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i
ESL Instructor Use of
Available Technology at
Pacoima Skills Center
by
Barry Bakin
A research project submitted inpartial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Master of Education in EducationalTechnology
American InterContinental University
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Tables ii
Abstract iii
Acknowledgments iv
Introduction 1
Statement of the Problem 2
Review of Related Literature 3
Method
Participants 5
Instrument 6
Procedure 6
Results 7
Discussion 15
References 21
Appendix A Consent Form
Appendix B Survey Form
Appendix C Excel File with tabulated results
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LIST OF TABLES
Number Page[Click and insert List of Figures]
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ABSTRACT
English as a Second Language (ESL) Instructors at
Pacoima Skills Center have access to many types of technology
for use with and by students learning ESL. The researcher has
anecdotal evidence that at least some of the ESL instructors at
Pacoima Skills Center either under-utilize or do not utilize that
technology at all. This research project is an attempt to survey
ESL Instructor usage of the available technology to see to what
extent instructors assigned to teach ESL at the main campus
branch of Pacoima Skills Center are using the technology and in
what ways. While results of the survey support the
researchers anecdotal evidence for the most part, there is
solid evidence that much of the available technology is used by
students as a language learning tool, as well as by instructors
for their own use in preparing for class.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author wishes to thank his colleagues in the Master of
Education in Educational Technology Program for their support
and suggestions during the course of this project.
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I n t r o d u c t i o n
Many schools and school districts have invested thousands of
dollars for new technology for use in the classroom in recent years.
Pacoima Skills Center, an adult school in the northeast San
Fernando Valley, that is part of the Division of Adult and Career
Education of the Los Angeles Unified School District, is one of them.
From computers to electronic whiteboards, the school has provided
its teachers with access to a wide range of the latest technologies.
Nevertheless, it has been the personal experience of this
researcher that many of his colleagues do not make use of all of
the available technology. In fact, it seems to actually be the case
that at least some of the teachers do not make use of anyof the
available technology in their instruction. In at least one case, the
belief that at least some teachers do not use much of the available
technology arises from the personal experience of the researcher
who shared a classroom that is extremely well equipped with
technology (desktop and laptop computers, LCD projector,
overhead projector, etc.) with a colleague who never left any
evidence that it was used at all (computers found in the morning
exactly as they were left, no evidence of student work or projects
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on computers, no handouts detailing use of computers, etc.), and in
other cases thru personal conversations with teachers about their
use of computers and other technologies at the school.
The nonuse or under use of technology in instruction at the
school has implications in at least two areas: the wasting of scarce
financial resources in the purchase of expensive technology that is
not used, and the failure of teachers to make use of teaching
techniques involving technology that might be beneficial for
students attempting to acquire English language skills.
Additionally, if it is found that teachers are not using technology
that is available at Pacoima Skills Center that has been shown to
have a beneficial effect on students learning, there are
implications for the need to examine why teachers arent using a
teaching tool that is accessible and beneficial. Is the
underutilization of technology due to teacher perceptions as to the
lack of benefits of using technology, lack of training in using it, or to
some other reason. Finally, in an era when student progress, as
measured by learning gains on state-mandated tests, has a direct
financial impact on the school (achievement of a minimum number
of pay points impacts funding received in a subsequent year) the
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failure to use a tool that could improve student progress and
achievement has financial implications as well.
Statement of the problem
The purpose of this preliminary study was to survey whether
or not ESL instructors on the main campus of Pacoima Skills Center
use the different types of technology available to them on campus,
and if so, whether or not they use any particular type of technology
only for their own use as instructors in preparing for classes,
whether they had students onlyuse the technology as part of their
learning, or whether they used the technology for themselves and
also had students use the technology as part of the curriculum.
Review of Related Literature
In How Teachers Learn Technology Best Jamie McKenzie
notes, the failure to fund and design robust professional
development leads to screensavers disease the educational
equivalent of an accountants red ink as hundreds of computers
sit idly glowing throughout the day and the districts investment
proves a huge waste of funds. (McKenzie, 2001) Additionally,
attempts to get teachers to use the equipment can be focused on
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training that is misguided in its approach, concentrating on learning
a particular software instead of transforming teachers who use
traditional teaching strategies into ones who use the constructivist,
project-based approaches that the author feels are more conducive
to incorporating the use of technology as well as being based in
sound educational principles. (McKenzie, 2001) In McKenzies
view, teaching technology skills by itself isnt enough. One must
also convince teachers of the value in engaging students in
problem-based or project based learning with these new tools.
The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) also concludes that to
use technology effectively, teachers need more than just training
about how to work the machines and technical support. (Coley,
Cradler & Engel, 1997)
This view is echoed in Koehler and Mishras summary of an
approach to technology training they call Learning by Design.
(Koehler & Mishra, 2005). In the Learning by Design approach,
the traditional training methodology of teachers being trained to
use the latest tools with the hope that they can apply them to
their practice is turned on its head so that teachers focus first on a
problem of practice and then seek ways to use technology (and
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thereby learn about technology) to address the problem. (Koehler &
Mishra, 2005)
Fortunately some institutions are experimenting with
substantial and innovative approaches to training. The English
Language Institute (ELI) at Oregon State University, for example
dedicated 5% of its total budget to faculty development in the
area of technology (authors emphasis) including giving release
time to its core instructors to participate. (Averill, Chambers &
Dantas-Whitney, 2000) Investing so heavily in training helped the
ELI to move from a situation where only two of its instructors had
advanced technological expertise to a context in which most of
the 20 full-time instructors are trained to make regular use of
technology in the classroom. (Averill, Chambers & Dantas-
Whitney, 2000) All of the training is in accord with the ELIs basic
philosophy that technology should be used as a tool to enhance
instruction rather than to replace the instructor. (Averill, Chambers
& Dantas-Whitney, 2000)
Assuming teachers are getting some type of training,
however minimal it might be, or whether or not its in how to do
something technically vs. how is the technology useful for solving
problems, is irrelevant if teachers dont even know the technology
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exists. One attempt to determine teacher awareness of the
existence of technology and other attitudes towards technology,
was the Teaching, Learning and Computing: 1998 national survey
of schools and teachers. More than 1,600 schools were part of the
nationwide sample with information from approximately 4,100
teachers, 800 technology coordinators, and 850 principals.
(Center for Research on Information Technology, 1998) Among the
findings of this research was a direct linear correlation between the
amount of spending on technology and the amount of
penetration of technology with penetration defined as a
measure of what proportion of the teachers did each of the
following: (1) experiment with new teaching methods involving
computers, (2) use computers for their own professional tasks, (3)
sometimes have students use computers to do curricular
assignments, (4) become involved in planning or implementing
Internet-based activities, and (5) seek out technology coordinators
for advice about integrating technology and curriculum. (Center
for Research on Information Technology, 1998)
Method
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Participants
The sample for this study was ESL teachers who teach on the
main campus of Pacoima Skills Center weekday days, weekday
evenings and Saturday days. Branch location teachers were not
included because no current survey of available technology exists
for the various off-campus sites and it would be necessary to
ascertain what technology is available at each branch location prior
to any survey investigating the use of that technology. The total
number of assigned ESL teachers in this category is 14. Some
teachers teach both a day class and an evening class and every
teacher who has a Saturday class also teaches during the week so
there are fewer unique teachers than classes offered. The surveys
were passed out at faculty meetings held on Monday. Teachers
were given until Friday to fill them out and return them. Twelve
surveys were returned representing 85% of the sample.
Instrument
The survey instrument consisted of 4 questions to determine
the number of hours a teacher taught at Pacoima Skills Center, the
years of experience teaching ESL at Pacoima Skills Center and prior
to being employed at Pacoima Skills Center, and the level or levels
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of ESL taught. The remainder of the survey instrument listed 13
different types of technology (TV with VCR, Overhead projector,
scanner, etc.) available for teachers to use at the main campus of
Pacoima Skills Center. Survey participants were asked to describe
their usage of each piece of equipment by placing a mark in the
column that best described it using one of the following descriptors:
Never, Instructor use only, Students use only, and Both
instructors and students use. Certain newer or infrequently
purchased technologies were depicted in accompanying photos for
clarity.
Procedure
The researcher performed a preliminary analysis of the
types of technology available in classrooms at Pacoima Skills
Center as well as those technologies that are available but are not
located directly in classrooms. The survey was compiled and
reviewed by the researchers study team for errors and issues of
survey design. After the review, the survey and accompanying
consent form were distributed at departmental meetings attended
by the ESL faculty. Most respondents completed the survey and
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returned them immediately but several were returned the next day
and two were returned the day after that.
Results
Data from the 12 respondents show that the average
instructor teaches 20 .4 hours a week and has been working at
Pacoima Skills Center for 3 years. Prior to arriving at Pacoima
Skills Center, teachers taught an average of 5 years at other
locations but 5 of the 12 instructors have only taught 1 year or less
at Pacoima Skills Center. Of that group of 5 instructors who have
only taught 1 year, 4 of them report no previous teaching
experience at other schools. The teachers who responded include
at least one instructor from each of the levels of ESL taught at
Pacoima Skills Center.
The following tables illustrate the results for each category of
technology. There are a few cases where the results do not add up
to 100% because one respondent did not mark any answer for that
category. Respondents were instructed to describe their use of the
named technology according to the four categories. The
instructions for the survey defined the categories. For the purpose
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of the survey Instructor use only meant that the instructor uses
the technology for such activities as preparing for class, doing
background research, creating a homework exercise, presenting
material to the students, or maintaining class records. Students
use only was defined as students use the technology for such
activities as studying grammar, watching a video-based lesson,
presenting a topic to the class, or doing research but the instructor
did not use that technology for his or her own use as described in
the previous category. Both instructor and students use was
indicated to mean that the instructor uses the technology in the
ways described above AND has students use the technology in their
studies. The fourth category Never was not defined but was
deemed clear enough to be understood without an explicit
definition.
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TV with Built-in VCR
75%
25%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Never Use Instructor OnlyUses
Students Only Use Both Instructor andStudents Use
Table 1
Audiocassette/CD Player
50%
8%
33%
8%0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Never Use Instructor Only Uses Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 2
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Overhead Projector
42%
8%
25%25%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 3
Computer (non-Internet) Productivity Software:
Word, Excel, Paint, PowerPoint, etc.
33%
42%
25%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 4
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Computer (non-Internet) ESL software
42%
33%
17%
8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 5
Computer (Internet) Not ESL Specific WebsitesWebsites intended for the general public, not necessarily English Language Learners
One survey participant did not enter a response to this question so the percentage of instructors does not
equal 100%
50%
42%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 6
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Computer (Internet)Websites intended for use by ESL students
33%
50%
17%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 7
Cardreader Machine
100%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 8
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Interactive Whiteboard
25%
8%
67%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 9
LCD Projector
83%
17%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%70%
80%
90%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 10
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Inkjet or Laser Printer
17%
67%
17%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 11
Digital Camera
92%
8%0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 12
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Scanner
67%
25%
8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Never Use Instructor Only
Uses
Students Only Use Both Instructor and
Students Use
Table 13
Discussion
Of the thirteen types of technologies available to instructors
at Pacoima Skills Center, almost half of them are never used by
50% or more of the ESL instructors. Those technologies are
using the Internet to visit websites that are not specificallymeant for ESL such as a government website or a tourismwebsite 50%
card-reader machines 100%
interactive whiteboards 67%
LCD projectors 83% digital cameras 92%
scanners 67%
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Clearly, these technologies represent investments that are being
under-utilized at the current time. Administrators and the ESL
program coordinator would be advised to further examine each of
the above technology types to see why instructors are not using
them in the classroom, because some of them represent
substantial financial investments (the interactive whiteboards were
very expensive and several were purchased). Unfortunately, not
enough is known about why instructors never use a particular
category. In retrospect, it is clear that the category Never should
have been expanded into several categories to provide more
critical information as to why the instructor never uses that
technology. Is it because they dont know that the technology is
available, they do know that the technology is available but have
decided not to use it because they dont have training in using it in
the classroom, or because they know how to use it and perhaps
have even received training on using it in the classroom but have
made a conscious decision that that particular technology isnt
appropriate for use as part of their curriculum or teaching
strategies. A follow-up study could ask further questions relating to
the Never category to identify specific reasons why a technology
is not being used by a particular teacher or numbers of teachers.
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While most of the technologies showed usage by at least
some of the instructors, 100% of the instructors stated they never
used a card reader machine. Obviously, follow-up is necessary.
While card reader machines are not as expensive as computers or
interactive whiteboards, they do have a cost and if not being used
would perhaps represent an investment better spent elsewhere.
On the other hand, card reader technology has been found to be
useful in language learning and is used quite often in reading labs
for vocabulary acquisition and pronunciation practice. It is quite
possible that instructors are either not aware of their utility in the
ESL context, or are simply not even aware that theyre available.
Additionally, card reader technology, while it has been around for
many years, has not been emphasized in ESL training courses for
quite some time (since the advent of computer technology, which
supplanted card readers for the most part) and since 33% (4 of 12)
instructors have taught only one year or less, it is quite possible
that they were never exposed to the technology as an ESL teaching
tool at all. Only three of the 12 instructors have 15 or more years
of experience (long enough to be familiar with card-reader
technology as a language learning tool).
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The only two technologies that 50% or more of the
instructors said that they use both for their own preparation and
their students use in their learning were the TV with built-in VCR
(75%) and audiocassette/CD players (50%). This is perhaps not
surprising since they have been around for decades and instructors
have been exposed to their use in the classroom for many years.
On the other hand, the audiocassette/CD player usage might still
be seen as relatively low, especially since the schools selected
textbooks for ESL all come with accompanying CD-ROMs with
recordings of the conversations and activities. If only 50% percent
of the ESL instructors are using audiocassette/CD players with their
students, than a reminder that the textbooks have accompanying
CD-ROMs might be in order. That of course assumes that all of the
instructors are using the course textbooks, but that would be the
focus of another study.
A full 25% of instructors state they never use the overhead
projector in any way in the classroom. Overhead projectors allow
larger numbers of students to clearly and easily view the displayed
subject material than when that same material is presented on a
chalk or whiteboard. It is also much easier on the instructor when
writing large amounts. That this very useful teaching tool is not
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used by 25% of the instructors is another indication that further
investigation and perhaps technology training is called for.
Not everything is bleak, however. 92% of the instructors
report that they use ESL specific software (non-Internet) either for
themselves or have the students use it, with 75% of those
instructors saying that their students are using ESL software in
some way. That is extremely positive, indicating that the large
investment in purchasing ESL software has for the most part
reached the students. Additionally, 25% of ESL instructors stated
that they have their students use productivity software (Microsoft
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Paint, etc.) as part of their curriculum.
While that figure is less than that of students using ESL software,
much more training is required for instructors to feel comfortable
using such software in the ESL context because the activities
involved are more project-oriented and an instructor cannot just
point the student to the computer and say do the lesson on
verbs.
While 42% of instructors state that they use non-ESL sites on
the Internet for their own preparation or use, and 50% state that
they use websites intended for ESL for similar purposes, very few
(17% in the case of sites specifically intended for ESL) stated that
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their students are using the Internet at all. Clearly, in a time when
using the Internet has taken such a primary focus not only in
society, but also in the educational context, this low usage warrants
further investigation. The investment in computer technology is
not only an investment in the computers themselves, but also an
investment in the network that allows virtually all of the computers
at Pacoima Skills Center to have some type of Internet access, be it
wired or wireless. Further investigation should focus on why the
instructors at Pacoima Skills Center are not giving students more
opportunities to use the Internet for language learning activities.
While the previously discussed results do confirm that
instructors are using computers and also having students use
computers, it is interesting to note that 83% of the respondents
state that they never use an LCD projector. Since class sizes at
Pacoima Skills Center must be larger than 25 students per class
minimum, and often have 30 to 50 students attending, this result is
quite curious. Further research is necessary to see just how
instructors are teaching the students how to use the computers and
software without a presentation device like an LCD projector
(Pacoima Skills Center does not have television monitors for use as
presentation devices).
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Regarding the use of printers, 67% of the instructors report
that they do not have students use the printers at all.
Administrators who are interested in controlling expenses should
find that result heartening, as it might indicate that instructors are
very aware of the potential for runaway costs of ink and paper if
students are given access to printing.
One result that points to a need for further investigation is
that 92% instructors state that they never use a digital camera.
One wonders about this, as the use of imagery as a prompt for
language learning is quite established. Taking pictures of a
location or object and writing about the pictures or using pictures to
illustrate a writing assignment are certainly not new ideas. In
previous years, however, teachers had to wait for film to be
developed before students could use the images. Digital cameras
allow for almost instantaneous use of photos in computer-based
documents. Their ease of use would seem to indicate that ESL
teachers would jump at the opportunity to incorporate them into
instruction, yet obviously they are not being used. Further study is
necessary to determine why.
Finally, another possible area for a follow-up study to focus
on would be to have instructors specifically identify and describe
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activities that they do in the categories where they have indicated
that they either use the technology themselves or have students
use the technology. Open-ended questions giving the instructor
the opportunity to elaborate on actual activities would give
administrators, the ESL coordinator, and trainers a clearer picture
of where future trainings could concentrate.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Investing in People, Not Just Flashy Gadgets. Jane Averill, EveChambers, and Maria Dantas-Whitney. In Technology EnhancedLearning Environments, Elizabeth Hanson-Smith, Editory, pps 85-98, Case Studies in TESOL Practice Series. Jill Burton, SeriesEditor.2000, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages,Inc.
Coley, R. J., Cradler, J., & Engel, P. K. (1997). Computers andclassrooms: The status of technology in U.S. schools. Princeton, NJ:Educational Testing Service Policy Information Center. RetrievedDecember 15, 2004, from ftp://ftp.ets.org/pub/res/compclss.pdf(Adobe Reader PDF 979 KB)
How Teachers Learn Technology Best By Jamie McKenzie Collectedat From Now On, The Educational Technology Journal Vol 10|No 6|March|2001http://www.fno.org/mar01/howlearn.html
Teaching, Learning and Computing: 1998, A National Survey ofSchools and Teachers. , Teachers Survey, Combined Version 1-4,Collected at http://www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/html/questionnaires.html
Teachers Learning Technology by Design, Matthew J. Koehler andPunya Mishra.,Collected at Journal of Computing in TeacherEducation, Volume 21, Number 3, Spring 2005,www.iste.org/.../SIGTE_Teacher_Educators_/JCTE/Past_Issues2/Volume_21/Number_3_Spring_2005/te213094koe.pdf
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ftp://ftp.ets.org/pub/res/compclss.pdfhttp://www.fno.org/mar01/howlearn.htmlhttp://www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/html/questionnaires.htmlftp://ftp.ets.org/pub/res/compclss.pdfhttp://www.fno.org/mar01/howlearn.htmlhttp://www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/html/questionnaires.html7/31/2019 Research Report Educational Research Methods American Intercontinental University
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APPENDIX A
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APPENDIX B
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APPENDIX C
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