FUTURE STUDY: THE READINESS OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN USING M-LEARNING APPLICATION

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1 FUTURE STUDY: THE READINESS OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN USING M-LEARNING APPLICATION Farrah A. Rahim, Faridatuljana Mohd Noor & Zazalli Lazin Batu Pahat Community College ABSTRACT Developments in technology and telecommunications recently have great impact not only on the development of the country, but also to the world of education today. Accordingly, Mobile Learning or m-learning is seen as a step forward in the development of electronic learning (elearning) (Fagerberg, Rekkedal, & Russell, 2002) in the country. Current global developments this day has also opened up more opportunities for educators to design and implement learning without limits in line with the location and time of the educational goals of independent learning among college students. These positive developments have improved the pattern of traditional learning towards more effective and dynamic learning. Therefore, an action research was conducted on 40 students of Batu Pahat Community College in order to examine the level of interest, attitude and motivation towards the use of m-learning modules to learn Generic Skill using Google Play application. It will also discuss the development of learning m-learning in Malaysia, benefits and difficulties encountered in integrating mobile devices with education. Recommendations for the success of m-learning educational methods are also made for applying this technique in Batu Pahat Community College which was to prove the use of m-learning can be a new alternative in the process of teaching and learning in Generic Skill course. Keywords: m-learning, Generic Skills, community college students. 1. Introduction Community College is an institution under the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE). Community College was established through a Memorandum No 398/2225/00 submitted by the Minister of Education to the Cabinet on July 5, Community College plays a critical role in meeting social needs and manpower requirements of the nation in line with the government policy to produce the best skilled labor in order to realize the goals of Vision 2020 (Department of Community College Education, Ministry of Higher Education, 2010). Potential curriculum may produce a balanced individual physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. Triggering innovation in curriculum implementation is crucial for shaping the changes and progress the nation education is being confronted with new changes (Sufean Hussin, 2002, p.109). Accordingly, the development of technology and telecommunications in this decade has lots of great impact not only on the development of the country but affect the world of education today. Developments in technology and telecommunications are so fast and the global nature has brought a new transformation in the world of education. The world of education today is no longer conventional but has expanded outside the box and reach forward and surrounded by an environment that is more focused on information technology and telecommunications (ICT) and Information and Communitation Techonology (ICT). Information technology has brought dynamic changes in the world of education. The field of education has been accepted as the basis for economic development in the new millennium as it was seen as a catalyst for the knowledge society and moral. Education is a process that involves Organized by 591

2 teaching and learning. Students also have differences in achievement in the learning process. Therefore, the government will constantly strive to improve the quality of education to produce teaching and learning environment that can be tailored to each student (Education Development Plan (MECC) ). Prior to this, traditional teaching in schools is centered on the teacher alone, and teaching aids are often used textbooks. Such teaching methods result in the delivery of teaching linearly extremely boring. Tan Bee Lian (1991) has stated that the boring process of teaching and learning will cause many students to not develop their interest in education. Accordingly, various learning methods have been introduced such as via conventional learning, learning through e-learning and m-learning instructional methods (Devinder & Olive, 2006). This is because it goes without saying that the use of materials and tools for teaching and learning is to assist students in making decisions that are more meaningful. According Kenning (2007), the impact of ICT in education has been shown in various studies to be able to make teaching and learning more engaging, motivating and meaningful. Advances in technology are no longer considered foreign in the world of education and education world now have skipped a step forward with the implementation of mobile technology in education. Therefore, the technology has created changes to the methods of learning in line with technological developments (Kamal & Tasir, 2008). The development of wireless technology and mobile communication devices also has contributed to the use of mobile devices in education (Ally, 2004). With the availability of technology in the classroom, students have the opportunity to experience knowledge that cannot be provided by traditional methods of teaching and learning. Now, the class is no longer a static but a dynamic and can be in any place in this world. In line with this positive development, the concept of m-learning was introduced as an alternative to learning activities. According to (Desmond, 2002), m-learning refers to the provision of teaching and learning through the use of wireless mobile devices such as tablets, mobile phones, ipad, ipod and other devices. While Siraj (2006) noted that m-learning is the use of wireless devices to enable learning occur at any time and any where. Owners of mobile technologies such as mobile phones are increasing especially among students in Malaysia. Rapidly evolving mobile technology in which a total of 4 billion mobile phone users around the world have been recorded in mid According DigitalBuzz (2011), 57% of the world's population or about 1.08 billion users have a personal digital assistant (PDA). The current global development today, has opened up more opportunities for educators to plan and implement ICTbased teaching. Advances in mobile technology in particular has opened many opportunities for students to help them deal with the learning environment is complex and challenging in decades. According to the Hanafi Atan, Mohd Radzi & et.al (2013), educators should look forward to integrating learning using mobile technology into academic programs at institutions of higher learning. Through m-learning enables teaching and learning occur at any time and anywhere in sinkronous or asinkronous. Thus, the ability of learning takes place even where the student is situated or wherever their destination regardless of the direction of time is an advantage of m- Learning. 2. Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study are: i. Examining the readiness of students in terms of their level of knowledge using m- Learning. ii. Assessing the readiness of students attitude in terms of using m-learning. Organized by 592

3 iii. Identifying students' readiness in terms of motivation using m-learning. 3. Scope of the Study In conducting this survey, there are some limitations of the study to obtain information for inclusion. Amonge the limiitations and scope of the study are: i. This study focuses on communtiy college students of Batu Pahat. ii. The scope of the study focused on the knowledge, attitude and motivation of students to use m-learning among Batu Pahat community college students. iii. The accuracy of the data obtained is dependent on the accuracy of the answers given by respondents. 4. Significance of the Research The main objective of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and motivation of students to use m-learning among students of Batu Pahat community college in the process of teaching and learning and m-learning usage implications to this institution and student s achievement as well as to provide recommendations for improvement. In addition, it is also expected to become a new medium for the teachers in order to integrate learning using mobile technology through teaching and learning. Results of this survey is important to: i) The students find that they have been prepared in terms of their attitude and motivation toward learning style (m-learning). Benefits that can be obtained with the use of mobile devices can be made as motivation in the success of this new teaching method. ii) With this, it has been a boost to researchers to expand the deployment of this method of learning for all subjects taught in Batu Pahat community college. iii) Be a source of reference and guidance for all teachers in Batu Pahat as mentors towards the implementation of learning using m-learning methods in order to maintain the validity and reliability of future learning practices. iv) Ability to generate m-learning application quality and user-friendly standard by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and also the world. v) Develop awareness with their advanced technology and dynamic learning method, learning to use m-learning is not difficult to implement, especially in Batu Pahat community college and ready to be implemented at any time. 5. Literature Review Learning through M-Learning has proven its effectiveness in foreign countries and now has begun to introduce in Malaysia where there are few higher education institutions have integrated this technology in their teaching curriculum. Sharing notes among students has been facilitated through mobile devices such as Tablet and PDA. This is because students no longer need to sit in front of a personal computer to download the notes. It has been simplified by using only the Internet provided by the mobile phone service provider subscribed. Therefore, downloading notes can be done anywhere and at anytime, while students were on the bus when returning to their villages or while sipping coffee in cafes that provide wireless Internet service. Developments in technology are changing the way people learn (Naismith, Lonsdale, Vavoula, & Sharples, 2004; Ting, 2007). The learning process is now beyond the physical space of classrooms (Hulme & Traxler-Kukulska, 2005) is globalization and lifelong (Sharples, 2000). Nowadays, many Organized by 593

4 academic and industrial researchers began to explore the potential of mobile technology and equipment to support learning (Sharples, 2000; Sharples, 2002; Liu, Wang, Chan, Ko, & Yang, 2003). These studies showed mobile technology have significant in supporting teaching and learning (Perry, 2003; Zurita & Nussbaum, 2004). Meanwhile Wood (2003) believed that the use of wireless technology in education could contribute towards solving the digital divide among developing countries, because in general technological equipments such as mobile phones and PDAs are more expensive than desktops. Developments in the field of mobile technology to encourage the various parties formulate m-learning project. Around the world there are a lot of m-learning projects like large or small projects, e.g "Project Leonardo da Vinci" and "IST FP5" in Europe (Keegan, 2005), the project UniWap (Ariola, Sampson, Vuorinen & Kynaslahti, 2001). In addition, there are also efforts and research was designed to build materials to be compatible with mobile devices (Bull & Reid, 2004; Colley & Stead, 2004; Ramsden, 2003). The findings of the study Attewell (2005) in developing m-learning project (2001) suggested that the use of m-learning may have positive effects which can help students improve their literacy and numerical skills to identify their real capabilities. In addition, it also encourages both independent learning and experience sharing learning experiences (collaborative learning). M-Learning can also help students identify things that need help and support and can help in the fight for the use of information and communication technologies and can assist reduce the literacy gap between mobile phones with information technology literacy. 6. Methodology 6.1 Design The design of this study is a descriptive survey. This study was aimed to evaluate the readiness of knowledge, attitude and motivation of students to use m-learning among students Batu Pahat community college. Data were obtained using a questionnaire that was distributed to selected respondents representing the population of students Batu Pahat. All information has been interpreted quantitatively. 6.2 Populations and Sampling The study involved 40 students from College Compulsory Program or known as Program Wajib Kolej (PWK) irrespective of gender in Batu Pahat Community College. Students were selected after researchers see there is interest for each student studying General Skill course which they had to attend classes for three months. 6.3 Assessments and Instrument The questionnaire was modified and built contains four (4) sections, namely: i) Part A (Background of the Students. This section contains a statement to obtain information about the background of the respondents, namely gender. ii) Part B (Level of Knowledge and Willingness to use m-learning). This section consists of nine statements that aimed to determine the level of knowledge in the use of m- Learning readiness. The questions raised in the questionnaire were based on Likert scale five; Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Uncertain (U), Disagree (DA) and Strongly disagree (SD). Organized by 594

5 iii) iv) Part C (Student Attitudes toward m-learning). This section consists of eight statements that test students' attitudes using m-learning. In this section respondents were also asked to answer questions based on Likert scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Uncertain (U), Disagree (DA) and Strongly disagree (SD). Part D (Student s Motivation to use m-learning). This section consists of 10 items that test the students' motivation to use m-learning. In this section respondents were also asked to answer questions based on Likert scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Uncertain (U), Disagree (DA) and Strongly disagree (SD) Gender For the distribution of respondents by gender, total 40 respondents answered the questionnaires that were distributed. The percentage that was found was 2.5% of respondents were female respondents, while 97.5% comprised of male respondents (see Table 6.3.1). Gender Quantity Percentage Female 1 2.5% Male % Table 6.3.1: Distribution of Respondents by Gender Level of Readiness for Knowledge and Use of m-learning In this section, the researcher will discuss about the level of knowledge in the use of m-learning among students of Batu Pahat. The analysis in this section is based on the 9 questions contained in the survey form part B. The first aspect is the level of knowledge in the use of m-learning. Results show that the knowledge level of students is at a high level with an overall mean of In the first statement, the skills of respondents using m-learning, it was found that 25 (60.7%) of respondents agreed with this statement. This followed by 14 (32.8%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement. Only one (2.5%) of respondents disagreed with this statement. Mean for the first statement is at a high level, namely In the second statement "I always have a problem when using the m-learning as constraint knowledge to use it", frequencies and percentages for strongly disagree and disagree are on the same level with a total of 16 participants (41.0%). This is followed by 5 people (11.5%) of respondents were not sure. None of the respondents strongly agreed to this statement. Mean is at the low level of The majority of respondents strongly agreed with the third statement that they were aware that the m-learning can be applied in Batu Pahat. This followed by 16 (41.0%) respondents who agree to that. However there is one (1.6%) who did not agree and one (1.6%) who strongly disagree in this statement. The results also showed that of 18 (45.9%) of respondents agreed with the statement that they are aware that the m-learning has many advantages. 16 (41.0%) who strongly agree with this statement but one (1.6%) of respondents disagreed and one (1.6%) respondents strongly disagree to this statement. Organized by 595

6 Most respondents, 18 (45.9%) of respondents agreed with the fifth statement while 14 (36.1%) of respondents who strongly agreed. Only one (1.6%) of respondents disagreed and one (1.6%) respondents strongly disagreed with the statement that they will miss out if they do not use m- Learning. Statement of the sixth, mean is also high, namely Approximately half of the respondents, 20 or (50%) agree that a lot of learning materials available through the m-learning and 13 (34.4%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement. Only one or 1.6% of respondents strongly disagreed with this statement. The next statement, there were 14 (36.1%) of respondents were not sure whether the m-learning can help them in their academic achievement. However, of the 13 (34.4%) of respondents who agreed with this statement. There is only one (1%) of respondents who disagreed with that statement. Mean for this statement is Mean for the eighth statement is very high at 4:34. There were 19 (49.2%) respondents, or 17 (44.3%) of respondents who agree and strongly agree with this statement that they are aware that they need to use m-learning while in Batu Pahat. Only 2 (3.3%) of respondents disagreed with this statement. The ninth statement, there were 18 (45.9%) respondents did not agree that they cannot use m- Learning effectively. This followed by 15 (37.7%) respondents strongly disagreed with this statement. Only one (1.6%) respondent agree with this statement. Mean for this statement is also low at Student Attitudes Toward m-learning In this second part, the researcher discusses the aspects of readiness in the use of m-learning among students of Batu Pahat. The analysis in this section is based on eight questions contained in the survey form part C. It was found that a positive attitude is the overall mean is However there are a few mean in low level indicating a negative attitude in the students' readiness to use m- Learning. The first assertion, namely willingness to use m-learning at any time, it was found that 20 (50.8%) of respondents agreed with this statement. This is followed by 17 or 42.6% of respondents strongly agreed with this statement. Only one (1.6%) of respondents disagreed with this statement. Mean for the first statement is at a high level of 4:34. In the second statement, 16 (41.0%) respondents did not agree that they are not interested in using m-learning, followed by 11 (27.9%) of respondents who strongly disagree. Only 5 (11.5%) of respondents agreed to this statement. Mean is The majority of respondents, 19 (47.5%) of respondents agreed with the statement that a third said that they would try to learn how to use m-learning but 10 (26.2%) of respondents were not sure with these statements. However, there are 5 people (8.2%) disagreed and 2 (3.3%) respondents strongly disagreed in this statement. Mean for this statement is The results also showed that of 16 (39.3%) of respondents agreed with the statement that is always sensitive to the four issues raised by the m-learning. There were 12 (31.1%) of respondents were not sure with this statement but there were 6 (9.6%) disagreed and 2 (3.3%) respondents strongly disagreed in this statement. The mean is 3:56. Most respondents, 23 (59.0%) agreed with the fifth statement while 7 (19.7%) of respondents were not sure. Only one (1.6%) of respondents disagreed and one (1.6%) respondent strongly disagreed Organized by 596

7 with the statement that they were ready to face the challenges in the use of m-learning. Mean for the fifth true is Statement of the sixth, mean is 1:46. A total of 12 people or (31.1%) did not agree that they have less encourage to friends to use m-learning and 9 (24.6%) of respondents were not sure with this statement. 7 people, or 19.7% of respondents agreed with this statement. Only one or 1.6% of respondent strongly agreed. The next statement, there were 19 (49.2%) of respondents who agreed that m-learning is suitable for all subject taught. However, there are 14 (36.1%) of respondents who are not sure with this statement. There are 5 (8.2%) of respondents who disagreed. Mean for this statement is 3:48. Mean for the eighth statement is at low level of There were 16 (41.0%) of respondents disagreed with the statement that they are using m-learning for all subjects. But there are only 11 (27.9%) of respondents who agreed with this statement. 5 (11.5%) of respondents were not sure with this statement Motivation Students Against Use of m-learning In this section, it discusses the motivation level of students in the use of m-learning among students of Batu Pahat Community College. The analysis in this section is based on 19 questions contained in the survey form part D. The analysis showed that the overall mean is the average level of 3:38. However there are some mean having a low value, which indicates a low level of motivation. The first statement has a mean value of Most of the respondents of 25 people or 63.9% of respondents agreed that they like to use m-learning. This followed by 7 (18.0%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement. There were 6 (9.8%) were not sure with this statement. There were only 4 (6.6%) respondents and one (1.6%) of respondents who disagree and strongly disagree with this statement. The second statement shows the mean of 1:28. There were 16 (41.0%) of respondents disagreed with the statement that they are less comfortable when learning to use m-learning. This followed by 9 (24.6%) respondents strongly disagreed with this statement. However, there were 7 (19.7%) of respondents were not sure with the statement. 5 people (11.5%) of respondents who agreed with this statement, and 2 (3.3%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement. For the third assertion, namely interested in using m-learning, found that more than half, 22 (55.7%) of respondents who agreed with this statement. But there are 7 (19.7%) of respondents who are not sure with this statement. There were 6 (14.8%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement. Only 5 (8.2%) of respondents disagreed and one (1.6%) of respondents who strongly disagree. Mean for the third statement is In the fourth statement, 21 (54.1%) of respondents disagreed that they lack of interest using m- Learning. This followed by 9 (24.6%) respondents strongly disagreed with this statement. There were 8 (13.1%) of respondents who are not sure with this statement. Only 5 (8.2%) respondents agree with this statement. Mean is The majority of respondents, 20 (52.5%) of respondents agreed with the statement that the five teachers said that they recommend to use m-learning. This is followed by eight people (31.1%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement. There were as many as eight people (13.1%) of Organized by 597

8 respondents who are not sure with these statements. There are 2 people (3.3%) respondents did not agree to this statement. Mean is high at The results also showed that of 17 (42.6%) of respondents agreed with the sixth statement that they are receiving encouragement from peers to use m-learning. At the same time, there were 17 (42.6%) of respondents were not sure with this statement but there were 3 (4.9%) disagreed and 2 (3.3%) respondents strongly disagreed in this statement and the mean is 3:44. Statement of the seventh, the mean is A total of 16 people or (41.0%) of respondents agreed that the institution administration should use the services of m-learning. There were 10 (26.2%) of respondents were not sure with this statement. 7 people, or 19.7% of respondents strongly agreed with this statement. Only 4 people or 6.6% of the respondents who disagree and 4 people or 6.6% strongly disagree with this statement. The mean is The next statement, there are more than half of respondents, 20 (52.5%) who agreed that the m- Learning saves cost. This followed by 9 people (24.6%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement. There were 7 (19.7%) of respondents are not sure and 2 (3.3%) of respondents disagreed with this statement. Mean for this statement is Mean for the ninth statement is There were 17 (42.6%) of respondents disagreed with the statement that they believe the m-learning is a waste of time. This followed by 10 (26.2%) respondents strongly disagreed with this statement. But there are 7 (19.7%) of respondents who are not sure with this statement. There are 5 (8.2%) of respondents who agree and 2 (3.3%) who strongly agree with this statement. In tenth statement, there are 19 boys (49.2%) of respondents agree that m-learning facilities will be encouraging their learning. But 9 (24.6%) of respondents were not sure with this statement. There were 7 (19.7%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement. Only 4 (6.6%) of respondents disagreed with this statement. Mean for this statement is also low at Finding & Discussion 7.1 Result from First Issue The results also showed that the respondents have skills in using m-learning. They do not face barriers due to the constraints of knowledge using m-learning. The majority of students are sure to use m-learning and can use it effectively. According to Ahmad Zaki (2004), the level of trust and confidence can lead to a better attitude change. This can be evidenced in which students have a positive attitude toward the readiness of using m-learning. In addition, the students realized that m- Learning has many advantages. Most of them know that a lot of learning materials can be obtained through the m-learning and they know that m-learning can help their academic achievements. In addition, they know they will miss out if they do not use m-learning. 7.2 Result from Second Issue The results showed that the eleven statements that students are always trying to get notes and other learning materials have achieved the highest mean of This shows that they take the initiative to lower the load-notes or study materials provided by teachers. Conversely, from the eighth statement, it was found that they did not agree to use m-learning in all subjects. In addition, Organized by 598

9 they show a positive attitude in preparation for using m-learning at any time and ready to face the challenges in using m-learning. They also will use m-learning and taking advantage of m-learning through learning. The majority of students are always sensitive to the issues raised by the m- Learning and always encouraged to friends to use m-learning 7.3 Result from Third Issue The findings indicate that the sixth statement respondents recommend teachers to use m-learning to achieve the highest mean of This can be done by uploading notes to m-learning. This can be proved from the sixth statement stating that students are aware of many learning materials available from m-learning. From the results of the analysis, majority of students like and are interested in using m-learning. With it, they will become meaningful learning through the use of m- Learning. This is in line with Tyler (1949) stated that learning can take place through the active behavior of a student; what he did, that he had learned. 8. Conclusions and Future Recommendation The study discussed the importance of focusing on mobile learning (m-learning) among students Batu Pahat Community College for giving a new dimension in the process of teaching and learning, mainly for the Generic Skills studies. M-Learning has given the students especially in Batu Pahat community college flexibility to learn and obtain information by downloading notes, discuss and implement educational activities according to a broader perspective based on their needs and requirements. Since each student in Batu Pahat has different potentials, learning using mobile technology is as a motivation for him or her to improve performance in continuous education. In fact, the ease of mobile devices will make teaching and learning easier because all the relevant information can be implemented on time. This facility can save time and facilitate students and teachers to implement their learning process without bound at certain times. With their advanced technology and dynamic learning method, learning to use m-learning is not difficult to implement, especially in Batu Pahat because these students have to apply their awareness of mobile technology in the learning process and are willing to implement it at any time. Benefits can be obtained with the use of mobile devices; can be made as motivation in the success of this new teaching method. Therefore, the teacher must seize the opportunities available in the m-learning in order to produce students who are competitive and can dominate the generic skills that should exist in the students, especially students in Batu Pahat. Acknowledgement To friends, foe & family, thank you. References Abas, Z. W., Chng, L. P., & Mansor, N. (2009). A study on learner readiness for mobile learning at Open University Malaysia. In Proceedings of IADIS International Conference Mobile Learning (pp. Organized by 599

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