated students to learn English. Their motivation towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English comes from the software applications and the way it is being used in the class.

The majority (77.5%) of the respondents felt that their confidence to speak had improved with the help of Microsoft® PowerPoint®. This in turn increases their motivation to learn English through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint®. Also, in the interviews, 6 interviewees felt that their confidence in doing presentations improved and 6 interviewees mentioned that they can correct their own grammar and spelling with the check spelling and grammar feature.

A high percentage (75%) of the respondents are excited to prepare their own presentation. Also, a high percentage (92.5%) of the respondents also showed high motivations from the feeling of being proud that they are able to prepare their own presentation and 65% of the respondents thought that the presentation they prepared was worth their time and effort. These findings confirm what Schcolnik and Kol (1999) said about students being motivated to invest time and energy into the quality of their English tasks if they know that there is something attractive for them and to show others. Most (92.5%) students also want to be the ones with the best presentation in class.

Enjoyment is another factor that motivates the students to learn English through Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

A high percentage (95%) of the students

enjoys doing a presentation on a topic of their interest. This shows freedom to choose their own topics for presentations highly motivates the students in doing their work. Also, students enjoy what they can do with Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

63 A high percentage (90%) of the respondents enjoy putting multimedia elements like sounds and a high percentage (95%) of the respondents enjoy putting multimedia elements like animated pictures into their Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. In the interviews, 2 interviewees said that Microsoft® PowerPoint® enables them to show their creativity through their choice of colours, background, sound and animation. Most (85%) of the students find the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class fun. Apart from that, most (95%) of the students find the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class interesting.

“Fun” and

“interesting” denote a positive atmosphere of the class and could help students to enjoy learning.

The software also needs to be user friendly to gain students interest. One of the positive features of Microsoft® PowerPoint® is that it makes it easy for students to merge ideas from different sources. Almost all (97.5%) of the students enjoy using this feature. This could be the reason why students are interested to watch their friend’s Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. Results show that the majority (82.5%) of the respondents were motivated to make an effort to read-up more on the topics presented after viewing their friend’s presentations in class.

All the respondents in this study feel that they need more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to improve their presentation skills. All students are motivated to improve their presentation skills. Most (87.5%) of the respondents were sure that they will be better in doing their presentation with Microsoft® PowerPoint®. However, sometimes they become demotivated because they are unable to complete their work because of the insufficient number of computers in the computer lab. This happens because the computer lab in the campus where this study was conducted only had 12 units of computer for student use. The computers are shared with other students with a ratio of 10:1. Therefore, before implementing the use of computers to teach, it is also important to ensure that the computer lab has sufficient number of computers so the students who depend on the computer labs do not feel frustrated. This problem causes a drop in motivation level of the students. Although, it would not be a problem for those who own

64 their own personal desktop or laptop computers, it is a problem to the majority of the students (90%).

Almost all (97.5%) the respondents are motivated by their perception that knowing how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation will be useful for them in the future. Most (87.5%) of the respondents are motivated to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation to learn because they can remember what they learn better by following a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

4.4.3.2 Attitude towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

In general, the majority of the respondents had a positive attitude towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn the four skills of English; listening, speaking, reading, writing and also grammar. However, they seem to favour learning speaking, reading and writing skills more as the percentage that had positive attitude was above 90%. This is followed by grammar (87.5%) and listening (75%). A high percentage (82.5%) of the respondents is interested to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® in doing a presentation. All the interviewees said that they have a positive attitude towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English. Most (6) felt that their confidence in using English to do presentations improved and they are positive that they will improve their English and also their presentation skills.

Students in general like their own presentation. In this study, 70% of the respondents like their own presentation. They also like looking at their lecturer’s presentation.

The students would have a positive attitude towards learning

English, if the lecturer uses Microsoft® PowerPoint® to teach as most students (92.5%) like looking at the Microsoft® PowerPoint® slide presentations made by the lecturer and most (65%) of the students also prefer to learn English through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® instead of the conventional white board and

65 marker. Most (85%) of the students also find it interesting to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

Microsoft PowerPoint® can make the class

interesting as more students find it boring to only listen to their lecturer in normal English class.

Although a high percentage (92.5%) of the respondents found it challenging to use Microsoft® PowerPoint®

to prepare a presentation, most

(72.5%) of the students do not mind spending time to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. Most (85%) of the students prefer to work in groups rather than individually when it comes to preparing or doing a presentation. To develop a positive attitude towards using Microsoft PowerPoint® to learn English, teachers need to take these points into consideration. Students can be asked to do more group work rather than individual work.

Most (92.5%) of the students showed a positive attitude towards using Microsoft PowerPoint® to learn English because of the features of Microsoft PowerPoint® itself. It is because Microsoft® PowerPoint® allows them to change the colours and background of their presentation slides. It is also easy for them to make changes to their work when they realise that they have made mistakes.

In the interviews, all interviewees said that they agreed to include Microsoft® PowerPoint® in their English class. This is because they feel that using Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes their English lesson interesting and at the same time, they can improve their computer and language skills. They also enjoy using the computer to do their work.

4.4.3.3 Anxiety towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

A high percentage (67.5%) of the respondents became anxious when they have to do a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. This shows that even though

66 the majority (95%) of them were motivated, they still felt anxious when they have to do a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. However, a high percentage (90%) of the respondents felt that the more opportunities they have to present, the less anxious they feel when it is their turn to present with Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

There are also other problems that cause high anxiety among the students. One example is when their presentation does not work due to technical problems. This study shows that 92.5% of the respondents had high anxiety because of technical problems that halt presentations. Also, most (87.5%) of the respondents were very disappointed when their presentation do not work. In the interviews, some said that they found it difficult to summarize the information they get from the Internet, a few of the interviewees had some technical problems like not being able to open their saved work and they felt really frustrated about it. Sometimes, they also face difficulties because they are not familiar with Microsoft® PowerPoint®. These findings show that it is necessary to check and ensure that all the technical equipment is in good condition before students do their presentation. This is to avoid student frustration especially when they have put in effort to prepare the presentation.

Even though, 90% of the respondents are interested in using computers for education and 80% of the respondents knew how to do their work with a computer, almost half (45%) of the students were still worried when they have to use technology to do their work. This shows that the students were still techno phobic when it comes to doing work. Also, 57.5% of the students were anxious when they were told that they have to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation and they did not know how to use the software. However, the high level of anxiety in most (82.5%) of the respondents was reduced after the training was provided. Therefore, it is important to prepare the students by providing them with training before giving them assignments to reduce the anxiety level of the students.

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1

Introduction

This chapter presents the conclusions and the pedagogical implications of this study. The chapter then provides recommendations for further research.

5.2

Conclusion

The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ motivation, attitude and anxiety when presentation software Microsoft® PowerPoint® is used to learn English. A total of 40 students were involved in this survey. They were PreDiploma students who were following the BEL 040 course offered by UiTM, Mukah Campus. The interview sessions were conducted on 10 of the Pre-Diploma students who had also responded to the questionnaire. The students were chosen randomly and interviewed in ten individual sessions to find out if the information provided by the respondents’ in the questionnaire corresponds with information provided in the interview and also to find out additional information which may have been left out in the questionnaire.

As mentioned earlier in Chapter 2, Fisher (2003) pointed out that “PowerPoint has been in existence for many years, it has just begun to spread to schools and ESL classrooms… [and]…the reason for this delay is that technology

68 requires hardware, which is relatively expensive.” Malaysian lecturers cannot use this as an excuse anymore as the technology is already there and this study also shows that students are interested and motivated to learn English through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

Furthermore, most students also have a positive

attitude towards the idea of using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English. Anxiety is still quite high but it is manageable.

The initial motivation of the respondents of this study to learn English could be low as they do not need English to communicate at home. However, they could be motivated by the fact that they need to improve their proficiency level to do well in their English course in order to go to the next level of education. Based on the findings, students are motivated to learn English through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

The common scenario is that when students are

motivated, they are most likely to succeed in whatever they are doing. Their motivation towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English comes from the software applications and the way it is being used in the class.

Most students showed a positive attitude towards using Microsoft PowerPoint® to learn English. Among the reasons are the features of Microsoft PowerPoint® itself. The students who were interviewed agreed to include Microsoft® PowerPoint® in their English class. This is because they felt that using Microsoft® PowerPoint® made their English lesson interesting and at the same time, they could improve their computer and language skills. If students have positive attitudes towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English, they are bound to achieve higher proficiency level with the software.

Anxiety is something we cannot avoid in a language classroom. As in the case of this study, anxiety is still present with or without training provided by the lecturer. However, anxiety can be reduced through planning. If teachers anticipate a problematic situation which could cause a high level of anxiety in the students, the teacher should try to avoid the situation or find ways to deal with the situation.

69 5.3

Pedagogical Implications

The feedback from the respondents in this study provided some suggestions on pedagogical changes that can be made. The following are some of the steps that teachers can take to improve the teaching and learning process.

Most important of all, teachers or specifically lecturers could start using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in their English class. They can use it to teach or they can make it a part of student activity. This study proves that students are interested in using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English. Teachers should take into consideration how the students like to learn. Teachers cannot ignore educational technology altogether. Educational technology is playing an important role in the teaching profession. However, it does not mean that teachers should be totally dependent on educational technology. They can incorporate the use of technology to teach as a way to add variety into classroom procedures so students do not get bored. It could be a form of motivation for the students and also the teachers themselves.

If students have positive attitudes towards the use of computers in learning, teachers should also develop positive attitudes towards using computers to teach. If the use of computers does not benefit the students, there would not be an abundance of literature on success stories on the use of computers in education and CALL. The use of computers has its weaknesses but all teachers should actually experiment with it in their class to see what works and what does not work with their students. Computers can supplement conventional teaching methods.

Even though the use of computers is encouraged, proper planning is still necessary to ensure maximum benefit and not just for the sake of following the trend. Teachers still need to give proper guidance to the students. The teacher still plays an important role in the learning process. The computer is not a substitute for the teacher but rather complements the teacher. Lesson planning is still essential to avoid problems like conducting an activity which could result in a high

70 level of anxiety that inhibits learning. The only difference is that the new lesson plan would include newer theories and ways of conducting the class.

Teachers also need to develop some form of assessment. For example, it is not advisable to give direct verbal feedback to students after a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation because they may be embarrassed.

However, it is

possible to give a written feedback like through the use of a marking scheme or grading system to let the students know their strengths and weaknesses. Only then will the students be able to improve themselves.

5.4

Recommendations for Further Research

Further survey could be carried out among lecturers in universities to find out their motivation and attitude towards using technology and CALL to teach language. It is also possible to identify reasons why they are not using educational technology and CALL.

Only after getting lecturers’ opinions, reactions, and

feedback would the scenario be complete. Then, it would be possible to see if there is a match or mismatch between the teachers and the learners.

More instrumentation could be used to collect data. Apart from using a questionnaire and interview, other data collection approaches like gathering field notes by conducting a classroom observation, documentation techniques like asking the learner to keep a journal during the research study and audiovisual materials like videotaping the real situation in the classroom are also possible.

Time constraint is one of the problems in this study. In future researches, the duration could be extended to produce more data. This study examined a cross section of the respondents’ thought at a particular time after implementing the use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to teach English. Future studies could include pre-test and post-test data to see trends in student performance in a longer duration of time.

71 It is also necessary to widen the scope of the study. Future study on the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English language should not be restricted to Pre-Diploma students in UITM Mukah Campus only. Perhaps such a study can look at all the different levels in the university, conducted on a bigger scale. This will give more accurate data of the findings. It would be interesting also if a similar study in the same area were to be conducted to compare the present findings with students in other universities.

It is also possible for future researches to explore the potential of Microsoft® PowerPoint® and to experiment with other types of activities apart from presentations. This can add variety to the type of activities that can be done through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

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Gonzalez-Lloret, M. (2003). Design task based CALL to promote interaction language. Language Learning & Technology. 7(1): 86-104. Retrieved 20 May 2006, http://llt.msu.edu/vol7num1/Gonzalez/ Harmer, J. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching. 3rd edition. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited Harrington-Lueker, D. (1997). Technology works best when it serves clear educational goal. Harvard Education Letter. 13: 1-5. Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hills, P. J. (1983). A Dictionary of Education. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd. Horwitz, E.K., Horwitz, M. B. & Cope, J. A. (1991). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. In: Horwitz, E.K. & Young, D. J. Language Anxiety. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall Regents. 27-39. Intel Business Centre (2004). Malaysia’s Ministry of Education Improves Teacher Productivity and Enhances Learning with Intel® Centrino™ Mobile technology. Retrieved 13 May 2006, http://www.intel.com/business/ case studies/malaysia_moe.pdf Jiang, W. & Ramsay, G. (2005). Rapport-building through CALL in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language: An Exploratory Study. Language Learning & Technology. 9 (2): 47-63.

Retrieved 18 July 2005, http://llt.msu.edu/

vol9num2/jiang/default.html. Kenning, M. J. & Kenning M. M. (1984). An introduction to computer-assisted language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Koba, N., Ogawa, N. & Wilkinson, D. (2000). Using the Community Language Learning Approach to Cope with Language Anxiety. The Internet TESL

75 Journal. VI (11). Retrieved 17 July 2006, http://iteslj.org/Articles/KobaCLL.html Krashen, S. D. (1987). Applications of Psycholinguistic Research to the Classroom. In: Long, M. H. & Richards, J. C. (Eds.), Methodology in TESOL: A Book of Readings. Singapore: Newbury House Publishers. Lam, Y. (2000). Technophilia v. technophobia: A preliminary look at why second language teachers do or do not use technology in their classrooms. Canadian Modern Language Review. 56: 389-420. Retrieved 8 September 2005, http://www.utpjournals.com/product/cmlr/563/563-Lam.html Lau, C. C. (1999). Sociolinguistics Variables Affecting English language Proficiency of Iban Students. University of Malaya: M. Ed. Dissertation. Unpublished. Lee, K. (2000). English Teachers’ Barriers to the Use of Computer-assisted Language Learning. The Internet TESL Journal, VI (12). Retrieved 20 May 2006, http://iteslj.org/Articles/Lee-CALLbarriers.html Lightbrown, P. M. & Spada, N. (1999). How Languages are Learned. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Little, D. (1991). Learner autonomy 1: Definitions, issues and problems. Dublin: Authentic Language Learning Resources. Long, M.H. (1996). The role of linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In: Ritchie W. C. & Bhatia, T. K. Eds. Handbook of research on language acquisition: Vol. 2. Second Language Acquisition. New York: Academic Press. 413-468. MacIntyre, P. D. (1999). Language anxiety: A review of the research for language teachers. In: Young, D. J. (Ed.). Affect in foreign language and second language learning. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. 24-45. Ministry of Education Malaysia. (1999). Country Report for APEC Project, Malaysia: Current Trends and Issues in Training Practices (Pre-Service and In-Service) for Educators in the area of Information and Communication Technologies. Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Education Malaysia. Morris, Frank (2005). Child-to-child Interaction and corrective feedback in a Computer Mediated L2 class.

Language Learning & Technology. 9.

Retrieved 8 September 2005, http://llt.msu.edu/vol9num1/pdf/ morris.pdf

76 Nesamalar, C., Saratha, S. & Teh S. C. (1997). ELT Methodology: Principles and Practice. Shah Alam: Penerbit Fajar Bakti. Noor Zainab Abdul Razak. (2005). Investigating Students’ Motivational Orientation When Learning English in the ESL Classroom. In: Pandian, A., Chakravarthy, G., Kell, P. & P. Kaur. Eds. Strategies & Practices for Improving Learning and Literacy. Serdang: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press. 32-39. Noyan, J. F. (1998). Computer-assisted Language–Learning (CALL) in EnglishLanguage Teaching. Jurnal Akademik Institut Teknologi MARA Sarawak. Kuching: Universiti Teknologi MARA. 9-16. Oller, J. W., Baca, L. & Vigil, F. (1977) Attitudes and attained proficiency in ESL: A Sociolinguistic study of native speakers of Chinese in United States. TESOL Quarterly, II (2). 173-183. Price, M. L. (1991). The Subjective Experience of Foreign Language Anxiety: Interviews with Highly Anxious Students. In: Horwitz, E. K. and Young, D. J. Language Anxiety. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 101-108. Rajagopal, S. (1976). A Study of The Roles of Attitudes and Motivation in the Acquisition of English as a Second Language by Fifth Formers Malay Medium Pupils in Selangor. University of Malaya: M. Ed. Dissertation. Unpublished. Ravet, S. & Layte, M. (1997). Technology-Based Training: A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing, Implementing, Managing and Developing New Technologies in Training. London: Kogan Page Limited. Reiser, R. A. (1987). Instructional technology: a history. In: Gagne, R. M. Ed. Instructional Technology: Foundations. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 11-48. Rosli Abdul Rahim, Zamalia Mahmud & Shafiee Ahmad. (2002). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a Medium of Communication: ICT Usage among UITM Shah Alam Lecturers. The Insights 2002 Seminar. Shah Alam: Bureau of Research and Consultation (BRC), Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam. Rosenberg, R. J. & Hovland, C. I. (1960). Attitude, Organization and Change: An Analysis of Consistency among Attitude Component. Wes Port: Greenwood Press.

77 Saettler, L. P. (1990). The Evolution of American Educational Technology. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. Schcolnik M. & Kol, S. (1999). Using Presentation Software to Enhance Language Learning. The Internet TESL Journal. 5 (3). Retrieved 3 September 2005, http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Schcolnik-PresSoft.html Scovel, T. (1991). The Effect of Affect on Foreign Language Learning: A Review of the Anxiety Research. In: Horwitz, E.K. & Young, D. J. Language Anxiety. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall Regents. 101-108. Stepp-Greany, J. (2002) Student perceptions on language learning in a technological environment: implications for the new millennium. Language Learning and Technology. 6 (1): 165-180. Retrieved 8 September 2005, http://llt.msu.edu/ vol6num1/ pdf/steppgreany.pdf The Committee for the Planning and Coordination of English Language Programmes in Schools (CPCE). (1991). Compendium Vol. III: A handbook for ELT teachers. Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Education Malaysia. Thomas, K. (1971). Attitudes and Behaviour. In: Penguin Psychology Readings. Baltimore: Penguin Books. Towndrow, P. A. & Vallance, M. (2004) Using IT in the Language Classroom: A Guide for Teachers and Students in Asia. 3rd edition. Singapore: Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd. Triandis, H. C. (1971). Attitude and attitude change. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Von Wörde, R. (2003). Students’ Perspectives on Foreign Language Anxiety. Inquiry. 8 (1). Retrieved 17 July 2006, http://www.vccaedu.org/inquiry/ inquiry-spring2003/i-81-worde.html Warschauer, M. (1996). Computer-assisted language learning: An introduction. In: Fotos, S. (Ed.), Multimedia language teaching. Tokyo: Logos International. 3-20. Wen, S. (1999). Future of Education. Singapore: Asiapac Books. Wong, A. F. L. & Cheung, W. S. (2003). Using IT for Lesson Presentations. In: Tan, S. C. & Wong, A. F. L. Eds. Teaching and Learning with Technology: An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Singapore: Pearson Education Asia Pte Ltd. 118-131.

78 Wong, A. F. L., Quek C. L. & Divaharan, S. (2003). Planning for Teaching and Learning. In: Tan, S. C. & Wong, A. F. L. Eds. Teaching and Learning with Technology: An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Singapore: Pearson Education Asia Pte Ltd. 42-59. Young, D. J. ed. (1999). Affect in foreign language and second language learning. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

APPENDIX A

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA FAKULTI PENDIDIKAN

RESEARCH TITLE: THE USE OF MICROSOFT® POWERPOINT® TO LEARN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AMONG UITM PRE-DIPLOMA STUDENTS

Dear Respondents, The purpose of this study is to investigate student motivation, attitude and anxiety when the presentation software Microsoft® PowerPoint® is used to learn English. All information given is CONFIDENTIAL and will ONLY be used for research purposes. Your honest and sincere responses would be much appreciated. This questionnaire consists of three Sections A, B, and C. Section A: Demographic Data Section B: Knowledge of Computer and Microsoft® PowerPoint® Section C: Motivation, Attitude and Anxiety towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom Please answer ALL Sections A, B and C. Thank you for your time and co-operation in completing this questionnaire.

80 Section A:

Demographic Data

Instruction: Please tick ; or answer all questions appropriately.

1.

Gender

Male Female

2.

Age

17-18 19-20 21 21-22

3.

4.

5.

Race

Malay

Iban

Bidayuh

Berawan

Kenyah

Kayan

Kelabit

Melanau

Lun Bawang

Bisaya

Others

Please Specify:__________________

SPM English Result

1A

5C

2A

6C

3B

7D

4B

8E

Do you speak English at home?

Yes

9F

No

81 Section B:

Knowledge of Computer and Microsoft® PowerPoint® among Students

Instruction: Read each statement and tick the relevant box ; which best represents your choice. SA A U D SD Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Statements I have access to computer at home. I have access to computer at the university. I believe that computer knowledge is very important. I believe that computers skills are very important. I believe that knowing how to use computers is essential to a university student. Computers are helpful in education. I am not interested in using computers for education. I know how to do my work with a computer. I want to improve my ability in using computers to do my assignments. The use of computers gives me more work to do. The use of computers is a burden to me. I learnt how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation before entering university. I am experienced in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I have improved my ability to use Microsoft® PowerPoint®after the training given. I want to be better in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I want to have more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to do my assignments. I am very weak in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® gives me more work to do. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® is troublesome to me. I am not interested in using Microsoft® PowerPoint® for education.

SA

A

U

D

SD

82 Section C:

Motivation, Attitude and Anxiety towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

Instruction: Read each statement and tick the relevant box ; which best represents your choice. SA A U D SD Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Statements Microsoft® PowerPoint® has motivated me to learn English. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn listening skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn speaking skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn reading skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn writing skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn grammar. My confidence in speaking has improved with the help of Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I like my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. It is not interesting to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I am excited about preparing my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I dislike my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. Microsoft® PowerPoint® does not motivate me to learn English. It is boring to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. After viewing my friend’s presentations, I make an effort to read-up more on the topics presented in class. I enjoy doing a presentation on a topic of my interest. It is boring to only listen to my lecturer in normal English class. I am proud that I am able to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation for my English class. I like working alone to prepare a presentation. I prefer to work in groups to do a presentation. I enjoy putting multimedia elements like sounds into my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

SA

A

U

D

SD

83

21

22

23

24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31 32 33 34

35 36 37 38 39 40 41

Statements I enjoy putting multimedia elements like animated pictures into my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I like the features of Microsoft® PowerPoint® that allow me to change the colours and background of presentation slides. Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes it easy for me to make changes to my work when I realise that I have made mistakes. I like looking at the Microsoft® PowerPoint® slide presentations made by the lecturer. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class fun. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class interesting. I prefer to learn English through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® instead of the conventional white board and marker. The Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation I prepared was worth my time and effort. Microsoft® PowerPoint® made it easy to merge ideas from different sources. I need more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to improve my presentation skills. I become anxious when I have to do a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. Sometimes I am unable to complete my work because of insufficient computers in the lab. I want to be the one with the best presentation in class. The more opportunities I have to present, the less anxious I feel when it is my turn to present with Microsoft® PowerPoint®. Knowing how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation will be useful for me in the future. I can remember what I learn better by following a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. It was a challenge to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to prepare a presentation. I do not mind spending time to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I am worried when my presentation does not work properly. I am always worried when I have to use technology to do my work. I feel very disappointed when my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation does not work.

SA

A

U

D

SD

84 Statements 42 43 44

45

SA

I am not interested to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® in doing a presentation. I am sure I will be better in doing a presentation with Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I was anxious when I was told that I have to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation and I do not know how to use the software. After the training provided, I felt less anxious when I was asked to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

Other Comments:

Thank you for your cooperation

A

U

D

SD

APPENDIX B

85

Structured Interview Questions

1.

What are the benefits of using computer to learn English?

2.

Do you enjoy doing assignments with the computer? Yes. Why? No. Why?

3.

Does Microsoft® PowerPoint® motivate you to learn English? Yes. Why? No. Why?

4.

Do you have a positive or negative attitude towards using Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English? I have a positive attitude. Why? I have a negative attitude. Why?

5.

Did you face any difficulty when you use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn English? If yes, what are the difficulties?

6.

Do you feel anxious when you have to do a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation? If yes, what are the causes?

7.

Do you agree with the idea of including Microsoft® PowerPoint® in your English lessons? I agree. Why do you agree? I disagree. Why do you disagree?

APPENDIX C

RAW DATA

Section A:

1.

Demographic Data

Distribution of Respondents by Gender Gender

Number of Students n

2.

Male

9

Female

31

Total

40

Distribution of Respondents by Age Age


17-18

24

19-20

11

21-22

5

Total

40

86

87 3.

Distribution of Respondents by Race Race


4.

Malay

12

Iban

16

Bidayuh

6

Kenyah

0

Kayan

2

Kelabit

0

Melanau

2

Berawan

1

Bisaya

0

Lun Bawang

0

Others

1

Total

40

Distribution of Respondents by SPM English Results SPM English

Number of Students

Results

n

1A

0

2A

0

3B

0

4B

0

5C

0

6C

0

7D

26

8E

14

9F

0

Total

40

88

5.

Distribution of Respondents by English Use at Home English Use at

Number of Students

Home

n

Yes

0

No

40

Total

40

Section B:

Knowledge of Computer and Microsoft® PowerPoint® among Students

SA A U D SD Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree

Statements 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9

10 11

I have access to computer at home. I have access to computer at the university. I believe that computer knowledge is very important. I believe that computer skills are very important. I believe that knowing how to use computers is essential to a university student. Computers are helpful in education. I am not interested in using computers for education. I know how to do my work with a computer. I want to improve my ability in using computers to do my assignments. The use of computers gives me more work to do. The use of computers is a burden to me.

SA n 5

A n 25

U n 0

D n 7

SD n 3

14

26

0

0

0

32

8

0

0

0

31

9

0

0

0

30

9

1

0

0

17

22

0

0

1

1

0

3

15

21

6

26

5

3

0

25

14

1

0

0

3

10

6

16

5

0

2

2

23

13

89 Statements 12

13 14

15 16

17 18

19

20

I learnt how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation before entering university. I am experienced in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I have improved my ability to use Microsoft® PowerPoint®after the training given. I want to be better in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I want to have more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to do my assignments. I am very weak in using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® gives me more work to do. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® is troublesome to me. I am not interested in using Microsoft® PowerPoint® for education.

SA n

A n

U n

D n

SD n

6

19

0

11

4

2

13

8

14

3

14

21

4

1

0

22

18

0

0

0

14

25

0

1

0

2

13

8

16

1

9

4

0

21

6

0

1

7

22

10

0

0

2

20

18

90 Section C:

Motivation, Attitude and Anxiety towards Using Microsoft® PowerPoint® in an ESL Classroom

SA A U D SD Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree

Statements 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 9

10

11 12

13

Microsoft® PowerPoint® has motivated me to learn English. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn listening skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn speaking skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn reading skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn writing skill. I believe I can use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to learn grammar. My confidence in speaking has improved with the help of Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I like my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. It is not interesting to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I am excited about preparing my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I dislike my own Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. Microsoft® PowerPoint® does not motivate me to learn English. It is boring to learn English while using Microsoft® PowerPoint®.

SA n

A n

U n

D n

SD n

16

22

2

0

0

13

17

5

5

0

14

25

1

0

0

18

22

0

0

0

16

21

3

0

0

14

21

5

0

0

10

21

6

3

0

8

20

11

1

0

1

2

3

22

12

6

24

8

2

0

0

0

12

20

8

0

0

3

22

15

1

0

2

24

13

91 Statements 14

15 16

17

18 19 20

21

22

23

24

25

26

After viewing my friend’s presentations, I make an effort to read-up more on the topics presented in class. I enjoy doing a presentation on a topic of my interest. It is boring to only listen to my lecturer in normal English class. I am proud that I am able to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation for my English class. I like working alone to prepare a presentation. I prefer to work in groups to do a presentation. I enjoy putting multimedia elements like sounds into my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I enjoy putting multimedia elements like animated pictures into my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I like the features of Microsoft® PowerPoint® that allow me to change the colours and background of presentation slides. Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes it easy for me to make changes to my work when I realise that I have made mistakes. I like looking at the Microsoft® PowerPoint® slide presentations made by the lecturer. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class fun. The use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® makes the class interesting.

SA n

A n

U n

D n

SD n

9

24

5

2

0

16

22

1

1

0

4

13

9

12

2

13

24

3

0

0

4

9

7

12

8

10

24

3

3

0

9

27

3

1

0

16

22

2

0

0

17

20

2

1

0

13

24

2

1

0

13

24

2

1

0

16

18

5

1

0

16

22

2

0

0

92 Statements 27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

I prefer to learn English through the use of Microsoft® PowerPoint® instead of the conventional white board and marker. The Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation I prepared was worth my time and effort. Microsoft® PowerPoint® made it easy to merge ideas from different sources. I need more opportunities to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to improve my presentation skills. I become anxious when I have to do a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. Sometimes I am unable to complete my work because of insufficient computers in the lab. I want to be the one with the best presentation in class. The more opportunities I have to present, the less anxious I feel when it is my turn to present with Microsoft® PowerPoint®. Knowing how to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation will be useful for me in the future. I can remember what I learn better by following a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. It was a challenge to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to prepare a presentation. I do not mind spending time to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation. I am worried when my presentation does not work properly.

SA n

A n

U n

D n

SD n

10

16

7

7

0

7

19

10

4

0

12

27

1

0

0

14

26

0

0

0

17

10

12

1

0

15

21

0

2

2

19

18

3

0

0

7

29

3

1

0

26

13

1

0

0

8

27

4

1

0

10

27

2

1

0

6

23

5

5

1

10

27

1

1

1

93 Statements 40

41

42

43

44

45

I am always worried when I have to use technology to do my work. I feel very disappointed when my Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation does not work. I am not interested to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® in doing a presentation. I am sure I will be better in doing a presentation with Microsoft® PowerPoint®. I was anxious when I was told that I have to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation and I do not know how to use the software. After the training provided, I felt less anxious when I was asked to prepare a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

SA n

A n

U n

D n

SD n

1

17

6

12

4

9

26

3

0

2

0

1

6

19

14

11

24

3

2

0

3

20

4

13

0

7

26

3

4

0

APPENDIX D

94

APPENDIX E

95

an investigation on the use of microsoft powerpoint to

an investigation on the use of microsoft powerpoint to

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