Introduction
In the last two decades, the rapid development and widespread implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education is well recognized. ICT is an “all encompassing term that includes the full gamut of electronic tools by means of which we gather, record and store information, and by means of which we exchange and distribute information to others” (Anderson,
2010; p.4). Today, the use of ICT tools such as laptop computers, electronic pads, smart phones, along with the broadband internet, interactive Web 2.0 technologies and cloud applications have enhanced both, teaching and learning in the schools (Barak & Ziv,
2013).
The integration of technology in educational systems of many countries is recognised as a key driver to enhance teaching and learning, and educational policy-makers had invested heavily in building and maintaining ICT infrastructure in the schools (Pelgrum,
2001). In Singapore, three ICT Masterplans for the schools (1999–2014) were developed and implemented by the Ministry of Education to prepare students for the knowledge economy by harnessing ICT to transform learners towards developing twenty-first century competencies and skills. With the implementation of the three ICT Masterplans, Teo and Ting (
2010) noted that improvements were made from quantity of ICT use to quality of its use by teachers and students. There was also a progressive shift from a primarily didactic, teacher-centred teaching to a more learner-centred, constructivist pedagogy in the schools.
Pelgrum and Voojt (
2009) suggested the use of ICT is not about introducing a new tool in education, but the integration of ICT in educational practice has the potential to facilitate new pedagogical approaches and learner-centred educational practices. There is a substantial body of research showing the positive effects of ICT used in education such as increased student motivation and engagement, independent learning, supporting of creativity, promotion of collaborative learning, development of higher-order critical thinking skills and problem solving abilities (Condie & Munro,
2007; Friedman & Coates,
2009; Fu,
2013; Gallagher, Shear, Patel, & Miller,
2011). One pedagogical approach using problem-based learning provides vast opportunities for educators to employ ICT tools to support and enhance teaching and learning.
Methodology
Participants
Participants were 737 first-year students of a particular polytechnic taking a foundational module on Cognitive Problem Solving in the second semester. Among the participants, 446 (60.5%) were females and 291 (39.5%) males. Their mean age was 17.36 years (SD = 1.50). All of the students owned and used laptops during the lessons in school, and they have access to various ICT tools to support their learning during the PBL lessons.
Educational Context
This study was conducted in a polytechnic in Singapore which delivers more than 230 different modules each semester from a wide range of diplomas in various fields. Learning typically takes place using a PBL approach where a problem scenario is presented to a class of 25 students, who work in small teams of five alongside their assigned class facilitator, once a week over a period of 13 weeks. Each PBL day is typified by a schedule of three meetings with facilitator interaction, and interspersed by two periods of self-study (O’Grady, Yew, Goh, & Schmidt,
2012). The module chosen for this study is a compulsory first-year general module on Cognitive Processes and Problem Solving that all polytechnic students enrolled in. During the lessons, students were introduced to the various types of ICT to support their collaborative learning in teams. For instance, students used Google Apps to analyse the problem in teams, Popplet to perform a mind map to generate ideas, and Edmodo to participate in the online discussion.
Measures
A questionnaire employed in this study comprised of validated items adapted from several empirical studies using the TAM (e.g. Davis,
1989; Teo,
2009; Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis,
2003) by replacing ‘computers’ with ‘ICT tools’ in the questionnaire. The questionnaire was reviewed by a panel of lecturers for face and content validity. It comprises 13 statements on perceived ease of use (3 items), perceived usefulness (3 items), attitude toward use (3 items) and intention to use (4 items). Participants were asked to give their responses to each of the statement on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). When answering the questions in the questionnaire, the respondents were asked to relate their experience using ICT tools (e.g. Google applications, Edmodo, Popplet etc.) during the PBL lessons. Demographic data such as gender and age were also collected in the questionnaire.
Data Collection
Participants from the various classes completed the online questionnaire during the middle of the second semester with the assistance of the lecturers who administered the questionnaire in class. All participants were briefed on the purpose of the study, and were informed that their participations were strictly voluntary and anonymity safeguarded. The participants have the rights not to participate or withdraw from the study any time. Participants were also informed that no module credit will be given for participating in the study and their responses do not affect their assessment grades. On average, the respondents took not more than 20 min to complete the questionnaire.
This research study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee at the institution where the research was undertaken. The approved research protocol included informed consent by the participants, controlled storage and access of data, and de-identified data for analysis.
Discussion and implications
This study attempted to apply the TAM to examine polytechnic students’ intention to use of ICT tools in a PBL setting. Specifically, the study examined the influences of three constructs, namely perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitude toward use on the intention to use ICT tools. Five hypotheses in the TAM were tested, and were all supported. The results showed that three constructs explained 77.4% of the total variance in students’ intention to use ICT tools. Hence, the TAM is a valid and effective model to explain students’ intention to use ICT tools.
Consistent with previous research (Cheong & Vogel,
2013; Schroff, Deneen, & Ng,
2011), perceived ease of use had a significant effect on perceived usefulness. It is noteworthy that perceived ease of use was the strongest predictor of perceived usefulness in the TAM. This result suggested that, from a practical perspective, students are likely to perceive ICT tools as useful when they think these tools do not require much mental effort to use and can be learnt by doing.
In agreement with what the TAM postulated, perceived usefulness had a significant effect on students’ intention to use ICT tools. This may suggest that students are relatively ‘pragmatic’ and tend to focus on the usefulness of the ICT tools. Therefore, for ICT tools to be accepted by the students, it is critical for lecturers to demonstrate that these tools would help students to increase their job performance. For example, Google docs could be used as a collaborative learning tool by the students working in a team to co-construct and share ideas.
Although perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were found to influence attitude toward use of ICT tools, it is noteworthy that perceived usefulness was a stronger predictor of attitude than perceived ease of use, consistent with previous research (e.g. Camarero, Rodríguez, & San José,
2012; Padilla-Meléndez, Garrido-Moreno, & Del Aguila-Obra,
2008; Shroff, Deneen, & Ng,
2011). It appeared that the significant effect of perceived ease of use had on attitude towards usage was mediated by perceived usefulness. Davis et al. (
1989) proposed that as users become more familiar and experienced with technology, perceived usefulness tended to be stronger than perceived ease of use in developing positive attitudes (or feelings) toward use. In the present study, it is plausible that students after one semester of study had developed positive feelings about the perceived usefulness of the ICT tools which helped them to be more productive in their work, acquire new knowledge and obtain better grades. Therefore, the continued and sustained use of ICT tools could contribute to positive attitude toward perceived usefulness of these tools by the students.
Students’ intention to use ICT tools was influenced by their positive attitude toward use in this study. Studies suggested that attitude was a significant predictor of intention to use technology in a volitional context where users have a choice to use or not to use the technology (Winters, Chudoba, & Gutek,
1998; Teo, Lee & Chai,
2008; Teo,
2009). However, in the present study, it is likely that the students were ‘quasi-volitional’ ICT users, described as non-mandated user of ICT but not completely volitional because of social pressure and subjective norms that existed in the social and collaborative PBL environment (Rai, Lang, & Welker,
2002).
This study has two practical implications for lecturers intending to adopt and use ICT tools in their PBL lessons. First, the higher the level of perceived usefulness of ICT tools, the greater the likelihood they will appeal to students and are encouraged to use them (Camarero, Rodríguez, & San José,
2012). Despite the numerous benefits of using ICT tools to aid students’ collaborative learning, communication and knowledge construction, it is pertinent that lecturers promote the perceived usefulness of the tools by demonstrating positive behaviours to maintain students’ interests and participation in their usage. These included interacting with students online, giving constructive feedback, resolving technical issues, posting quality and engaging contents, resolving technical issues using the ICT tools, and ensuring the system setup is error-free. If these positive behaviours are not present, it may result in a possibility that students’ perceived usefulness of the ICT tools will be undermined, and thus affecting actual usage.
Second, there is a need to promote and facilitate the use of ICT tools among the lecturers through offering training workshops in the use of these tools. When the lecturers developed self-efficacy in the use of ICT tools, they will adopt a positive attitude, which in turn, foster and facilitate students’ use of ICT tools during the lesson. In instances where students encountered difficulties with the use of ICT tools, lecturers would have the confidence to resolve the issues skilfully and independently.