COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY COMPETENCIES PERCEIVED AS NEEDED BY VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL TEACHERS IN MALAYSIA
DISSERTATION
Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate
School of The Ohio State University
By
Muhammad Sukri Saud, M.S *****
The Ohio State University
2005 mmmmm
Dissertation Committee:
Professor Larry E. Miller, Adviser Professor M. Susie Whittington
Professor N. L. McCaslin Approved by ______________________ Adviser
Human and Community Resource Development Graduate Program
Copyright by Muhammad Sukri Saud
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the perceived competencies, importance, and educational needs in computer technology among vocational and
technical teachers in Malaysia. The study was also to investigate the relationship among the selected demographics characteristic of vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia with perceived computer technology educational needs.
A survey was conducted. The population studied involved Malaysian full-time vocational and technical high school teachers (N=284) employed by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, during the 2003-2004 academic year. Two hundred and eighty-four teachers from nine vocational and technical schools were selected to participate in this study. Data were gathered via a mailed questionnaire and the questionnaire consisted two parts that measured the teachers’ perceived importance and competence, and
demographic information on the sample.
The study showed that over 50% of the Malaysian vocational and technical teachers had not had formal computer technology training. Only 63% of the Malaysian vocational and technical teachers had a bachelor’s degree or higher. The lowest computer technology educational needs of Malaysia vocational and technical teachers were
ii
computer operating skills. Media communication and telecommunication were the top two areas of educational needs among the eight domains of computer technology. The educational needs increased when the computer technology skills were more
complicated.
Demographic characteristics such as age, gender, years of teaching, and having a computer at home had low to negligible relationships with computer technology
educational needs. Teachers’ degree held and computer technology educational experiences had negligible to low relationship with educational needs.
Dedicated to:
my beloved parents, Saud Che Haron and Che Sepiah Mamat, my family,
my adviser; all my teachers,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to offer my special and deepest appreciation to my adviser, Dr. Larry E. Miller, for his encouragement, opinion, expertise, and support in completing my dissertation.
I would to offer my recognition and appreciation to my all committee members, Dr. N. L. McCaslin, Dr. Susie Whittington, Dr. Wesley E. Budke, and Dr. Richard Voithofer for their invaluable assistance, support, direction, and caring.
No words could express my sincere appreciation to all the agencies and teachers who were involved in this study.
And last, but not least, I thank my sponsor, University of Technology, Malaysia for granting me the scholarship to pursue my graduate studies at The Ohio State
University.
VITA
February 05, 1970……….Born-Kelantan, Malaysia 1996………...B. Ed.
University of
Agriculture, Malaysia
July, 1996-September 1996………..Teacher in Malaysian technical school.
October, 1996-December, 1997………Tutor in Department of Technical and Vocational Education, University of Technology, Malaysia. 1998-1999……….M.S. in Industrial/Technology Education 1999-present………..Instructor in Department of Technical and Engineering Education, University of Technology, Malaysia. FIELDS OF STUDY
Major Field: Human and Community Resource Development (Career and Technical Education)
Instructional System and Technology Research Methodology
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract………ii Dedication………...vi Acknowledgements………..v Vita….……….vi List of Tables…………...………...ix List of Figures……….xi Chapters: 1. Introduction……….1
Educational System in Malaysia………. 3
Vocational and Technical Education in Malaysia………...4
Statement of the Problem……… 5
Purpose and Objectives………... 6
Definition of Terms.………... 7
Limitation of Study………. 8
2. Literature review……..……….. 9
Smart school in Malaysia………...…11
Need assessment………13
Age and computer technology competencies………15
Gender and computer technology………. 15
Vocational and technical teachers computer technology training……….16
Computer technology experience………..17
Integrated computer technology in teaching and learning……….18
3. Methods……….21
Research design ………21
Population and sampling technique ………..23
Instrumentation ……….24
Data collection ………..26
Data analysis ……….26
4. Findings ………28
Part one: The demographic characteristics of vocational and technical education teachers ……….30
Part two: Objectives 1,2, and 3: the perceived competence, important, and educational needs of computer technology possessed by vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia ………33
Part three: Objective 4: The relationship among the selected demographics characteristics of vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia and computer technology educational needs ……….51
5. Summary, conclusion, and recommendations………..56
Summary……….………...56
Conclusion and recommendations………...62
List of references…..………. …...72
Appendices A. Letter of Approval by the Institutional Review Board………..78
B. Letter of Approval from Economic Planning Unit of Malaysia………....80
C. Research Instrument (English Version )………....83
D. Research Instrument (Malay Version)………...97
LIST OF TABLES
Tables Page
3.1 Davis’ Convention for Describing Measures of Association………..27
4.1 Age of Respondents………....30
4.2 Gender of Respondents………...30
4.3 Academic Preparation of Respondents………31
4.4 Teaching Experiences of Respondents………31
4.5. Teaching Specialty of Respondents………...32
4.6. Training Experience of Respondents……….32
4.7. Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of computer operation skills………...35
4.8. Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of setup, maintenance and troubleshooting of computer system………..37
4.9. Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of word process/introductory desktop publishing...40
4.10. Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of spreadsheet/graphing………41
4.11. Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of database………...43
4.12. Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of networking………...45
4.14. Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs
and mode of the areas of media communications……….50 4.15. The Correlation Matrix of Age, Year of Teaching,
Training Experience and Computer Technology
Educational Needs of section 1 through section 8……….…...53 4.16: The Correlation Matrix of Teachers’ Education
Degree Earned and Computer Technology Educational Needs
of section 1 through section 8………..…….54
4.17. The Correlation Matrix of Teachers’ Gender and Computer Technology Educational Needs
of section 1 through section ………..………54 4.18. The Correlation Matrix of Computer at Home and Computer
Technology Educational Needs of section 1
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Technological advances and the accelerated transfer of information, along with related computer knowledge, skills, and abilities, have been of paramount importance in an information society. Many changes have occurred in this arena, and these changes have been especially important to vocational and technical programs in supporting workforce development. Computers have been pervasive in the work place, and in the home. The changes have shown how important the technologies have become to our daily life. The technologies have been not only for people in the computer science field, but also to all people to enable them to have a better quality of life.
The growth and use of computers and computer-related technology have been limited only by one’s imagination in how they can support human resource development, and the preparedness of individuals for the workforce. Preparation may begin at home. A linking of formal and informal education has impacted professional educators and these related responsibilities in instructional design and delivery in educational settings. The teacher has been the change agent between the learner and technology, and plays a critical role in the process of teaching and learning. Therefore, the teacher should
stay abreast of changing technology and current opportunities in order to assure his/her place of leadership in instructional technology. Superior programs, in turn, have been supported by the needs from business and industry for better prepared individuals for the global workforce.
Technology also has affected the way education is delivered for preparing workers. To be more specific, technology affects career and technical/vocational education (CTE) or CVE. According to Wanocott (2001), information and
communication technology (ICT) has become a powerful technology tool in delivering CVE program around the globe. Before that, in 1998, McKenzie also noted that computer and information technology would be used broadly in delivery the CVE programs in the future, in response to technology changes, particularly in the educational system. Many scholars support using computers in educational activities. Zirkle (2002) noted that new technologies such as a computer promise us rich education experiences. Goldberg (1996) also supported the argument. He reported that students who were taught using both traditional methods and the internet performed better than those who were only exposed to the traditional methods. Day, Raven, and Newman (1998) also found that students who were taught using computer application with a laboratory achieved at a higher level than those students who were taught using the traditional classroom approach.
The scenario also has happened in the Malaysian Educational System. In the last ten years, information and communication technology (ICT) and computer technology application have become widely used in secondary and postsecondary educational
Schools started to receive computers and ICT equipment to enable them to utilize computer technology and the Internet. Computers and ICT equipment would be the important technology tools for delivering education to all Malaysians. The future also will involve vocational and technical education programs to ensure workers are effectively prepared for the changes in the work place.
Educational System in Malaysia
The Malaysian educational system has accepted the challenge of globalization by changing not only the content of curricula and programs but, more importantly, the delivery system. Information technology-enhanced teaching and learning have already been applied in schools through distance learning, and the Internet. Malaysia, as a developing country, has had to accelerate change to achieve a significant transformation of its educational system in order to meet the needs of workers in a technologically competent and scientifically adept society. Malaysia, therefore, primed the educational system to enable the education of a pool of well-educated, highly skilled and strongly motivated professionals.
Malaysia has provided 11 years of free schooling, and 20.4% of the annual National Budget has been allocated for education. Malaysian children generally have begun their formal education at the pre-school level, for children of four, five and six years old. After finishing pre-school, they go to the elementary school until 12 years old and their high school education starts at 13 years old and continues until 17 years old.
Excellence has been sought through a carefully designed system that allows flexibility for individual approaches. The situation has been apparent at the pre-school
and again at tertiary level. However, primary and secondary education has been highly structured, with a curriculum that enables the sound acquisition of fundamental
knowledge and skills that are required for further education or to go to work.
After finishing high school, the students can go to a college preparation program, such as matriculation programs that prepare students for entry into local and foreign universities. At the same time, the high school graduates can also go to certain
universities to enroll in the diploma and baccalaureate program. Alternatively, they can choose to attend public vocational and technical education training institutions, such as polytechnic and community colleges, or attend private vocational and technical education training programs.
Vocational and Technical Education in Malaysia
Vocational and technical education programs in schools have been administered by the Technical Education Department, Ministry of Education. The department was established in 1964. The major role of this department has been to ensure the continuity of educational policies and stimulate progress of technical and vocational education in Malaysia. In managing technical education, the Department of Technical Education provides services in research, planning, implementation, coordination, and supervision as well as monitoring the development of vocational and technical education as a central agency to cover both the lower secondary level and the polytechnics.
The vision of the department has been that technical education can help in developing an excellent person. The Technical Education Department also stated their
the current needs of the nation. The Technical Education Department’s function normally includes the conceptualization of policy and the direction of vocational and technical education development, to determine the implementation and streamlining of vocational and technical institutions, and to plan, draft and evaluate the effectiveness of technical and vocational education. To be more specific, the objectives were to provide
opportunities to students who were interested and have special inclinations toward science and technical education: who at the same time could be streamed to become highly technical and skilled workers that were required for nation building. They also aimed to offer more rigorous technology-oriented programs to students who have the potential to become semi-professional workers in various technical and engineering fields. Through these programs, Malaysia would be better able to produce a highly knowledgeable and competent workforce who possess good work ethics and excellent values.
To achieve these objectives, the Department of Technical Education and the Malaysia Government established vocational and technical schools, polytechnics, community colleges, and technical universities around the country. The advance in computer technology provides a promise that technical education programs can achieve the objectives effectively.
Statement of the Problem
The rapid growths in the use of the computer and computer-based technologies during the past two decades have similarly had an impact on the educational system around the world. Knowledge and skills in computer technology have become
progressively more important as instructional tools in schools, and higher educational institutions. The vocational and technical teacher development program becomes an important component in this new delivery system to ensure they can cope with new technologies in preparing students to enter the work place.
The computer has become an important tool for teaching and learning in the Malaysian Educational System. In 1996, the Ministry of Education launched the Smart School (Sekolah Bestari) project to ensure Malaysian students can compete in the global economy. Computer technology was one of the most important instructional technology tools used in this new educational project. Currently, this project has been only directly involved with the subjects of math, science, and language. In the future, the new initiative will also be expanded to all subjects in the Malaysian Educational System which will include vocational and technical education programs. Computers and computer-based technology will become common tools used in teaching and learning in vocational and technical schools. Since the development, Malaysia needs to explore and describe the current competence, the perceived importance and the training needs in computer technology among vocational and technical teachers.
Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the perceived competencies, importance, and educational needs in computer technology among vocational and
To be more specific, the objectives of this study were to determine:
1. The perceived competence in computer technology possessed by vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia.
2. The perceived importance of the competencies in computer technology possessed by vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia.
3. The perceived needs for the competencies of computer technology education among vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia.
4. The relationship among the selected demographics characteristic of vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia with perceived computer technology educational needs.
Definition of Terms Perceived competence
The perceived competence of vocational and technical teachers in computer technology was defined as the mean score on 5-point Likert scale statements from vocational and technical teachers. The scale was rated as 1 (none), 2 (very little), 3 (somewhat), 4 (very) and 5 (a great deal). A score above the mean showed that teachers perceived they possessed a higher knowledge in a specific computer technology field (Lu, 2002).
Perceived importance
The perceived importance of vocational and technical teachers of computer technology is defined as a mean score of 5-point Likert scale. Each statement is rated 1
(none), 2 (very little), 3 (somewhat), 4 (very) or 5 (a great deal). The score above the mean of the scale would show that teacher indicates they possessed a high importance on getting knowledge and skill in a specific computer technology field (Lu, 2002).
Educational Needs
A need is the difference between the current level of knowledge and skills and what it should be (Borich,1980). Borich operationally defined educational needs as subtracting the perceived knowledge score from the perceived importance score, and then multiplying the result by the average perceived importance score:
Equation: Cal En=(In-Co)(Ig)
Figure 1: Equation of Educational Need
Cal En=calculated educational need,
Co=perceived competence of the item reported by the respondent, In=importance of the item reported by the respondent,
Ig=average importance of the item as rated by all the respondents. Limitation of Study
The study was limited in that it was carried out within and was limited to the geographic region served in Peninsular Malaysia. Inquiry was limited to those technical and vocational teachers within this region. The subjects were selected from technical and vocational schools within the regions. The researcher did not include the vocational and
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Knowledge of computer technology and computer-based technology has become tremendously important to technical and vocational teachers in the new information age. Vocational and technical teachers have realized the value and usefulness of computer technology in their programs. The problem is they just do not have the necessary skills and knowledge to use it effectively for instructional purposes. In order to ensure that technical and vocational education will still remain valuable to the educational system, vocational and technical programs must continue to enrich the programs to prepare students for the workplace and society. In order for teachers to do that, they must continue to value computer technology and seek ways to connect program and
instructional management with appropriate computer technology, especially the Internet. Teachers' competency in computer technology is essential if they are to be successful instructional leaders as they use and transfer this competency to their students. Certainly, this computer technology foundation is a necessity for all teachers and students (Kotrlik, 2000).
Lu (2002) noted that computer technology has a great affect on teaching and learning. Computer technologies are developing at a rapid pace, carrying the
potential to deliver education to more learners in more satisfactory ways. Teachers have been encouraged to participate in professional development activities to acquaint them with the uses of computer technology for improving teaching effectiveness. Vocational and technical teachers will continue to be challenged by these new technologies and must be able to use these new technologies that are continually changing the ways that people live, work, and learn. Moreover, Bork (1985) noted that the application of computer technology use in education would be a very important and would become the dominant delivery system in the following 25 years.
According to Wanocott (2001), computer technology and computer based-technologies have become a popular teaching tool for technology instructors. With the high quality of graphical-user interface, high speed processing, and affordability, computer use in preparing the workforce has come of age. The educational software designer is now able to design and develop multidimensional educational software that includes high quality graphics, stereo sound, and real time interaction.
The perception of teacher computer technology competencies becomes critically important in educational research activities. According to Armstrong (1995), Kiattikomol (1994) and Lifer (1992), research about the teacher perception of computer technology competencies needs to be reviewed in multiple perspectives to ensure the findings are more valuable.
Some studies have been conducted regarding the perception of computer technology competence among vocational and technical teachers. In 1981, Engstrom
identified competencies that the teacher and school staff should have to ensure they can work effectively in schools. McCaslin and Torres (1993) noted that teachers were apprehensive about the use of computer technology in school. Liao (1993) found that teachers in Taiwan who put a high value of computer training felt more comfortable working with computers, and did not have anxiety about working with computers. McCaslin and Torres found that vocational teachers’ attitude toward using
microcomputers in in-service training is affected by factors of their educational value, confidence in their use, and apprehension about their use. Golden (1997) supported this finding when he stated that teachers, who do not use computer technology, feel
uncomfortable with the technology or they lack proper training. Smart Schools in Malaysia
The idea of a Smart School in Malaysia is a learning institution that has been systemically reinvented in terms of teaching-learning and school management processes in order to help students and schools cope with the information age environment. In that sense, the Malaysian Ministry of Education aimed to utilize the advances of computer technology to ensure their staff could compete in the job market.
Early in 1996, the Ministry of Education in Malaysia was involved in
brainstorming discussions about the “Smart School” – the concept and its implications on the Malaysian Education System. The Malaysian National Philosophy of Education underpins every element of the Smart School Conceptual Model. The Smart School also had become one of the seven flagship applications of the Malaysia Government of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project (TakingITGlobal, 2003).
According to the Curriculum Development Center (2003), the Smart School project intends to prepare school leavers for the information age, to bring about a
systemic change in education, from an exam-dominated culture to a thinking and creative knowledge culture, to re-emphasize science and technology in education with a focus on creativity and innovation, to equip students with information technology competencies and to inculcate Malaysian values among the students and produce a generation of caring, peace-loving and environmentally concerned citizens. Basically, the Malaysian Ministry of Education provides computers and other information technology equipments to the "Smart Schools" to help them to implement the program and develop the potential to manage a technology-enhanced program by themselves. Currently, 90 schools (about 1% of Malaysian schools) are "Smart.” Depending on the region and the effective
possibilities when the program begins, various levels of technology are used for different schools. Priority is given to raising all schools to a minimum level, while efforts will be made to bring as many schools as possible to the highest level (Curriculum Development Center, 2003).
High-technology media, such as computer-based teaching-learning materials, and the Internet are integrated into conventional media. In this sense, the computer
technology has been the catalyst in the process of transforming traditional schools into Smart Schools. In other words, computer technology is indispensable for the success of the Smart Schools. Multimedia courseware, presentation facilities, and e-mail are
schools to expand their external resources, such as public and university libraries,
companies and industry associations, museums and other archives. Computer technology also provides a bridge between parents, students, and other members in the community. Computer technology makes communication more effective and easy among students, teachers, and parents around the world.
Needs Assessment
In 1985, Uko defined a need as a condition between what is and what should be. Uko noted that a need also can be defined as a condition between what is and what is more desirable. Guralnick (1982) also described a need as a lack of something useful, required, or desired. The oldest and most popular definition of need is provided by Maslow in 1954. Maslow noted that a need can be defined as a hierarchy of needs from physical to self-actualization. On the other hand, Kaufman (1992) noted that a need can be considered the gap or discrepancy between a present state and desired end state, future state, or condition. In conclusion, a need can be defined as an inference from examining a present state, and comparing it with a vision of a better condition (Lu, 2002).
From the perspective of education, needs can be defined as the gap or discrepancy of student’ performance such as ability, knowledge, skill, or attitude and actual or
expected level of student performance or other standard performance (Witkin, 1984). Lowe (1982) noted that individual educational needs and community needs vary
according to his/her circumstance, population size, time, and economic needs. Lowe also indicated that in determining the students’ educational needs, the unmotivated learner has created a big problem. In this sense, the student has an educational need but is not
seriously motivated to achieve it.
According to Lu (2002), a needs assessment is an activity for determining discrepancies, examining the nature and cause, and setting priorities for future action. Witkin and Altschuld (1995) defined need assessment as a systematic process in setting the purpose priorities (based on the specific identified needs) and making decision about the organization or program improvement and allocation of their resources.
Soriano (1995) indicated that needs assessment have been used in collecting data about the current use of services, products, and information. The information from needs assessment is used to make decisions about the allocation of program resources and services.
Borich (1980) noted that needs assessment is the discrepancy between
educational objectives, purpose, and goals and trainee performance. Borich developed his needs assessment model by employing the following questions; what are behaviors, skills and competencies of trainees and what should be the goals and objectives of the training. According to Borich (1980), the differences between these two positions can be used as an index of training effectiveness. The Borich need assessment model seems to be a valid needs assessment model. Many needs assessment studies have used the model since the model allow the researcher to weight and rank the collecting data according to their priority (Arede, 1994; Layfield & Dobbins, 2000; and Uko, 1985).
Age and Computer Technology Competencies
Several studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship between teacher’s age and the perception of computer technology. Liao (1995) found that older teachers have more experience working with computer technology since they have more experience with teaching and learning. On the other hand, Kotrlik and Smith (1989) and Huang and Padron (1997) found that younger teachers felt more comfortable working with computers, had higher levels of computer literacy, and had less computer anxiety than older teachers. In term of usefulness, the Princeton Research Associates, Inc. (1993) found that almost two-thirds (59%) of teachers under 35 years of age believed computers in the classroom were essential while only 29% of teachers over age 55 shared this belief. On the other hand, Yang, Mohamed, and Beyerbach (1999) found that there was no relationship between computer anxiety in vocational-technical educators and age.
Gender and Computer Technology
Gender was identified as a critical factor that affects teachers’ attitudes toward computer (Lu, 2002). Several studies have been conducted that addressed relationships between gender and computer use. Loyd and Gressard (1984) found that females have lower scores on computer technology competencies than males. Chen (1986) also found that female teachers had less experience working with computer than male colleagues. Males also showed higher scored on some computer attitude (Chen, 1986; Liao, 1993; 1995; Lord & Gressard, 1984). On the other hand, Zidon and Miller (1990) found a weak relationships between gender and with perceptions of computer use. Moreover, studies by Eastman and Krendl (1987) and Kay (1989) found that there were no significant
differences between female and male toward their perception of computers. Vocational and Technical Teachers Computer Technology Training Computer training is a crucial factor for increasing the effectiveness and knowledge of using computers among teachers. According to Birkenholz and Stewart (1991) lack of training in using computers was a major barrier to using the
microcomputer and computer related equipment. In 1991, Fletcher and Deed found that computer anxiety decreased with an increase in computer training and attitudes toward computer improved with the completion of a hands-on computer literacy program. Fletcher and Deed also recommended incorporation of additional computer courses in vocational teacher education programs, as well as in-service training for secondary vocational teachers to decrease anxiety and increase computer confidence and knowledge.
Wetzel (1993) noted that, because of the advance of computer technology today, many of the computer competencies can be achieved by effective integration into the entire pre-service curriculum. Wetzel also proposed a model for pre-service preparation that includes a core computer literacy course, and a method course in which instructor’s model computer integration and technology-rich field experiences. Kotrlik and Redmann (2000) also stated that the pre-service programs should strengthen their emphasis on the computer technology knowledge and skills of pre-service vocational teachers.
Miller (1997) stated that vocational teacher educators from all major program areas revealed that the traditional computer tools, especially word processing, are
such as authoring software and multimedia applications, are not yet integrated into the pre-service curriculum on a regular basis. Miller also found that respondents aged 40 and older accounted for 83% of the total responses, and it is likely that these individuals did not receive instruction in how to use the personal computer as part of their formal education. Miller also concluded that the vocational teachers realized the potential usefulness of computer applications and acquired skills through various methods.
Computer Technology Experience
Experience always becomes a big factor in determining the computer literacy among teachers. According to Lu (2002), length of time of computer use is the
predominant factor that determines teachers’ level of perceptions in computer technology competencies. Lu also noted that computer experience was positively related to teachers’ comfort, liking, and value of computer technology competencies. Huang and Padron, (1997), Liao (1993 and 1995) and Padron (1993) also found that the longer teachers used computers the more comfortable they felt working with computers and rated computers as more valuable. Golden (1997) noted that teachers, who do not have a proper
experience working with computer and lack computer training, would not feel comfortable using computer.
Yang, Mohamed, and Beyerbach (1999) supported this contention when they found that computer-related experience does influence computer anxiety. The study found that educational experience was related to computer anxiety even after taking into account, and making appropriate statistical adjustments for initial difference in computer-related experiences.
Integrated Computer Technology in Teaching and Learning
Miller (1997) found that, overall, vocational educators understand the importance of computers in education. According to Miller (1997), technical and vocational
educators today face the challenge of utilizing and integrating computers and related technologies into their instruction in a manner that enhances student learning and achievement.
Moreover, the Internet has changed how we communicate, learn, and conduct our business and personal affairs (Redmann, Kotrlik, & Douglas, 2001). According to Bailey (1997), in the educational community, the level of technology integration can deeply affect what teachers do and what their students’ experience. Within the last two decades, affordable technology has allowed schools to experience a growing investment in
technology for the teaching/learning process (Sheingold & Hadley, 1990). Dwyer (1999) stated that computer technology-based learning environments can help students acquire the type of knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for success, for example, cooperative team projects via e-mail and the Internet, electronic discussion, experiential learning activities via specialized software, simulation of real-life observation experiences, computerized movies with interactive check sheets, and practice activities
for developing decision making, problem solving, and management skills. In terms of the use of computers in teaching and learning, a National Center for
Education Statistics (2000) study showed that 44% of teachers reported using technology for classroom instruction, 42% reported using computer applications, and 12% reported
reported requiring students to do research using the Internet, 20% required students to use technology to solve problems and analyze data, 27% had students conduct research using CD-ROMs, 27% assigned students to produce multimedia reports/projects, 23% assigned graphical presentations of materials, 21% assigned demonstrations/simulations, and 7% assigned students to correspond with others over the Internet.
Several scholars have discussed the barriers to the implementation of technology. Glenn (1997) noted that the organizational structure of schools inhibits teachers' efforts to learn new technologies and resists innovation, for example, the limited amount of time available to teachers to learn new technology. Fabry and Higgs (1997) found that the major issues in the implementation and integration of technology in teaching and learning includes resistance to change to something new (teacher, student, and school), teachers' attitudes, training, time, access, and cost. Smerdon, Cronen, Lanahan, Anderson, Iannotti, and Angeles (2000) also found that the barriers to the use of the Internet and computers for instruction included lack of computers, lack of release time for teachers to learn how to use technology, and lack of time in the school schedule for student computer use. The Office of Technology Assessment (1995) reported the barriers of using computer
technology in education include lack of teacher time, limited access and high costs, lack of vision or rationale for technology use, lack of training and support, and current
assessment practices that may not reflect what has been learned with technology. Summary
In this chapter, the researcher examined the literature that related to the study of the perception of computer technology competencies needs of vocational and technical
teachers. The literature review was discussed in several perspectives of the concepts of needs assessment, the concept of Smart School in Malaysia, age and computer
technology competencies, gender and computer technology, vocational and technical teachers computer technology training, computer technology experience, and integrated computer technology in teaching and learning.
CHAPTER 3
METHODS
The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the computer technology competencies perceived as needed by vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia. The study also explored and described the teacher perception of importance, knowledge and skills and computer technology education needs. This chapter describes the research design, instrumentation, validity, reliability, population and sampling technique, selection and sampling error control, data collection, and data analysis.
Research Design
This study utilized survey research to collect data from a sample. In order to ensure a valid study, the researcher controlled the major errors to survey research of frame, sampling, selection, non-response, and measurement error.
1. Frame error
Groves (1989) noted that frame error occurs when the frame or survey population that the sample will be chosen from does not include all elements of the
population that the researchers wish to investigate. A discrepancy between the intended target population and the actual survey population results in frame error. The researcher controlled the error by getting the latest list of schools from the
Malaysian Department of Technical Education. The researcher also gets the latest list of teachers from each school that was included in this study.
2. Sampling error
According to Salant and Dillman (1994), sampling errors occurs when researchers survey a non-random sample of the population instead of randomly selecting the sample. The researcher used random sampling to choose the subjects and an appropriate sample size to control the error.
3. Selection error
According to Salant and Dillman (1994), selection error occurs when some of the sampling units in the population have a greater or lesser chance to be selected in the study. The researcher controlled this error by properly checking the school’s and teacher’s name list to ensure there were no duplicate names on the list. 4. Non-response error
According to Salant and Dillman (1994), non-response error is the most
problematic error in survey research and occurs when the subjects do not respond to the questionnaire and those who respond are different from those who do not respond. To control this error, the researcher assigned a code number to the instrument for each subject and they have been contacted to return the
questionnaire. For the non-respondents, the researcher has called each of them and asked them to return the questionnaire. Unfortunately, the non-respondents still refused to return the questionnaires.
This situation seemed that they just did not want to participate in this study. Based on the time consuming and the returning rates already at 93%, the researcher has decided to return to the Ohio State University.
5. Measurement error
According to Miller and Smith (1983), and Ary, Jacobs, and Razavieh (1990), measurement errors normally happen in collecting data from four sources that include survey method, the questionnaire, the interviewer, and the respondent, and occurs when the data is inaccurate, imprecise, or cannot be compared in any useful way to other respondents’ answer. To ensure the findings are valid and reliable, the researcher used a measurement tool that already had been assessed for content validity and reliability (internal consistency reliability ranged from 0.68 to 0.98) by Lu (2002). The researcher also conducted a pilot test to
determine the instrument reliability (internal consistency reliability ranged from 0.98 to 0.99) in Malaysia.
Population and Sampling Technique
The population of this study was all teachers in vocational and technical schools in Peninsular Malaysia. Considering the size of Malaysia, the researcher used a multi-stage cluster and random sampling technique to select the sample of the study. The researcher had a sample of 30 % of the schools in each selected state. The researcher selected nine schools for this study. Wallen and Fraenkel (2000) stated that a sample that makes up of 30 percent or over should represent the entire study population.
The researcher randomly selected two schools in Kelantan to represent the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia , two schools in Kedah to represent the northern part of Malaysia, three schools in Johor to represent the southern part of Peninsular Malaysia, and two schools in Selangor to represent the western part of Peninsular Malaysia.
The researcher selected all teachers (N=284) who taught vocational and technical courses in all selected schools to participate in this study. To make collecting data easier, the researcher selected one of the participating teachers to facilitate the study survey. The researched explained the study to the teachers to ensure the teachers understood their responsibility.
Instrumentation
The researcher used a questionnaire adapted from Lu’s study to collect data from the sample. A reliable and valid questionnaire was used to gather information about the vocational and technical teacher perception about the computer technology competence importance, competence, and demographic characteristics. The questionnaire also provided blank space to enable subjects to provide comments.
The reliable and validated English version was translated to the Malay Language and this version was the one that was used to gather data in Malaysia. The researcher used the back translation technique to check for error in developing the questionnaire. The questionnaire was reviewed by 15 Malaysian students at The Ohio State University; then, back translated to eliminate any inconsistencies.
The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first part measured the
teachers’ perceived importance, and competence. The second part gathered demographic information on the sample. The subjects also were provided blank space to provide open-ended comments.
The content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by five experts; three professors in the Department of Human and Community Resource Development and the Workforce Development and Education Program at The Ohio State University, and two professionals in the Office of Career-Technical Education at the Ohio Department of Education. The panel of experts determined whether the items really measured the research objectives (Lu, 2002). The questionnaire also had been evaluated for suitability and clarity through a field test with 15 Ohio vocational teachers who were on the
CAREERTECH email list that was established by the National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education. The internal consistency reliability of the questionnaire had been assessed in a pilot study by 15 vocational teachers in an area close to the Central Region of Ohio (internal consistency reliability ranged from 0.68 to 0.98 (Lu, 2002)).
The questionnaire was again assessed for content validity and internal consistency reliability before the study started in Malaysia. The new validity and reliability
assessment was important to ensure that the questionnaire was still valid and reliable because of the rapid changes in computer technology. In term of the content validity, the researcher sent the questionnaire to five experts, three professors in the Department of Human and Community Resource Development and Workforce Development and
Education Program at The Ohio State University, and two professors from University of Technology, Malaysia, and corrections were made until deemed acceptable. For the internal consistency reliability, the questionnaire was assessed in a pilot study by 15 vocational teachers in one of the technical schools in Malaysia. Cronbach’s alpha was used with a minimum of 0.5 to 0.6 (Nunnally,1965) deemed acceptable to determine the internal consistency. The questionnaire analysis of internal consistency showed that its Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.98 to 0.99.
Data Collection
The researcher submitted the Research Application form to The Ohio State University Human Subjects Review Committee to get approval to conduct the research. Then, the researcher submitted the application to the Malaysian Economic Planning Unit to get approval to conduct research in the technical and vocational schools in Malaysia.
In the Winter Quarter 2004, the researcher sent the questionnaire to each selected teacher with addressed sealed envelopes and include a return-stamped envelope. To ensure confidentiality, the researcher provided a number identification for each questionnaire. The number ensured the researcher had the ability to identify the non-respondents for follow-up. The researcher sent another questionnaire in the middle of the Winter Quarter 2004 to those respondents that did not return the first questionnaires.
Data Analysis
Based on the nature of this study, the researcher used descriptive statistics to describe the identified characteristics. The researcher used percentages, modes, medians,
statistics to determine the relationship among the characteristics and teacher perception of the computer technology needs. The Pearson correlation coefficient, r, was used to measure the relationship among age, year of teaching, computer technology training experience and calculated perceived educational needs for computer technology competencies.
The Spearman correlation coefficient, a measure of relationship among rank orders, was used to measure teacher’s educational background and perceived educational needs. The point biserial correlation coefficients, a measure of relationship among nominal and interval variables, was used to measure the relationship between gender, teacher computer owning, and perceived educational needs.
The magnitude of relationship between characteristics was defined according to Davis (1971). The scale was defined by the following standard.
Coefficient Description of Relationship
1.0 Perfect
0.70 or greater Very strong association
0.50 to 0.69 Substantial association
0.30 to 0.49 Moderate association
0.10 to 0.29 Low association
0.01 to 0.09 Negligible association
CHAPTER 4
FINDINGS
This chapter reports the findings of the study and the data analysis. The purpose of the study was to describe the perceived educational needs in computer technology of vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia. A descriptive survey was conducted with the questionnaire delivered by mail to the teachers in selected geographical areas of Peninsular Malaysia to describe their perception of the competence, importance, and educational needs in computer technology.
The population of the study was all vocational and technical (N=284) teachers who teach courses in nine vocational and technical schools in Peninsular Malaysia. The number of responding teachers was 264 (93%). Twenty vocational and technical teachers in the selected schools chose not to respond to the survey. For non-response error control, a code number was placed on each instrument to allow the researcher to identify non-respondents for follow-up purposes. The researcher called teachers, who had been selected as a data-collection facilitator in each school, to learn who had responded. The researcher sent a new questionnaire and asked the facilitator to give the questionnaire to the non-respondents. After waiting several days, all non-respondents still did not return the questionnaire. Finally, because further follow-up would be time consuming and
the returned questionnaires had already achieved 93 percent of the entire subjects of the study, the researcher decided to ask each facilitator to send the questionnaires back to the researcher to process the data before returning to The Ohio State University.
The instrument was checked for face validity and clarity by professors at The Ohio State University and University of Technology, Malaysia. Then, the English
Version was translated into Malay Language and was reviewed by 15 Malaysian students at The Ohio State University who were fluent in both languages. The researcher also established instrument clarity with a field test of 15 Malaysian vocational and technical teachers who teach in vocational and technical schools in Malaysia. Then, the instrument was modified according to their suggestions. The researcher used a Cronbach’s Alpha to established the internal consistency reliability of the final instrument from a pilot test and the overall of the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients ranged from 0.98 to 0.99. Similarly, the internal consistency reliability, validity and clarity of the instruments had been
established by Lu (2002). Her Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients ranged from 0.67 to 0.98. These procedures controlled measurement error. Since the entire population was studied, sampling, selection and frame error were not considered problematic.
This chapter presents information according to the four objectives of the study and the demographic characteristics of the respondents. To be more specific, the presentation was reported by the following objectives of the study:
1. To determine the perceived competence in computer technology possessed by vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia.
2. To determine the perceived importance of the competencies in computer 29
technology in possessed by vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia. 3. To determine the perceived needs for the competencies of computer
technology education among vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia. 4. To determine the relationship among the selected demographics
characteristics of vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia and their perceived computer technology educational needs.
Part One: The demographic characteristics of vocational and technical education teachers.
Age f % 20-30 44 16.7 31-40 145 54.9 41-50 64 24.2
51 and up years old 11 4.2
Total 264 100.0
Mean (Years old) 36.77
Table 4.1: Age of Respondents (N=264)
Table 4.1 reports teachers’ age based on the different age levels. Of the 264 Vocational-Technical Malaysian teachers, 55% were between the ages of 31-40 years old, 4% were over 51 and up years old, and the average teacher age was 37 years.
Gender f %
Male 152 57.6
Female 112 42.4
Table 4.2 reports the gender of vocational-technical teachers in Malaysia (N= 264) about 58% were male, and 42% were female.
Academic Preparation f %
Less than Associates Degree
41 15.5
Associates Degree 57 21.6
Bachelor’s Degree 160 60.6
Master’s Degree 6 2.3
Higher than Master’s Degree
0 0.0 Total 264 100.0
Table 4.3: Academic Preparation of Respondents (N=264)
Table 4.3 shows that about 63% of the 264 vocational-technical teachers in Malaysia had a Bachelor’s Degree or higher and 37% had an Associate Degree or less.
Years of Teaching Experiences f % 5 Years or less 64 24.3 6 – 10 years 68 25.7 11 – 15 years 73 27.6 16 – 20 years 23 8.7 21 – 25 years 25 9.5 26 – 30 years 11 4.1 31 years or more 0 0.0 Total 264 100.0 Mean (Years) 11.63
Table 4.4 shows that of the 264 vocational-technical teachers in Malaysia about 53% had teaching experiences between 6 to 15 years. The data represent the largest portion of the respondents.
Teaching Specialty f %
Arts & Communications 7 2.7
Business & Management 27 10.2
Industrial & Engineering Systems 225 85.2 Human Resources/Services 5 1.9 Environmental & Agriculture System 0 0.0 Health Services 0 0.0 Other 0 0.0 Total 264 100.0
Table 4.5: Teaching Specialty of Respondents
Table 4.5 presents the teaching specialty of the 264 vocational-technical teachers in Malaysia. Data shows that about 85% teachers were in industrial and engineering areas, 10% teachers were in business and management areas, 3% teachers were in art & communication areas and 1.9% teachers were in human resources/services areas. Computer technology training experience f % Yes 95 36.0 No 169 64.0 Total 264 100.0
Table 4.6 reports that 64% of the teachers had not had computer technology training experiences and 36% teachers had computer technology training experiences.
Part Two: Objectives 1, 2, and 3: the perceived competence, importance, and educational needs of computer technology possessed by vocational and technical
education teachers in Malaysia.
The Borich model was used to calculate the educational needs of the 264 vocational-technical teachers in Malaysia. Table 4.7 to 4.14 shows the grand means, grand modes, standard deviations, and the calculated educational needs of the computer operation skills, setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting, word processing/introductory desktop publishing, spreadsheet/graphing, database, networking, telecommunications, and media communications as perceived by vocational and technical teachers in Malaysia.
Section 1: Computer Operation Skills
Table 4.7 reports the perceived competence, importance, calculated educational needs and mode of the areas of computer operation skills of the Malaysian vocational and technical teachers. The perceived computer operation skills that needed more training were how to open and work with more than one application at a time. Teachers reported low perceived educational needs for almost all of the skills in this section. The five lowest perceived educational needs were: (1) start up and shut down the computer according to computer type, (2) start up and shut down peripherals (printer, CD-ROM, and/or scanner), (3) insert and eject floppy disk and CD-ROM, (4) save a document using both the save and save as commands, and (5) name a document.
Malaysian vocational and technical teachers perceived that the five most
important skills to learn were: (1) use printing options, (2) start an application and create a document, (3) save a document using both the save and save as commands, (4) insert and eject floppy disk and CD-ROM, and (5) initialize, name/rename floppy disks. However, Malaysian vocational and technical teachers perceived the less important competencies to be: (1) start up and shut down peripherals (printer, CD-ROM, and/or scanner), and (2) start up and shut down the computer according to computer type.
Malaysian vocational and technical teachers perceived the five items where they had the most competence were: (1) start up and shut down the computer according to computer type, (2) insert and eject floppy disk and CD-ROM, (3) save a document using both the save and save as commands, (4) use printing options, and (5) name a document. However, Malaysian vocational and technical teachers perceived that they less
competence in how to (1) open and work with more than one application at a time (2) identify and use icons, windows, and menus and (3) copy document from hard disk to floppy disk.
Malaysian vocational and technical teachers reported a mode of 5 for many competence items except for open and work with more than one application at a time. Further, they also reported a mode of 5 for many importance items, except for (1) create and name and rename subdirectories/folders, (2) save, open, and place documents inside subdirectories/folder and (3) open and work with more than one application at a time.
Statement Level of competence Mean SD Mode Level of importance Mean SD Mode Needs Mean SD Start up and shut down the
computer according to computer type 4.4 0.7 5 3.6 1.4 5 -2.8 5.4 Start up and shut down
peripherals printer, CD-ROM, and/or scanner
4.0 1.0 5 3.5 1.3 5 -1.8 5.2 Identify and use icons,
windows, and menus
3.8 1.0 5 3.8 1.2 5 -.1 5.0 Start an application and
create a document 3.9 1.0 5 3.9 1.2 5 -.0 5.6 Name a document 4.2 0.9 5 3.8 1.1 5 -1.2 4.8 Save a document using
both the save and save as commands 4.3 0.8 5 3.9 1.1 5 -1.4 4.7
Use printing options 4.2 0.8
5 4.0 1.1
5 -.9 4.7 Insert and eject floppy
disk and CD-ROM
4.4 0.9 5 3.9 1.2 5 -1.8 4.9 Initialize, name/rename floppy disk 3.9 1.0 5 3.8 1.1 5 -.2 5.6 Copy document from hard
disk to floppy disk
3.9 1.1 5 3.8 1.1 5 -.2 5.4 Create and name and
rename subdirectories/folders 3.9 1.0 5 3.7 1.2 4 -.8 5.2 Save, open, and place
documents inside subdirectories/folders? 4.0 1.0 5 3.8 1.1 4 -.7 4.9 Open and work with more
than one application at a time. 3.6 1.1 4 3.7 1.2 4 0.4 5.3 Domain Mean (Mean of Means) 4.0 3.8 -.9
Scale: 1-None, 2- Very Little, 3 – Somewhat, 4 – Very, 5 – A great deal
Table 4.7: Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of computer operation skills.
Section 2: Setup, maintenance and troubleshooting of computer system
As shown in Table 4.8, Malaysian vocational and technical teachers perceived their five highest perceived educational needs were: (1) install and upgrade an
application, (2) use self-help resources to diagnose and correct common hardware problems, (3) protect against computer viruses, (4) setup system computer (i.e.: CPU, monitor, keyboard, and mouse), and (5) connect peripheral devices (i.e.:printers, CD-ROM, external drives, modem, scanner). However, Malaysian vocational and technical teachers reported that the two lowest educational needs were: (1) protect and care for floppy disks, and (2) clean computer components and printers.
Malaysian vocational and technical teachers perceived more competence for (1) protect and care for floppy disks, and (2) protect against computer viruses. However, they perceived low competence for (1) use of self-help resources to diagnose and correct common hardware problems, (2) install and upgrade an application, (3) setup system computer (i.e.: CPU,monitor,keyboard, and mouse), (4) clean computer components and printers, and (5) connect peripheral devices (i.e.:printers, CD-ROM, external drives, modem, scanner).
Malaysian vocational and technical teachers perceived high importance in five areas: (1) protect against computer viruses, (2) make backup copies of key applications and documents, (3) connect peripheral devices (i.e.:printers, CD-ROM, external drives, modem, scanner), (4) protect and care for floppy disks, and (5) install and upgrade
an application. However, teachers perceived low importance for (1) setup system computer (i.e.: CPU,monitor, keyboard, and mouse), and (2) use self-help resources to diagnose and correct common hardware problems.
Malaysian vocational and technical teachers reported a mode of 3 for most competence items except for (1) connect peripheral devices (i.e.:printers, CD-ROM, external drives, modem, scanner, (2) make backup copies of key applications and
documents, and (3) install and upgrade an application. Teachers reported a mode of 4 for all level of importance excepts for protect against computer viruses
Statement Level of competence Mean SD Mode Level of importance Mean SD Mode Needs Mean SD Setup system computer (i.e.:
CPU*;monitor;keyboard; and mouse) 3.2 1.2 3 3.5 1.3 4 1.1 6.0 Connect peripheral devices
(i.e.:printers, CD-ROM, external drives, modem, scanner) 3.4 1.2 4 3.7 1.1 4 1.1 5.6
Protect and care for floppy disks 3.7 1.0 3 3.7 1.2 4 0.0 5.8 Clean computer components
and printers? 3.3 1.2 3 3.6 1.1 4 0.8 5.5 Make backup copies of key
applications and documents?
3.4 1.2 4 3.7 1.2 4 1.1 5.8 Use self-help resources to
diagnose and correct common hardware problems? 3.0 1.1 3 3.5 1.2 4 1.7 5.7 Install and upgrade an
application? 3.1 1.4 4 3.6 1.3 4 1.8 6.3 Proper operating environment
for computer and peripherals
3.4 1.2 3 3.7 1.1 4 1.1 6.0 Protect against computer
viruses 3.6 1.2 5 3.9 1.2 5 1.2 6.3 Domain Mean (Mean of Means) 3.3 3.6 1.1
Scale: 1-None, 2- Very Little, 3 – Somewhat, 4 – Very, 5 – A great deal
Table 4.8:Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of setup, maintenance and troubleshooting of computer system.
Section 3: Word processing/introductory desktop publishing
Malaysian vocational and technical teachers reported that they perceived low educational needs in all items of the word process/introductory desktop publishing. The lowest five educational needs reported were: (1) use margins (amount of white space on the top, bottom, left and right edges of page), (2) change text format and style (change actual size of text and choose type and special effects such as bold, italic, or underline), (3) add columns to a document, (4) use tab stop (align/justify to left, right, center, decimal tab), and (5) check spelling, grammar, and word usage.
Malaysian Vocational and Technical teachers reported having more perceived importance in these five areas: (1) copy and move blocks of text, (2) change text format and style, (3) use margins, (4) enter and edit text, and (5) add columns to a document. Teachers perceived low importance for (1) insert clip art into a document, and (2) insert date, time, and page number. Teachers reported that the five highest perceived
competence were: (1) change text format and style, (2) use margins, (3) copy and move blocks of text, (4) enter and edit text, and (5) use tap top. Teachers stated low
competences for (1) create a header and footer, and (2) insert date, time, and page number. Teachers reported a mode of 4 in both level of competence and importance except for (1) enter and edit text (2) copy and move blocks of text (3) change text format and style, and (4) use margin.
Section 4: Spreadsheet/graphing
a formula using functions, (2) copy values using fill down and fill across, (3) understand the possibilities of spreadsheet calculations, and (4) insert a spreadsheet into a word processing document. In addition, teachers perceived low educational needs for (1) create a spreadsheet with rows, columns, and headings, (2) understand the concept of
spreadsheet and relate a print spreadsheet to an electronic spreadsheet, and (3) understand the three basic types of cells, label, value, and formula. Malaysian vocational and
technical teachers perceived highest level of importance for (1) understand the
possibilities of spreadsheet calculations, (2) enter data in an existing spreadsheet, and (3) create a spreadsheet with rows, columns, and headings. However, teachers perceived low level of importance for (1) create a graph or chart from spreadsheet data, and (2) interpret the information from a spreadsheet and communicate the data in a graphical format. Malaysian vocational and technical teachers perceived a high level of competence for (1) create a spreadsheet with rows, columns, and headings, (2) enter data in an existing spreadsheet, (3) change the appearance of a spreadsheet by inserting columns and rows, and (4) understand the concept of spreadsheet and relate a print spreadsheet to an
electronic spreadsheet. Teachers also perceived low level of competence for (1) create a formula using functions, (2) copy values using fill down and fill across, and (3) insert a spreadsheet into a word processing document. The level of competence shows a mode of 3 for all items except for change the appearance of a spreadsheet by inserting columns and rows item. The mode of level of importance was 5 for (1) understand the concept of spreadsheet and relate a print spreadsheet to an electronic spreadsheet, (2) enter data in an existing spreadsheet, (3) create a spreadsheet with rows, columns, and headings, and (4)
create a formula using functions. The mode of level of importance shows 4 for (1)
understand the possibilities of spreadsheet calculations, (2) interpret the information from a spreadsheet and communicate the data in a graphical format, (3) understand the three basic types of cells, label, value, and formula, (4) copy values using fill down and fill across (5) change the appearance of a spreadsheet by inserting columns and rows (6) create a graph or chart from spreadsheet data, and (7) insert a spreadsheet into a word processing document. Statement Level of competence Mean SD Mode Level of importance Mean SD Mode Needs Mean SD Enter and edit
text 4.0 1.0 5 3.8 1.2 5 -.6 5.5 Copy and move
blocks of text 4.0 1.0 5 4.0 1.2 5 -.1 5.7 Change text
format and style
4.3 0.9 5 3.9 1.2 5 -1.3 5.1 Use margins 4.1 0.8 5 3.9 1.2 5 -9.6 4.9 Use tab stop 4.0
0.9 4 3.7 1.1 4 -1.1 5.0 Check spelling, grammar, and word usage. 3.9 0.9 4 3.7 1.1 4 -.7 4.9 Create a header and footer. 3.8 1.0 4 3.6 1.1 4 -.4 5.1 Insert date, time,
and page number.
3.8 1.1 4 3.7 1.1 4 -.3 5.0 Add columns to a document. 4.1 0.9 4 3.8 1.1 4 -1.1 4.5 Insert clip art into
a document 3.8 1.0 4 3.7 1.2 4 -.5 4.9 Domain Mean (Mean of Means) 4.0 3.8 -1.6
Scale: 1-None, 2- Very Little, 3 – Somewhat, 4 – Very, 5 – A great deal
Table 4.9: Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of word process/introductory desktop publishing.
Statement Level of competence Mean SD Mode Level of importance Mean SD Mode Needs Mean SD Understand the concept of
spreadsheet and relate a print spreadsheet to an electronic spreadsheet. 3.2 1.2 3 3.5 1.3 5 1.2 5.8
Understand the possibilities of spreadsheet calculations 3.1 1.1 3 3.8 2.7 4 2.0 5.5 Interpret the information
from a spreadsheet and communicate the data in a graphical format 3.0 1.1 3 3.4 1.3 4 1.4 5.3
Enter data in an existing spreadsheet 3.2 1.3 3 3.7 1.2 5 1.7 6.1 Create a spreadsheet with
rows, columns, and headings 3.3 1.2 3 3.6 1.3 5 .8 5.4 Understand the three basic
types of cells;label;value, and formula 3.1 1.2 3 3.5 1.3 4 1.2 5.9 Create a formula using
functions 2.8 1.2 3 3.5 1.3 5 2.6 5.2 Copy values using fill
down and fill across
2.8 1.2 3 3.5 1.3 4 2.2 4.9 Change the appearance of a
spreadsheet by inserting columns and rows
3.2 1.3 4 3.5 1.2 4 1.0 5.2 Create a graph or chart
from spreadsheet data
3.0 1.3 3 3.4 1.3 4 1.4 5.1 Insert a spreadsheet into a
word processing document
2.9 1.3 3 3.5 1.2 4 2.0 5.3 Domain Mean (Mean of Means) 3.1 3.5 1.6
Scale: 1-None, 2- Very Little, 3 – Somewhat, 4 – Very, 5 – A great deal
Table 4.10 : Perceived competence, importance, calculated needs and mode of the areas of spreadsheet/graphing.
