Infrastructure Facilities Insufficient Computer Laboratories and Poor Maintenance Almost all the respondents indicated that the computer laboratories in the school are inadequate. Presently, there are two computer laboratories which have networking facilities and are connected to a central school server. This means that at any one time only two classes can carry out ICT integrated activities. The computer labs are heavily booked and many teachers get frustrated for not being able to gain access to the computer laboratories. What is more alarming is the fact that out of the 25 desktop computers in each lab only 15 of them are in proper working condition. As one SK Sri Langat teacher stated,
Maintenance is poor and allocation of funds from the Ministry of Education is rather slow. On the question of increased ICT integration with improved infrastructure facilities, two-thirds of the informants said that they were not sure and another one-third were reluctant to comment on this matter. Two comments supported this perception:
Desktop Computers Installed with Archaic Operating Systems Approximately two-thirds of the informants specifically mentioned that 10 computers in each lab have been installed with Windows 98 Operating System. The implication of this is that the CD-ROMs supplied by the Technology Division of the Ministry of Education cannot be 'opened or run' as the programmes contained in the CD-ROMs have been made using Windows 2000 operating system. The number of English multimedia teaching-learning materials in the form of CD-ROMs developed by the Educational Technology Division and 'Syarikat Telekom Smart School Sdn. Bhd.' and distributed to the 88 existing Smart Schools is shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Teaching Learning Materials (Educational Technology Division Report, 8th March 2004 – http://www.moe.edu.my).
If this sample is taken to be representative of a typical school, then this revelation indicates that the multimedia CD-ROMs which contain interesting and interactive English lessons are not being used by hundreds of schools and they become white elephants and just being stored in steel cabinets. One SMK Sultan Abdul Samad teacher spoke candidly,
Some allocation of funds is necessary where the school administrator could use his discretion to repair or change the operating system quickly without adhering to bureaucratic procedures.
SchoolNet (Broadband) connection often erratic One-fourth of the informants asserted that the broadband access is not consistent and on certain days there is no internet service. The school servers are frequently attacked by virus and there is a need for GITN Sdn. Berhad (Government Integrated Telecommunications Network) to block the virus before they enter SchoolNet. In addition to this, the existing cabling and wiring cannot take the full load of electricity when all the computers are on at the same time. One Sri Langat teacher commented,
No central database All the informants noted an absence of a central database in their schools. The establishment of a database is vital where all data is integrated and stored. All departments can access the information in a database according to their needs. Students with low English proficiency could be identified in a split second and remedial measures could be initiated. One-third of the respondents say that their computer laboratories are not networked to a central server. This is quite a sizable number and this means the potential gains that can be derived from a school intranet have not been exploited. What is even worse is that the school servers are shutdown after school hours and therefore the servers only play a limited role. If a school has developed a range of resources based on a particular theme, then there may be many opportunities for that content to be shared with other schools through intranets (Heppell, 1999). Almost all the responses noted that 'File Processing System' is still widely practiced in all the three schools. Teachers store their data either in diskettes or in 'thumb drives'. Every time a department official wants information about teachers, he sends a form to schools and asks teachers to fill in their particulars. The Ministry officials can easily extract information about teachers if there is a central database. Teachers frequently complain that they have to fill in their personal particulars several times in a year. The following views exemplify these feelings,
No Learning Management System On the use of Learning Management System, virtually all the informants noted that they have not used a Learning Management System before. This indication is not a healthy sign as a LMS can not only help to reduce the administrative burden of teachers but it can help to monitor and track the individual progress of students. Besides these functions, a typical LMS has special classroom features such as discussion forums, calendars, and "chat rooms" where participants can communicate in real time with each other. Currently only about 50 'Smart Schools' are using the Smart School Management System (The Smart School Bulletin, 2005). The SSMS has four main modules namely the Attendance, Lesson, Co-curriculum and Timetable modules. There is a dire need then to extend the SSMS to all primary and secondary schools in the country. The automated functions in SSMS can help to reduce the administrative burden of teachers. One teacher in SMK Sultan Abdul Samad explained,
Limited Computer Facilities for Teachers Almost one half of the respondents specified that only limited computers are allocated for the staff to use. The teachers added that due to this limitation, they find it rather difficult to prepare examination questions and prepare reports. A teacher in Sekolah Menengah Sultan Ahmad Samad lamented,
All the informants contented that there are many desktop and notebook computers in the schools. However, many of the PCs and notebooks are out-of-order.
Computer Courses Insufficient courses and training Teachers are currently being given a two week course on ICT integration in teaching and learning. This course which is known as BPPT (Bimbingan Perguruan Profesional dalam Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi) is a nation-wide project held in 90 centres (www.bppt.com.my). Besides the BPPT course, the Local District Education Officials do organize a three day basic computer course for teachers. Though these courses are available, it is difficult to get selected as many teachers want to attend. One SK Sri Langat teacher lamented,
Many have not attended any computer course at all Two-thirds of the respondents said that a large majority of teachers especially the senior ones have not attended any computer courses at all. The opportunities to attend computer courses are there but however for some rhyme or reason, the senior teachers avoid going by directing other younger teachers to go. They are either afraid or fearful of being ridiculed by fellow teachers of being incompetent. Two comments supported this perception.
ICT Skills of Teachers ICT skills generally poor Almost two-thirds of the respondents acknowledged that their ICT skills are generally poor. Some of the poignant responses were in this area.
Request for more training The bulk of the respondents suggested that appropriate skills training on the use of MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint be given to all teachers at an on-going basis. Those who have mastered the basic skills should be given opportunities to go for more advanced training. One SK Sri Langat teacher spoke candidly,
ICT Integrated Lessons ICT integration rarely carried out Under the BPPT Project (www.bppt.com.my), as of 31st December 2005, 40,231 teachers in Malaysia have been trained on appropriate ways of integrating ICT tools in teaching and learning activities in the classroom. Out of this total, 3699 teachers are English option teachers and these teachers have been professionally trained by master trainers appointed by the Prestariang Sdn. Bhd., an outsourced private company stationed in Cyberjaya. Approximately two-thirds of the informants specifically indicated that after having gone through the intensive 10 days training on ICT integration, they are aware of the benefits and now know how to integrate ICT tools in teaching and learning activities but unfortunately they are unable to carry out ICT integrated lessons in class. Too many constraints hamper them in this crucial task of ICT integration in teaching and learning activities. The following views exemplify their feelings.
Overall onlyone-tenth (i.e., 10%) of the informants admitted that they did carry out ICT integrated activities three times in a year. This is a big let-down but however at least a few teachers are still keeping the 'torch of ICT integration' burning.
Teachers are generally ignorant of ICT integrated and interactive lessons and quizzes in the web There are hundreds of websites that have been created to assist in the teaching and learning of English. In fact there are many 'self-exercises' in the internet. English Exercises Online at http://www.smic.be/smic5022/ has over 100 free exercises. They cover vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension. For an interactive lesson with a real teacher one can visit http://eslgo.com/. At this site a student can learn English as a second language (ESL) with an ESL teacher. In spite of the existence of numerous useful websites, one-third of the informants were ignorant of the existence of interactive and ICT integrated English lessons in the World Wide Web. A teacher from SMK Telok Panglima Garang explained,
Supply of Courseware by Technology Division, Ministry of Education (MoE) Besides the resources available in the Internet, there is a wealth of materials in the form of CD-ROMs available to English teachers. Hundreds of CD-ROMs are sent not only to the Smart schools but to almost all the 10,000 schools in East and West Malaysia. Many of the CD-ROMs have interactive English lessons but somehow only one-third of the respondents acknowledge that they use these resources once a while. Two-thirds of the informants have kept away due to lack of time while five teachers were ignorant of these valuable resources.
Obstacles Laboratory coordinators not skillful in solving simple PC problems Very often computers in the school laboratories do not function properly. When a computer malfunctions, the problem may be a small one and can normally be put right by a person with elementary computer repair knowledge. Two-thirds of the respondents noted that lack of computer repair and maintenance skills prevent the coordinators from carrying out minor repairs and as a result many of the computers because unusable due to lack of funds for repairs. Allocation of funds for repair takes a long time to be approved. The reason that several teachers do not take their classes to the computer laboratories is that
Poor support from school administrators The success of ICT integration in teaching and learning activities to a large extent is dependent on the support given by the school headmaster or principal. Two-thirds of the responses noted negative experiences in relation to support from the Head teacher. One SMK Telok Panglima Garang teacher commented,
Negative attitude of teachers Negative attitude of teachers could act as a stumbling block to greater use of ICT resources in the teaching and learning of English. One fifth of the informants complained that they have inadequate skills and insufficient infrastructure facilities to think about ICT integration. They asserted that it is too difficult for them to integrate ICT tools in teaching and learning activities. The following views exemplify their negative attitudes.
Administrative burden – many tasks are still manual The administrative burden of teachers has been the bane of teachers in general. In this information era where automated functions are the order of the day, there are still many tasks in schools which are done manually. Preparation of Report Cards, making attendance summaries and filling the Record Book are some of the administrative tasks which wear down the over-worked teacher. Some of the distressing responses were from this area.
DISCUSSION Almost all the teachers cited lack of ICT resources and infrastructure facilities in schools as the most common reason that impedes the integration of ICT tools in the teaching and learning of English. Computers in fact are available in school for teachers and pupils but the interview findings revealed that many of them are out of order. This is a serious problem and repair facilities are slow. Experience has shown that a notebook owned by the school tend to breakdown faster than one which is owned by an individual. This could probably be due to 'many hands' using a particular notebook and therefore the 'wear and tear' are much greater. It is suggested that it is better for the individual teacher to buy his or her own notebook. The personal possession of a computer may well be the single most important factor enabling a teacher to integrate ICT into their professional practice (Dawes, 2000). It is sad to note that some schools still used Windows 98 Operation System. It is suggested that computers with Windows 98 Operation System should be quickly reinstalled with the latest Windows XP Operating System. However, caution should be exercised by ensuring that only original softwares are purchased and installed. Many urban schools at this point of time have already been equipped with ultra-modern IT facilities. However, computer infrastructure facilities in hundreds of rural schools are still at the bare minimum. Many still do not have proper computer laboratories and those that were built were not done to specifications. According to a Works Ministry Report published in the New Straits Times dated 17th May 2004, out of the 400 computer laboratories which were found to be incomplete or unsafe, only 100 of them have been repaired so far. Extending broadband facilities is another teething problem that should be urgently looked into as transfer of data and graphics through normal telephone dial-up services are rather slow. School-Net connection has never been smooth and therefore GITN, the service provider for broadband School-Net ought to be improved if we want more teachers to carry out ICT integration. The interviews glaringly revealed the absence of a central database for either the teachers or the pupils. The establishment of a central database is vital in obtaining quick and fast retrieval of data. Having now realized the importance of a central database, the Ministry of Education as of 3rd January 2006 has introduced three different database systems namely SMM for pupils, EMISP for teachers and PREST2K for teacher evaluation (http://www.moe.my). Personal details of all pupils and teachers in a district are entered into these systems. There has been a lag in the implementation of the Smart School Management System. The SSMS which has been implemented only in the 'Smart Schools' should be extended to cover all the 10,000 primary and secondary schools in the country. The most revealing finding came from the ICT integrated lessons area. Out of a total of 30 teachers interviewed, only 3 teachers admitted that they have integrated ICT tools in the teaching and learning of English. The others frankly said that they were too many obstacles on their way. One Sri Langat teacher commented, I have 28 periods and I just don't have the time to plan and implement an ICT integrated lesson. Another frequent complaint of teachers is the lack of opportunities for training in ICT skills. Training in ICT skills is crucial in implementing ICT integration in the teaching and learning of English. As more teachers become competent in the use of basic ICT tools, there would be more ICT integrated activities in the classroom. This would give a boost to English language teaching and learning. The interviews with English option teachers confirmed the view that the three teachers who integrated ICT tools in the teaching and learning of English have advance ICT skills. 'The extent to which teachers are given time and access to pertinent training to use computers to support learning plays a major role in determining whether or not technology has a positive impact on achievement. Students of teachers with more than ten hours of training significantly outperformed students whose teachers had five or fewer hours of training' (Valdez, 2000). Computer skills training should be provided on an ongoing basis as new software and hardware are introduced. Interim findings from ImpaCT2 indicate that even experienced teachers may find it challenging to integrate ICT into their teaching if they are unfamiliar with software and hardware (ImpaCT2, 2001). The respondents were vocal in voicing their personal problems and obstacles. These are listed below:
The Government is continuously sending more and more teachers for training in ICT skills and providing better infrastructure facilities. Computer laboratory coordinators too have been sent for training in server set-up and networking skills. Interviews with local education officers confirmed these developments. Recent figures released by the Ministry of Education show that 4,500 schools are already equipped with computer laboratories, 99,000 computer units and 4,600 servers. A total of 8,120 schools are connected to the broadband School-Net and a total of 97,000 laptops and 70,000 LCD projectors have been supplied to teachers teaching core subjects (Smart School Bulletin, 2005). The above information augurs well for boosting ICT integration in English language teaching and learning.
CONCLUSION The informants' responses did provide an insight into the impediments that teachers face pertaining to ICT integration in the teaching and learning of English language. This study has demonstrated that lack of infrastructure facilities is but one of the many causes for poor ICT integration. Several of the informants stated in confidence that even if the infrastructure facilities were to be increased, the situation would not change. What is more alarming is the fact that even after having gone through a 10 day course on ways of integrating ICT tools in the teaching and learning of English, the teachers are not carrying out ICT integration. What is amiss? The interviews suggest that there are far more serious and more complex issues to address. The ICT skills of teachers need to be addressed first. In-house training on ICT skills should be intensified in all schools. Some of the obstacles like the administrative burden need to be seriously addressed. Adequate infrastructure facilities and resources would of course provide a learning climate and environment rich in authentic interaction. Findings have shown that schools which have very good ICT resources achieved better results in English than schools with poor ICT (Becta Report, 2001). However, it is not practical to keep on increasing the number of computer laboratories in the schools. A possible solution would be to fix an LCD and computer with broadband wireless access in a few selected English language classrooms on a permanent basis. In this way, teachers could avoid pushing around the trolleys that house the computer set in and out of the classroom. Presently, the teachers vehemently complain that the trolley wheels are broken and therefore they could not bring the computer set to the classroom. Another pertinent issue is the indifferent attitude of the teachers. This should be seriously looked into if any integration is to be implemented. Teachers do go for the ICT integration courses and complete it successfully and it appears to end there. Once back in school, the teachers tend to adhere to in their traditional ways of teaching. A sense of commitment and dedication on the part of the teachers is necessary. Close observations by the researchers have mirrored the fact that ICT skills gained at courses are being used to the maximum to further the participants' qualifications but they are not being used to improve their presentation skills for the benefit of pupils. The school administrator, the Education Department and school inspectorate should therefore urge the teachers to integrate ICT tools in the teaching and learning of English as the benefits are many. The successful implementation of ICT integration needs the concerted effort of all the stakeholders. The full cooperation and support from the school administration, positive attitude of English option teachers, continuous training to update teachers' ICT skills and appropriate training on when, when not and how to use ICT tools appropriately in classroom situations is necessary to fully realize the benefits of ICT integration.
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