Technology-Enhanced Teaching: A Technology Acceptance Model to Study Teachers’ Intentions to Use Digital Games in the Classroom

This research to practice paper uses a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore the factors that affect teachers’ intentions to use digital educational games in the classroom. Research shows that using computers and other digital technologies like digital games is one way to influence young people’s career aspirations and improve their digital literacy. This is particularly important as the world of work is changing and emerging jobs becoming more intensive in their use of digital technologies. In the developing world and in particular Nigeria, there have been calls to improve the digital literacy skills of young people to help them make informed career choices, and fully participate effectively and equally in the digital world. However, many of the computing and digital technology education initiatives have not produced the positive results intended. The lack of awareness, readiness and buy-in of the relevant stakeholders are some of the factors that has been identified as a barrier here. For example, for computing and digital technology-based projects in schools, the success largely depends on the support and attitude of teachers. As one of the major stakeholders in the classroom, teachers need to be consulted in decisions that affect the way they deliver their lessons; especially when novel ideas and approaches that challenge tradition are introduced. It is therefore important to consider their acceptance or otherwise of digital games in the classroom. A Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was modified to include constructs previously identified by teachers that potentially influence their intention to use digital games in the classroom. The extended TAM was developed into a questionnaire and tested with 220 teachers in Nigeria. Analyses of the results show that syllabus connectedness, perceived usefulness and self-efficacy are significant predictors of the intention of teachers to adoptdigital game-based learning in the classroom. Furthermore, the teachers' demographics including experience of teaching, age and gender all mediated the intention of the teachers to use digital game-based learning. The results and findings present recommendations for school leaders and developers of digital educational games. The practical insights from this are also important here and helpful for guiding the deployment of such games particularly in areas where such technological interventions have not been used before

EXAMINATION OF HEALTH SCIENCE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' LEVEL OF READINESS FOR E-LEARNING

In this study, the e-readiness levels of university students studying in the field of health sciences were examined in terms of different variables. In this context, whether the level of e-readiness differs according to gender, department, class level, type of education, device ownership, working status and economic level has been examined. In addition, the relationship between e-readiness level and academic success was investigated. The research sample consists of 923 health science students studying in different departments. The results of the research show that gender, learning type, device type and income level are important factors on the e-readiness level. In addition, the e-readiness levels of the nursing department students, normal (daytime) teaching, 1st year students were found to be low in the study.  As the difficulty level of the courses increased, the level of e-readiness was found to be an important factor on academic achievement. The results obtained from this research provide important clues for academicians as well as institutions and organizations providing services in the field of health sciences who want to switch to distance education. In addition, some suggestions were made in the light of this research results. Keywords: E-readiness levels, university students, health science university

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An Assessment of the Needs of School-Based Agricultural Educators and Other Professionals in Agricultural Service Agencies for a Professional Online Master’s Degree in Agricultural Education

Online learning is one form of distance education mediated through information and communications technology such as the Internet or other technologies. The teaching content is delivered online, and instructors develop teaching modules that enhance their learning and interactivity (student-student, teacher-student, and content-student). Using social cognitive theory (SCT) concepts, the research team developed and validated a multidimensional instrument tool to assess the needs for a professional online master’s degree in agricultural education. The study aimed to assess participants’ readiness and motivations to learn online and identify participants’ needs and experience with online learning. Participants’ perceptions of online learning were assessed and provided recommendations to improve the professional online Masters in Agricultural Education that Clemson University. A total of 531 agricultural service agency employees (Cooperative Extension agents, Natural Resource Conservation Agency, and Farm Service Agency) and School-based agricultural educators from Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina participated in the study. From those, 96 participants completed the open-ended question providing valuable information. The study findings revealed that the survey instrument is a valid and reliable tool to measure online readiness and motivation to online learning. Most participants reported having higher expectations for their learning performances. Because participants had higher self-efficacy levels, they recognized the importance of having higher expectations for their learning performance and expected outcomes. Participants reported distance from campus—no need to relocate and flexibility as their primary motivators to enroll in online learning. Many prefer using asynchronous technologies since they provide a more convenient environment where they can work at their own pace and time and better balance their work and school responsibilities. Furthermore, participants recommended that professors promote student-content interaction (structure), professor-student interaction, and peer interaction. Michael Moore’s theory of interaction supports these results, which are also supported by anecdotal comments from the qualitative portion of the study. The primary themes revealed were advantages and disadvantages to online learning. After a second review of the data, recommendations based on past experience or needs, suggestions for additional online degrees at Clemson University, and recommendations of exemplary online programs were identified

Students’ Readiness in Implementing Mobile Learning for English Language Learning Purposes

Background: The application of mobile learning (m-learning), especially in the area of language learning, has gained interest in the last several years due to the benefits offered by mobile devices. However, to maximize the effectiveness of m-learning, students are required to be ready. Thus, it is crucial to assess students’ readiness before implementing m-learning. By focusing on rural schools, this quantitative study aims to examine students’ readiness in implementing m-learning in their English language learning. Methodology: This study employed a survey design to measure m-learning readiness of senior high school students by investigating three factors, namely mobile self-efficacy, optimism, and self-directed learning. Through an online questionnaire, 140 responses were successfully collected from students in two public senior high schools (one high school and one vocational high school) located in a rural area in Soppeng, Indonesia. The data collected were subsequently analyzed using SPSS Statistics ver. 25. Findings: The results revealed that senior high school students from a rural area in Soppeng, Indonesia, had a high level of self-efficacy and optimism in implementing m-learning in their English language learning. However, their self-directed learning was still at a moderate level. Moreover, further analysis showed that type of school significantly affected students’ mobile self-efficacy and optimism, while self-directed learning was not affected. Conclusion: Students from rural senior high schools in Soppeng, Indonesia, showed readiness in implementing m-learning for English language learning purposes

Online Learning Readiness Among International Students

The United States holds a commanding 22% of the market share of international students, more than double that of the second leading country (United Kingdom). The number of international students studying at U.S. institutions has had a steady incline for decades and these students now make up approximately 5% of all higher education students in the U.S. Even still, there have been previous examinations of international students’ perceptions of online learning readiness. As online and blended learning elements are an integral part of nearly every degree program, and, indeed, nearly every course, it is imperative that we gain a better understanding of what international students perceive to be important, how confident they view themselves on those same items, if there is a difference between what they perceive as important and their confidence, and the effect of demographic factors on these perceptions. This study examines these questions through the Student Readiness for Online Learning instrument developed by Martin et al. (2020) across four subscales: online student attributes, time management, technological competency, and communication competency. Data were gathered from currently enrolled residential international students at U.S. institutions. There were 117 valid respondents. Descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVAs, and correlation matrices were used to address the research questions. Data analysis revealed that the average student viewed all four subscales as being between somewhat to very important and themselves as being somewhat to very confident. Demographic variables did not interact with the dependent variables, though there were correlations for GDP per capita ppp and internet users % per capita. This study shed much needed light on the perceptions of international students online learning readiness. Results indicate the need for further study as well as the development of more comprehensive assessments

Evaluating science teachers' flipped learning readiness: a GETAMEL approach test

Flipped learning has become an ally in education. However, although the literature has identified multiple benefits of using this strategy to improve student learning outcomes, its adoption and implementation by teachers in science education remain scarce. This study examines antecedents of science teachers' flipped teaching readiness to act, aiming to encourage more teachers to use this strategy. The study implemented the General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for E-Learning (GETAMEL) approach as the theoretical framework. A cross-sectional research design study, including 398 in-service science teachers, was implemented in five Turkish cities during the first semester of 2022. The results indicated that the GETAMEL approach provided adequate prediction power to explain science teachers' flipped teaching readiness. It was also shown that all hypotheses were supported, and constructs of the conceptual model were significant activators of intention to use the flipped learning approach for science teaching. Moreover, subjective norm, experience, perceived enjoyment, anxiety, and self-efficacy on perceived usefulness, attitude, and intention acted as mediator constructs. Overall, this study guides researchers and practitioners to better comprehend science teachers' flipped teaching readiness

Psychometric properties of implementation measures for public health and community settings and mapping of constructs against the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research: a systematic review

Background: Recent reviews have synthesised the psychometric properties of measures developed to examine implementation science constructs in healthcare and mental health settings. However, no reviews have focussed primarily on the properties of measures developed to assess innovations in public health and community settings. This review identified quantitative measures developed in public health and community settings, examined their psychometric properties, and described how the domains of each measure align with the five domains and 37 constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Methods: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched to identify publications describing the development of measures to assess implementation science constructs in public health and community settings. The psychometric properties of each measure were assessed against recommended criteria for validity (face/content, construct, criterion), reliability (internal consistency, test-retest), responsiveness, acceptability, feasibility, and revalidation and cross-cultural adaptation. Relevant domains were mapped against implementation constructs defined by the CFIR. Results: Fifty-one measures met the inclusion criteria. The majority of these were developed in schools, universities, or colleges and other workplaces or organisations. Overall, most measures did not adequately assess or report psychometric properties. Forty-six percent of measures using exploratory factor analysis reported >50 % of variance was explained by the final model; none of the measures assessed using confirmatory factor analysis reported root mean square error of approximation (<0.06) or comparative fit index (>0.95). Fifty percent of measures reported Cronbach’s alpha of <0.70 for at least one domain; 6 % adequately assessed test-retest reliability; 16 % of measures adequately assessed criterion validity (i.e. known-groups); 2 % adequately assessed convergent validity (r > 0.40). Twenty-five percent of measures reported revalidation or cross-cultural validation. The CFIR constructs most frequently assessed by the included measures were relative advantage, available resources, knowledge and beliefs, complexity, implementation climate, and other personal resources (assessed by more than ten measures). Five CFIR constructs were not addressed by any measure. Conclusions: This review highlights gaps in the range of implementation constructs that are assessed by existing measures developed for use in public health and community settings. Moreover, measures with robust psychometric properties are lacking. Without rigorous tools, the factors associated with the successful implementation of innovations in these settings will remain unknown