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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 103 (2013) 621 627

13th International Educational Technology Conference

Malaysian Teachers Perception of Applying Technology in the

Classroom
Samira Nikian, Faizah Mohamad Nor and Marzila A. Aziz*
/a/b/c Language Academy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

Abstract
Although application of technology in the classroom has been introduced for the last two decades, some teachers are still
resistance to use technology in the classroom. This study is designed to investigate Malaysian teachers perceptions of using
technology in the classroom. In this study perception is regarded as interpretation of events among Malaysian teachers due to
past experiences, current understanding, present situation and information. Qualitative research is used as the mode of inquiry
for this research study. The main mode of data collection is the questionnaire that elicits information on the respondents
views of the use of technology on the classroom. Participants for this study were seven local English teachers in Malaysia.
The findings indicate that although Malaysian English teachers were using technology and have positive perceptions towards
using technology in the classroom, they feel it is crucial for them to undergo training in this aspect. They view time constraint
and access to equipment as the main obstacles to implementing technology in the classroom. This research concludes that
although Malaysian teachers are faced with some difficulties in implementing technology in the classroom, they see a value in
technology and want to use technology in the classroom.
2013
2013The
TheAuthors.
Authors.
Published
by Elsevier

Published
by Elsevier
Ltd. Ltd.
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selectionand
andpeer-review
peer-review
under
responsibility
of Association
The Association
of Science,
Education
and Technology-TASET,
Selection
under
responsibility
of The
of Science,
Education
and Technology-TASET,
Sakarya Sakarya
Universitesi,Turkey.
Turkey.
Universitesi,
Key Words: Technology, Malaysian teachers, perceptions.

1.

Introduction

The idea of applying technology in the classroom comes from the United States but the efficiency of
Technology programs is still a controversial topic.
Technology is only a tool; it allows us to develop dialogue and interaction, but is a means, not an end in and
of itself. Tech-based global education has the capacity to improve critical thinking and cultural pluralism but
requires far more than just fancy technology; it requires careful, thoughtful curriculum development and the
* Corresponding author. Tel.: 0060107062438; fax: +0-000-000-0000 .
E-mail address: samira.nikian@gmail.com

1877-0428 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of The Association of Science, Education and Technology-TASET, Sakarya
Universitesi, Turkey.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.380

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support of organizations whose goal is to build authentic global communities online (Klein, 2010, p. 86).The
introduction of computer technology among the society has changed the way people live, work and learns. The
application of technology has improved the teaching and learning in many schools especially in the last two
decades. The latest studies on the use of technology for teaching and learning shows promising results for
teachers, students and education.
Using technology in the classroom prepares learners to be autonomous and active in their learning. By using
technology such as computers, learners will be able to create their own knowledge based on past experiences
with new information (Bitter and Pierson, 2005).
Creating each technology is for a specific purpose so Winner (1980) felt that educators should deconstruct the
purpose of a given technology in the classroom according to the biases and systems in each classroom.
Scholars (Winner,1980, 2000; Bromley, 1998; Postman, 1998) have called on teachers to pay more attention to
the objective of using technology in a purposeful and meaningful way before applying it in the classroom.
We need to remember that using technology in the classroom will only be useful if it is applied to meet its
purpose (Bromley, 1998; Klemm, 2007).
2. Background and Theoretical understanding
There are two contrasting perspectives in support for and against using technology in the classroom;
constructive and critical. Constructivism means how people learn and what needs to be learned (Duffy and
Jonassen (1992). Constructivist Andrea Gooden (1996) perceives technology as a toolbox filled with skills for
better learning by creating new materials not a tool for performing a particular task. Constructivists consider the
advantages of classroom technology while critical theorists perceive technology as a tool, an agent of change, and
also as an object with political motivation that causes isolation so critical theorists tend to add or delete
technology into an environment to change that environment. Critical theorists believe that using technology in the
classroom has a significant role in the students interpretation of materials.
3.

Classroom Technology Use

Teachers repeatedly use technology if they receive enough equipment and supports (Yan and Zhao, 2006) but
recent findings (Cuban, Kirkpatrick, and Peck, 2001; Russell, Bebell, ODwyer, and OConnor, 2003; Solomon
and Wiederhorn, 2000; Zhao and Frank, as cited in Yan and Zhao, 2006) reveal that. Yan and Zhao (2006)
suggest that technology adoption lies with teachers goals and perceptions. The results of their study show that
teachers are more pessimistic about using technology in the classroom because of the lack in training needs in
applying technology. The result of their study suggest that maintaining the status quo and avoiding disturbance
have a higher priority on the hierarchy of teachers goals after balancing the costs and benefits of using
technology (Yan and Zhao, 2006). Some researchers (Snoeyink and Ertmer, 20012002; and Zhao et al., 2006)
believe that teachers adaptation of technology are influenced by their skills and beliefs about technology. From
the perspective of Zhao and Frank (2003) teachers beliefs, pedagogy, and technology skills influence on
technology integration into the school culture.
Beliefs are personal, are difficult to address in staff development, and take time to change. Even if they do
changes, the process can take years. Cuban (1990) observed that teachers will use technology based on their

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personal perspectives about curriculum and instructional practice. Although billions of dollars (NCES, 2008) and
much focus have been put on technology in education (ISTE, 2010; NCES, 2008), instruction has not changed
much (Cuban et al., 2001).
The use of technology in the classroom is also much related to their attitudes towards the technological
barriers inherent in the traditional deployment of technology in schools. These barriers reflect the school culture
and affect a teachers personal belief system or self-efficacy and the ultimate impact of using technology in the
classroom. Brzycki and Dudt (2005) believe that there are some difficulties and challenges such as time, support,
models, infrastructure, and culture that persist and even reappear with new technologies in applying technology
in the classroom.
The barriers of implementing technology are classified into First- order or extrinsic factors and second-order
or intrinsic barriers (Brickner, 1995; Ertmer, 1999). First-order barriers include environmental or institutional
issues and resources while second-order barriers related to a teachers personal instructional beliefs, experiences
and strategies. Teachers are faced with many difficulties due to these intrinsic which affect their decision-making
processes and classroom practices (Ertmer, 1999).
The majority of teachers believe that first-order barriers prevent teachers from using technology in the
classroom. In support for this, Cuban, Kirkpatrick, and Peck (2001), and Bauer and Kenton, (2005) cite time to
learn and prepare instruction as barriers that hinder teachers from utilizing technology in the classroom. Poor
professional development (Koehler and Mishra, 2005) and access to equipment (Yan and Zhao, 2006) also
contribute to first order or extrinsic barriers.
4.

Importance of the Study

Previous research have shown that using technology improves the learning experience and students academic
performance. In Emdins (2008) opinion, by integrating technology into the curriculum, education practices will
be improved and teachers will be able to expound upon the textbook and prepare more authentic and studentcentered classroom learning materials. Stoll (1999), however disagreed with using technology because this sends
students the message that illegible handwriting, grammar, analytical thought, and human dealings dont matter
(p. 158).
The reason for placing focus on technology is to produce definite outcomes (Masgoret and Gardener, 2003; p.
4). Many schools provide technology in the classroom to create more academic opportunities for students
academic development and growth. However, using technology in the classroom depends on the way technology
is allied by teachers (Sinclair, 2009).
There are a few studies on teachers perceptions of applying technology in the classroom. Malaysian teachers
perception of using technology in the classroom practices is described in the current study. The teachers were
located at multiple schools in Johor Bahru.
5.

Methodology

Quantitative survey methods cannot describe the interaction as among perceptions and actions (Brookhart and
Freeman, 1992; Richardson, 1996 ). As such qualitative research is used for the mode of inquiry for this study.

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One of the unique components of qualitative research is the small number of participants in the study ( Russel,
2003 ). However, while the number of participants may be fewer than is found in quantitative studies, the depth
of questioning and the richness of the data that qualitative research uncovered cannot be compared to quantitative
research (Slauen White and Simpson, 1998). The pool of participants in this study was small, thus effort to focus
in-depth on the findings and themes coming out of the data was possible .
Survey questionnaire in this study (Appendix A) was adapted from UTAUT Survey Study URL:
http://www.educ.uvic.ca/tie/utaut/. The UTAUT Model was developed by Venkatesh et al. in 2003. The
questionnaire composed of two parts. Part I relates to the personal information of participants. Part II comprises
questions on the use of technology in teaching. Definition of technology also encompasses computer hardware
(e.g. scanners, cameras, and videoconferencing tools), software applications (e.g. word processing, excel,
internet, PowerPoint, webpage construction) and any technology specific to the teaching area.
Regarding the academic degrees earned by the participants, most of them hold a Master of Arts (MA) degree
majoring in Teaching English as Second Language while some of them possess a Bachelor Degree. With respect
to the age range, the majority of the participants are 20-29 years old and some of them are in their 30s. The
teaching experience of the participants varies from three to eight years. six of the participants are female while
one is a male.
6.

Analysing the Data

Data analysis is a complicated process used to try and make sense of the data. It involves consolidating,
reducing, and interpreting what people have said and what the researcher has seen and read. Analysis involves
working with data, organizing them, breaking them into meaningful units, synthesizing them, searching for
patterns, discovering what is important and what is to be learned, and deciding what you will tell others.
(Merriam, 1998; p.145) .Glesne and Peshkin (1992) pointed out that data analysis is the process of organizing
and sorting data in light of increasingly sophisticated judgments and interpretations (p.130). The purpose of data
analysis is to locate crucial meanings, patterns, and themes within what the researcher has extracted as the theme
through the questionnaire.
7.

Findings

The reason for conducting the current study is to determine Malaysian teachers perceptions of applying
technology in the classroom and the challenges they may face in implementing technology. The results are
categorized under several major themes, i.e. skills in handling technology for instruction in the classroom,
difficulties and challenges in applying technology in the classroom and perceptions of using technology in the
classroom.
Skills in handling technology for instruction in the classroom
Almost all the participants reported that they use the technological devices every day. All of them use the
Internet regularly, all of them claim they have the necessary knowledge for using the technology, and again, the
participants are in unison in their view that it is easy to become skillful at using these technology.

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All but one of them have the experience of using the computer to deliver presentations, all have used the
Internet to access curriculum, and all of them have used the computer to deliver design and also to perform
database. Most of the participants claim they can also accomplish tasks using technology quickly.
These findings show that the participants have a sound knowledge in the use of technology and in using these
technological devices in the classroom, for teaching and learning purposes. This is because all the participants of
this study belong to the category of digital natives, whom Presky (2001, cited in Bennett et al, 2008) defines as
the generation born in the years between 1980 and 1994 and are familiar with and rely much on ICT in their daily
lives.
Difficulties and challenges in applying technology in the classroom
Almost all of them felt that time to learn computer skills is not the obstacle to implementing the use of
technology in the classroom. They felt that they have enough time to learn computer skills. However, almost all
of them felt that it was difficult to use technology in the classroom and this is related to several factors. The
participants were in unison when identifying the lack of computers as the major obstacle to using computer-based
teaching in the classroom. The next major constraints reported by the participants are insufficient time (6
participants), the absence of access to equipment (5 participants) and the lack of technical support (4
participants).
Insufficient time would usually relate to the amount of time a teacher needs to prepare his teaching and
learning resources for use with his learners. The finding that time is a constraining factor, is consistent with the
findings of Peirson (2001), Carlson and Reidy (2004) and Friedman (2006). The absence of access to computers
has, time and time again been the complaint of many teachers in schools in Malaysia. Computers are insufficient
not just for the use of the students, but also for the teachers who would need them to prepare their computerbased lessons. Other equipment that include the LCD projector, the server, and all other related technological
devices that are required to make computer-based teaching a success, are also usually hard to come by. The lack
of technical support, in the form of technicians who would assist in the set up of these devices in the classrooms
and to help maintain these resources, is another challenge that would need sound financial back-up from the
schools or the Ministry of Education.
The participants have all ruled out that personal beliefs would hinder their use of technology in the classroom.
This, again, is attributed to the fact that these participants are all digital natives who would not have any
inhibitions or fear or negative beliefs about the use of technology as they are familiar with ICT. All but one also
felt that administrative support was also not a problem.
Thus, this study concludes that insufficient time, and access to equipment as well as the lack of technical
support are the main obstacles in using technology in the classroom.
Perceptions of using technology in the classroom
Although there were several variables that constrained the use of technology among these teachers of English,
they had positive perceptions of the implementation of technology in enhancing learning. Most of the participants
felt that computer instruction is useful and most have also expressed their intention to use technology in their
teaching. Although they are adept in their use of technology, all of them hoped to attend more training in the use

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of computers as this would motivate them to apply more technology for instruction in the classroom. This finding
is also similar to that reported by Roach (2010).
8. Limitations of this study
Despite the researchers aiming to design a quality research study, it is important to note that this research
study has limitations in its design and implementation. The research was limited in several ways. The primary
limitation was related to the sample size. It should be noted that the sample size was not large enough. If a largerscale quantitative study was to be developed, a larger number of participants could be surveyedeither teachers
from different regions.
It would be more reliable if the researcher used multiple data sources such as interview, reflective journals and
observations as additional instruments. Moreover, the analysis of the data was limited since the students were
neither questioned nor interviewed. Using data from multiple sources would have allowed triangulation, and thus
benefit the overall results of this study
9. Conclusions
In general, we can conclude that these participants, who are teachers of English, are very familiar with the use
of ICT and have no qualms with implementing technology in the classroom. However, the only drawbacks they
have in using technology would be the lack of computers, insufficient time in preparing technology-based lessons
and the lack of technical support. Although there were constraints faced by these teachers, they were motivated in
undergoing more training in the use of technology in the classroom and were in general, positive towards the use
of computers in education.
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