MERLOTJournalofOnlineLearningandTeaching

Vol.2,No.3,September2006

BarriersonESLCALLProgramsinSouthTexas
ShaoChiehLu EducationalLeadershipandCounselingDepartment TexasA&MUniversity Kingsville,TX,78363,USA kssl005@tamuk.edu

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a methodology to discover the barriers that influence Englishassecondlanguage(ESL)teachersintheuseofcomputersintheir classrooms. The participants in the study were sixtyseven ESL teachers whoappliedcomputerassistedlanguagelearning(CALL)intheclassroomor computer lab in schools in Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) and Kingsville Independent School District (KISD) in South Texas. The survey study included the participants demographic data, twenty variables influencing the use of CALL, and five openended questions. The researcher designed and verified the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. The resulting survey data were then analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to capture the information in the survey and to identify a set of factors that hinder the use of CALL in ESL. The findings demonstrate that there are three key barriers that impact teachers whouseCALLprogramstoteachESL,andESLteachersmaychangetheir rolesastheyimplementCALLprograms.Thesebarriersaretechnologyskills, fundingforteachingthroughtechnology,andacceptanceoftechnology.The results can help educators to understand better the impact of CALL and to anticipatethebarriersofCALLprogramtheymayface. INTRODUCTION Background In the last few years the number of teachers using Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has increased markedly and numerous articles have been written about the role of technologyin education. Although the potential of the Internet for educational use has yet to be fully explored and the average schoolstillmakeslimiteduseofcomputers,itisobviousthatwehaveenteredanewinformationagein which thelinks between technology and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) have already beenestablished(Lee,2000).TheInternethasbroughtaboutarevolutioninteachers'perspective,asthe teachingtoolsofferedthroughtheInternetaregraduallybecomingmorereliable.Nowadays,theInternet isgainingimmensepopularityinsecondlanguageteaching,andmoreandmoreeducatorsandlearners areembracingit. The Internet and the rise of computermediated communication in particular have reshaped the use of computers for language learning. The recent shift to global informationbased economies means that students will need to learn how to deal with large amounts of information and be able to communicate acrosslanguagesandcultures.Atthesametime,theroleoftheteacherhaschangedaswell.Teachers arenolongertheonlysourceofinformation,butactasfacilitatorssothatstudentscanactivelyinterpret and organize the information they are given, fitting it into prior knowledge (Dole, Duffy, Roehler, & Pearson, 1991). Students have become active participants in learning and are encouraged to be explorers and creators of language rather than passive recipients of it (Brown, 1991). Integrative CALL stressestheseissuesandadditionallyletslearnersofalanguagecommunicateinexpensivelywithother

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learners or native speakers. As such, it combines information processing, communication, use of authentic language, and learner autonomy, all of which are of major importance in current language learningtheories. StatementoftheProblem Proper infusion of technology is a national priority. In 2002 President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Actinto law.Thislawaffects almost everyfacet of education as we know it. In orderto improve student achievement through the use of technology, former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced the new Enhancing EducationThrough Technology (ED Tech) initiative shortly after thesigningoftheNCLBact.ThestatedgoalsofEDTechareto: I. Improvestudentacademicachievementthroughtheuseoftechnologyinelementaryschools andsecondaryschools II. Assist students to become technologically literate by the time they finish the eighth grade and III. Ensurethatteachersareabletointegratetechnologyintothecurriculumtoimprovestudent achievement(NCLB,2002). In the meantime, The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) approved educator certification standardsinTechnologyApplicationsforallbeginningeducators.AccordingtoTexasEducationAgency (2002),currenteducatorsshouldstrivetomeetthefollowingSBECrequirements: I. All teachers use technologyrelated terms, concepts, data input strategies, and ethical practicestomakeinformeddecisionsaboutcurrenttechnologiesandtheirapplications II. Allteachersidentifytaskrequirements,applysearchstrategies,andusecurrenttechnology toefficientlyacquire,analyze,andevaluateavarietyofelectronicinformation III. Allteachersusetaskappropriatetoolstosynthesizeknowledge,createandmodifysolutions, and evaluate results in a way that supports the work ofindividuals and groups in problem solvingsituations IV. Allteacherscommunicateinformationindifferentformatsandfordiverseaudiencesand V. Allteachersknowhowtoplan,organize,deliver,andevaluateinstructionforallstudentsthat incorporates the effective use of current technology for teaching and integrating the TechnologyApplicationsTexasEssentialKnowledgeandSkills(TEKS)intothecurriculum. According to the states requirements on teaching through technology, ESL teachers in Texas may encounterbarrierswhenusingcomputerassistedlanguagelearningprograms.Themajorityofstudieson teacher technology education explore the following issues: (1) what teachers should be learning in technologycourses(Hargrave&Hsu,2000),and(2)howteachersthinkaboutandusecomputersinthe classroom(Ertmer,Addison,Lane,Ross,&Woods,1999Levy,1997).Muchofthisresearchshowsthat teachereducationtechnologycoursesandprogramshavealimitedimpactonhowteachersthinkabout andimplementtechnologysupportedteaching. PurposeofStudy ThefirstpurposeofthisstudyistoidentifythebarriersthatCALLcourseworkhasonclassroomcomputer useandaddresshowlanguageteachersusecomputerintegrationintheirteaching.Thesecondpurpose istoexplorehowthesebarriersimpactteacherswhouseCALLprogramstoteachESL. ResearchQuestion Thefollowingresearchquestionwasaddressedinthis study: WhatbarriersdoESLteachersencounterwhenusingCALLprogramsinsouthTexas? SignificanceoftheStudy This study explores how ESL teachers learn about computerassisted activities and the factors that influence whether they use computers in their classrooms. The results of this study can help teacher

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educators better understand the impact of CALL coursework on classroom computer use and to anticipatethebarrierstheymayface. DATACOLLECTION The questionnaire design was complicated by the fact that some factors, such as acceptance of technology might not be intuitive to subjects and hence not directly measurable and hence must be measured by a set ofmeasurablevariables. Twentymeasurablevariables were identified based on the authorsprofessionalexpertise.Theobjectivesofthisstudyweretoextractthekeyfactorsfromthesetof measurablevariablesinthequestionnaire. Severalmeasureswereusedtoensurethevalidityandreliabilityoftheresearchinstrument.Thevalidity oftheinstrumentwasexaminedbyapanelofexperts(N=3).Eachpanelistexaminedtheinstrumentfor content, clarity, and appropriateness. In order to ensure the reliability of the instrument, the Cronbach AlphacorrelationStatisticalProcedurewasappliedtotestforinternalconsistency. SubjectsoftheStudy According to Thomas (2005), most researchers study the people, institutions, and events that are convenientthosethathappentobeathand.Inthisstudy,theresearcherusedthefollowingsamplesas the source of subjects. The target populations were from elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges/universities and ESL/EFL private schools inKingsville and Corpus Christi,Texas. The participants in the study were English as second language (ESL) teachers who applied CALL in the classroomorcomputerlab.Theteachersexperiencerangedfrommoreexperienced(morethan20years experience, n= 5)toless experienced(5 orfewer years of experience, n= 31).Atotal 69 ESL teachers weresurveyed,and67ESLteachersreturnedthesurvey.Thereturnrateonthissurveywas97%. The population in the study was 67 ESL teachers, of whom three (4.48%) were males and sixtyfour (95.52%) were females. Teachers teaching level: thirtyfive (52.2%) were elementary school teachers, fourteen(20.9%)workedinmiddleschool,thirteen(19.4%)taughtinhighschool,two(3.0%)workedin college/university and three (4.5%) were fromESL/ EFL private school.Thirtyone teachers (46%) had taughtlessthan5years,six(9%)between59years,twentythree(34%)between1014years,two(3%) had taught between 1519 years, and five (8%) more than 20 years of experience. Educational credentials of ESL teachers: fiftyfive (82.1%) had a bachelors degree, nine (13.4%) had a masters degree,andthree(4.5%)hadadoctoratedegree. The nextitemfromthe outputis the KaiserMeyerOlkin (KMO) and Bartletts test.The KMOmeasures thesamplingadequacywhichshouldbegreaterthan0.5forasatisfactoryfactoranalysistoproceed.The KMOmeasureis.685.WecanseethattheBartlettstestofspecificityissignificant.Theruleofthumbis thattheKMOvalueshouldbegreaterthan0.5forasatisfactoryfactoranalysistoproceed. SummaryofMethodology First, the survey instrument was developed. Letters of permission to conduct the study were mailed to eachsuperintendentintheselectedIndependentSchoolDistricts.Thedatawerecollectedbyvisitingthe participants, by returned questionnaires, and by an online survey. Followup phone calls, emails, and letters were sent to nonrespondents. In the next section, the data are analyzed by using Statistical PackagefortheSocialScienceforWindows12.0(SPSS). Instrumentation The researcher developed the survey, which consisted of twentynine items divided into six sections (appendix A). Section 1 surveys the demographics of the participants. Each respondent was asked to provide personal information such as gender, current teaching level, years of teaching experience and educational qualifications. Section 2 asks the respondents about the schools funding for the computer assistedlanguagelearningprogram.Section3includesitemsconcernedwiththeavailabilityofcomputer

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hardware and software. Section 4 includes statements regarding the respondents technical and theoretical knowledge of the use of computer assisted language learning programs. Section 5 includes statementselicitingthebasicviewsofrespondentstowardtheuseoftechnologyintheclassroom,their insights of administrative and actual support, and their selfestimated use of technology. Section 6 includesopenendedquestionsforrespondentssuggestionsandbarriersontheuseofCALLprograms toteachESL. DATAANALYSIS Themajorstepsinstatisticalanalysisaresummarizedasfollows: FactorAnalysis TheobjectivesofExploratoryFactorAnalysis(EFA)aretoidentifytheunderlyingfactorsinfluencingthe outcomeofmeasurableresponsevariablesthroughsurveydata.Theanalysiscanbefurthercomplicated by the fact that some or all these factors may not be measurable directly. Hence, during the survey designstage,theresearchermayproposemeasurablevariableswhichmaycontributetotheresponseof the study. Based on measured data from the survey, factor analysis is used to explore the correlation among measurable variables and determines whether the relationship can be summarized in a smaller numberoffactors. The information in the survey data is captured by the Pearson ProductMoment correlation coefficient matrix. The key idea of factor analysis is to extract factors from the correlation matrix such that the contentofthecorrelationmatrixmaybereconstructedwithsmallnumberofthesefactorsincontrastwith thefullsetofmeasurablevariablesproposed.Factoranalysisconsistsofthefollowingsteps. Step 1: Compute the Nx N correlation coefficientmatrix where N is the number ofmeasurable variablesinthesurveyquestionnaire. Step 2: Compute Bartletts test of specificity to determine whether correlation exists between measurable variable. Notice that if Bartletts test is not significant, this implies that correlation matrix is not significantly different from the identity matrix and hence the set of measurable variables are not correlated and hence each measurable variable is indeed a factor influencing response. In this case no factor extraction is possible. The analysis will be terminated here. Otherwisegotostep4. Step 3: Compute the KaiserMyerOlkin (KMO) Measure of sampling adequacy. The rule of thumb is that the KMO value should be greater than 0.5 for a satisfactory factor analysis to proceed. Step 4: Factor extraction based on Principle component analysis: Compute the eigenvalues of thecorrelationmatrix.Themagnitudeoftheeigenvaluesexceedingacertainprepredetermined thresholdwillidentifyonesignificantfactor.Theruleofthumbisthatifthesumoftheeigenvalues exceeds 1.0 a significantfactor (with some exceptions) is indicated.The number offactors can alsobedeterminedgraphicallybyaScreeplot(Thompson,2004). Step 5: Compute the Pattern/Structure Communality Coefficient for each measurable variables. Communality variable measures the amount of variance, and information contents can be recoveredbytheidentifiedsetoffactorsextractedinStep4. Step6:VarimaxOrthogonalFactorrotationandKaiserNormalization. ThesurveydatawereanalyzedusingEFAdescribedabovewithSPSSforWindows 12.0.The three key barriers for using the CLASS program in ESL instruction are summarized in the followingtable:

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Table1. FactorAnalysisandReliabilityoftheResearchInstrument Barrier Variables Communalities Eigenvalues 6 .773 7 .961 Technology 11 .775 7.008 skills 12 .950 15 .856 16 .963 1 .589 2 .590 Fundingfor 3 .963 teaching 4 .836 through 5 .976 5.327 technology 8 .963 9 .836 10 .976 19 .834 13 .961 Acceptance 14 .864 ofTechnology 17 .951 3.719 18 .741 20 .720 CONCLUDINGREMARKS

%ofVariance

coefficient

38.864

.846

29.541

.841

20.621

.759

This paper proposed a complete methodology to survey and identifies key barriers affecting the use of CALLprogramsinESLinstructionsusingsamplingsurveyandexploratoryfactoranalysistechniquesand SPSS12.0statisticalanalysispackages.Thebarriersaretechnologyskills,fundingforteachingthrough technology,andacceptanceoftechnology. RECOMMENDATIONS BasedontheresultsthatESLteachersencounterwithCALLprograms,thefollowingrecommendations aremade: 1. Ifcomputerassistedlearningforlanguageistobeused,itneedstoincorporatemultimediaand includeofflineexperiencessothatthestudentscanbeimmersedinthelanguage. 2. A computer cannot teach the nuances of language, such as inflection and connotation. A full languagelearningexperiencehastoincludeelementsoftheculturetocomplementtheacademic aspectandcorrectnessoflanguage. 3. The most effective human interaction in teaching and learning should be combined with the effectiveuseoftechnology. 4. AcombinationofWebbasedclassesandtraditionalteachingprogramsisthebestwaytoteach ESL. RECOMMENDATIONSFORFURTHERSTUDIES Areas that may be explored by future studies include exploring teaching styles that foster the use of collaborative,criticalthinkingactivities,andtheuseofrealworldtechnologyapplications.Researchcan also focus on the connection between technology and instruction.One way to study thesefactors is by conductingacomparativestudyofclassroomswheretechnologyisusedtoteachlanguage.

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REFERENCES Brown,H.D.(1991).TESOLattwentyfive:Whataretheissues?TESOLQuarterly,25(2),245260. Dole, J. A., Duffy, G. G., Roehler, L. R., & Pearson, P. D. (1991). Moving from the old to the new: Researchonreadingcomprehensioninstruction.ReviewofEducationalResearch,61(2),239264. Ermter,P., Addison, P., Lane, M., Ross, E., &Woods, D. (1999).Examining teachers' beliefs about the roleoftechnologyintheelementaryclassroom.JournalofResearchonComputing inEducation,32(1), 5472. Hargrave, C. P., & Hsu, Y. (2000). Survey of instructional technology courses for preservice teachers. JournalofTechnologyandTeacherEducation,8(4),303314. Lee,K.(2000).Englishteachers'barrierstotheuseofcomputerassistedlanguagelearning.TheInternet TESLJournal,6(12),NP.RetrievedonApril,25,2006,fromhttp://iteslj.org/Articles/LeeCALLbarriers.html Levy, M. (1997). A rationale for teacher education and CALL: The holistic view and its implications. ComputersandtheHumanities,30(4),293302. No Child Left Behind Act (2002). Enhancing Education Through Technology. Retrieved on March, 12, 2006,fromhttp://emsc32.nysed.gov/technology/nclb/ Texas Education Agency (2002). Technology applications, educator standards, and certification. RetrievedonApril,23,2006,fromhttp://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/ta/edstd.html Thomas,R.M.(2005).Teachersdoingresearch:Anintroductoryguidebook.Boston:AllynandBacon. Thompson, B. (2004). Exploratory and confirmatory: Factor analysis. Washington, DC: American PsychologicalAssociation.

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APPENDIXA:SurveyInstrument

SECTION1.DemographicData ________________________________________________________________________ ThisisasurveystudyconcernedwiththebarriersESLteachersfacewhenusing CALLapproachinsouthTexas Sincerely, ShaoChiehLu 1.Mygenderis:(Markonlyone) Female Male 2.Icurrentlyteachthefollowinggradelevel:(Markonlyone) Elementary(K6) Middleschool(79) Highschool(1012) College ESL/EFLprivateschool 3.Howmanyyearshaveyoutaughtsecondlanguagelearners:(Markonlyone) Lessthan5years 59years 1014years 1519years Morethan20years 4.Myhighesteducationaldegreeisbestdescribedas:(Markonlyone) Nondegreed Undergraduate Masters Doctorate

SECTION2.FinancialBarriers Alwaysagree=5,Oftenagree=4,Usuallyagree=3,Sometimesagree=2,andNeveragree=1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. FundingisprovidedfortechnologyinESLprograms. FundingforESLprogramssupportsthewebbasedactivities. ThereisfundingforESLteachersontechnologytraining. Fundingsupportsthemaintenanceofcomputerhardwareand software. FundingprovidescomputerlabsinESLprograms. 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345

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SECTION3.AvailabilityofComputerHardwareandSoftware Alwaysagree=5,Oftenagree=4,Usuallyagree=3,Sometimesagree=2,andNeveragree=1. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Iuseacomputerlabforlanguageteaching. IaccessESLsoftwarefromlaborlibraryatmyschool. MyschoolintegratesthewebintoESLcurriculums. InternetaccessisavailabletoESLclassrooms. ThereistechnologybasedmaterialsforESLteachers. 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345

SECTION4.TechnicalandTheoreticalKnowledge Alwaysagree=5,Oftenagree=4,Usuallyagree=3,Sometimesagree=2,andNeveragree=1. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. IadapttechnologyskillsinteachingESL. Ipreparemyhandoutsandexamsusingcomputers. IintendtoadvancemyknowledgeontheCALLapproach. IusePowerPointormultimediaasateachingtool. Usingcomputerbasedmaterials,Iprovidecontentaddressing specificELLneeds. (ELLreferstoEnglishLanguageLearner) 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345

SECTION5.AcceptanceofTechnologies Alwaysagree=5,Oftenagree=4,Usuallyagree=3,Sometimesagree=2,andNeveragree=1. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Computershelpmesavealotoftimeonpreparinglessonplans. IthinktheCALLapproachinspiresEnglishlanguagelearners. IenjoyteachingESLthroughtechnology. IfeelfreetolearnthenewtechnologyskillsforteachingESL. Inmyopinion,theCALLapproachoffersopportunitiesforbetter languagepractice. 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345

SECTION6.OpenendedQuestions 1. DoesyourinstituteoruniversityprovideInternetclassesorWebbasedclassesforstudents?Haveyoutaughta classthroughtheInternetorWeb?Ifyes,doyouhaveanykindofexperienceintheseclassesthatyouwould liketoshare? 2. Inyouropinion,whatarethebarriersontheuseofcomputerassistedlanguagelearning? 3. Doyouthinkteachingthroughtechnologycaninspirethestudentsinlearning? 4. Whichteachingstyledoyouprefer?Traditionalteachingprogramorteachingthroughthetechnology?Orbothof them? 5. Doyouhaveanykindofsuggestionsthatcomefromyourteachingexperienceorlearningexperienceon computerassistedlanguagelearning(CALL)approach?

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APPENDIXB:LetterofRequestforSuperintendentApproval

Letterrequestapprovaltoconductthestudy DearSuperintendent: IampresentlyconductingresearchformymastergraduateresearchprojectontheBarriersESLTeachersFace WhenUsingCALLApproachinSouthTexas.ThisstudyisincooperationwiththedepartmentofBilingualEducation inTexasA&MUniversityKingsville,andundertheguidanceanddirectionofDr.RobertoTorres,associate professoroftheBilingualEducationprogram. Forthepurposeofmyresearchstudy,afteryourapprovalandtheprincipalsapproval,ashortsurveywillbe deliveredtoyourschoolcampus.Iwouldsincerelyappreciateyourapprovalandpermissionformetoconductthis surveyinyourIndependentSchoolDistrict. Iwillbehappytosharetheresultsofmystudywithyouafterthecompletionofthisstudy.Itrulyappreciateyourtime andsupportofthisproject. Pleasereplytothisletteratyourearliestconvenienceandnotifymeofyourapproval. Sincerely, ShaoChiehLu Researcher KSSL005@tamuk.edu Tel.3615932922 ToWhomItMayConcern: IgavethepermissiontoShaoChiehLutoconductthesurveyat _____________________________________________________________________ (NameofSchool)(Date) Sincerely, (Signature) Superintendent (Printyourname) ThisresearchprojecthasbeenapprovedbytheTexasA&MUniversityKingsvilleHumanResearchCommittee,and theDeanofGraduateStudies,whichmaybecontactedat(361)5932808

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APPENDIXC:LetterofRequestforPrincipalApproval

Letterrequestapprovaltoconductthestudy DearPrincipal: IampresentlyconductingresearchformymastergraduateresearchprojectontheBarriersESLTeachersFace WhenUsingCALLApproachinSouthTexas.ThisstudyisincooperationwiththedepartmentofBilingualEducation inTexasA&MUniversityKingsville,andundertheguidanceanddirectionofDr.RobertoTorres,associate professoroftheBilingualEducationprogram. Forthepurposeofmyresearchstudy,afteryourapprovalandtheprincipalsapproval,ashortsurveywillbe deliveredtoyourschoolcampus.Iwouldsincerelyappreciateyourapprovalandpermissionformetoconductthis surveyinyourIndependentSchoolDistrict. Iwillbehappytosharetheresultsofmystudywithyouafterthecompletionofthisstudy.Itrulyappreciateyourtime andsupportofthisproject. Pleasereplytothisletteratyourearliestconvenienceandnotifymeofyourapproval. Sincerely, ShaoChiehLu Researcher KSSL005@tamuk.edu Tel.3615932922

ToWhomItMayConcern: IgavethepermissiontoShaoChiehLutoconductthesurveyat _____________________________________________________________________ (NameofSchool)(Date) Sincerely, (Signature) Principal (Printyourname)

ThisresearchprojecthasbeenapprovedbytheTexasA&MUniversityKingsvilleHumanResearchCommittee,and theDeanofGraduateStudies,whichmaybecontactedat(361)5932808

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APPENDIXD:ConsentForm

Dearteacher: Thequestionnaireyouhavereceivedisusedtoinvestigatehowyouteachthroughcomputersortechnology.The surveyusuallytakes20~30minutestocomplete.Thereisnorightorwronganswer.PleasefeelfreetoanswerALL thequestionsaccordingtoyourteachingexperience.Responseswillonlybeusedforthepurposeofthisstudy. Thankyouforyourparticipation. Sincerelyyours, ShaoChiehLu CandidateinM.Ed

ConsentForm Iunderstandthepurposeofthissurvey.Iunderstandthattheresearcherwillnotusemynameinanyway. Therefore,Ivolunteertoparticipateinthissurvey.Igivepermissiontotheresearchertousealltheinformationinher study.Ihavebeeninformedbytheprincipalinvestigatorofthisproject,ShaoChiehLu,ofthisandunderstandthat thereisnocost,riskorthreattomysafetyasIparticipateinthissurvey.Ihavealsobeeninformedthatmynameor anyotheridentifyingpersonalinformationwillnotbedisclosedatanytime,evenduringorafterIhavecompletedthe surveyandthatthedatawillbeusedforresearchpurposesorforapresentationatconferences.Myparticipationis limitedtoansweringthesurveyandaddressingfollowupquestionswhennecessaryandImaydiscontinuemy participationinthisprojectatanytimewithoutanyconsequences.

Signature:_____________________ Date:_________________________

ThisresearchprojecthasbeenapprovedbytheTexasA&MUniversityKingsvilleHumanResearchCommittee,and theDeanofGraduateStudies,whichmaybecontactedat(361)5932808

Manuscriptreceived19May2006revisionreceived14Aug2006.

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