Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Computer Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice
Advisor
Susanne Flannelly
Committee Member
Charles Schlosser
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
Higher Education/Learning Styles/Self-Efficacy/Instructional Technology
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to provide an answer to the research question, In what ways can technology in an English as a Second Language (ESL) course accommodate visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learners to increase students’ self-efficacy about learning the language?
By accommodating for students’ differing learning styles and by using the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ), it intended to (a) augment students’ aspirations in learning ESL, (b) augment students’ persistence in ESL, and (c) augment students’ positive perception of activities related to learning ESL. Additionally, it was planned that it would also shed light on students’ perceived ability to perform and their persistence in learning ESL before and after the instructional activities and relationship between students’ aspirations and perceptions of ESL instruction.
Participants were enrolled in the first semester of Basic 1st Year English. The control group had 18 students. The experimental group had 30 students. Of the 26 students who answered both pre- and post-SEQ, 19 completed the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS; G. Price, 1996), identifying their learning style preferences.
The SEQ developed by L. Mikulecky, P. Lloyd, & C. H. Shenghui, (1996) was administered to all students to identify their attitudes and perceptions toward learning ESL. At the beginning of the semester, the experimental group was also administered the PEPS and their preferred learning styles were identified and discussed with students. The course was taught incorporating technology-rich activities developed according to the content and the learning styles. Students in the experimental group used the activities according to the learning styles identified in the PEPS. After each activity, reaction information was collected. At the end of the treatment period, all students completed the same SEQ they completed at the beginning of the course. The results indicated that students in the experimental group had significantly higher self-efficacy than the control group at the end of the treatment.
NSUWorks Citation
Carmen L. Lamboy. 2003. Using Technology in an English as a Second Language Course to Accommodate Visual, Kinesthetic, and Auditory Learners to Affect Students’ Self-Efficacy About Learning the Language. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (896)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/896.