Investigating the Technical and Social Affordances of Moodle Usage among Senior High Schools Students in the Greater Accra Region — Oak Academic Publishing
Research ArticleOpen AccessGoogle Scholar indexed
Investigating the Technical and Social Affordances of Moodle Usage among Senior High Schools Students in the Greater Accra Region
Department of Mathematics, Science and ICT, College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
,
Department of Social Studies Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
1 Department of Mathematics, Science and ICT, College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
2 Department of Social Studies Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
The justification for conducting this study was to investigate the technical and social affordances of Moodle usage among Senior High School students in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. The positivist research paradigm and quasi-experimental research design was adopted for the study. The purposive sampling procedure was used to sample 301 respondents for the study. The Cronbach alpha value of 0.83 was obtained on the structured questionnaire. The findings of the study revealed that students were able to submit project works on time, viewed their grades and received prompt feedback. Also, students were able to connect with teachers and other students, shared ideas or communicate within the Moodle platform effectively. It is recommended that the government, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), educational policymakers provide workshops on Moodle u sage for students to acquire the needed technical skills in operating the Moodle platform. Moodle manuals should be designed for students to serve as a guide to aid students to navigate smoothly when using the Moodle platform.
KeywordsMoodleTechnical AffordanceSocial AffordanceCognitive Information Pro-cessingSocio-Cultural Model of Learning
Al-Ani, W. T. (2013). Blended Learning Approach Using Moodle and Students’ Achievement at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. Journal of Education and Learning, 2, 96-110. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v2n3p96
Alkhalaf, S., Drew, S., Alghamdi, R., & Alfarraj, O. (2012). E-Learning System on Higher Education Institutions in KSA: Attitudes and Perceptions of Faculty Members. Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, 1199-1205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.800
An, H., Kim, S., & Kim, B. (2008). Teacher Perspectives on Online Collaborative Learning: Factors Perceived as Facilitating and Impeding Successful Online Group Work. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 8, 65-83.
Bevan, N. (2001). International Standards for HCI and Usability. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 55, 533-552. https://doi.org/10.1006/ijhc.2001.0483
Bonk, C. J. (2004). The Perfect E-Storm: Emerging Technologies, Enhanced Pedagogy, Enormous Learner Demand, and Erased Budgets. Observatory on Borderless Higher Education.
Bovy, R. C. (1981). Successful Instructional Methods: A Cognitive Information Processing Approach. ECTJ, 29, 203-217. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766716
Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 210-230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x
Brandl, K. (2005). Are you Ready to “Moodle”? Language Learning/Technology, Washington, 9, 16-23.
Brunning, I. L. (1983). An Information Processing Approach to a Theory of Instruction. ECTJ, 31, 81-101. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766725
Chindo, S., Bala, U., Tijani, B., Waziri, S., & Maji, I., K. (2015). Human Capital, Technology, and Economic Growth: Evidence from Nigeria. Sage Open, 5, 97-109. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015615166
Collis, B., & Moonen, J. (2001). Flexible Learning in a Digital World: Experiences and Expectations. Kogan Page.
Costa, C., Alvelos, H., & Teixeira, L. (2012). The Use of Moodle E-Learning Platform: A Study in a Portuguese University. Procedia Technology, 5, 334-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protcy.2012.09.037
Crawford, R. (2000). Information Technology in Secondary Schools and Its Impact on Training Information Technology Teachers. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education, 9, 183-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759390000200082
Escobar-Rodriguez, T., & Monge-Lozano, P. (2012). The Acceptance of Moodle Technology by Business Administration Students. Computer & Education, 58, 1085-1093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.11.012
Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2000). How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education (704 p). McGraw-Hill Education.
Goodyear, P., Salmon, G., Spector, M. J., Steeples, C., & Tickner, S. (2001). Competences for Online Teaching: A Special Report. Educational Technology Research and Development, 49, 65-72. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02504508
Harvey, B. (2003). Investing in Technology: the Impact in Student Learning. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology. ERIC Document No: ED479843.
Helles, R. (2013). Mobile Communication and Intermediality. Mobile Media & Communication, 1, 14-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157912459496
Hutchby, I. (2001). Technologies, Texts and Affordances. Sociology, 35, 441 456. https://doi.org/10.1177/S0038038501000219
Iran-Nejad, A., McKeachie, W. J., & Berliner, D. C. (1990). The Multisource Nature of Learning: An Introduction. Review of Educational Research, 60, 509-515. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543060004509
Jan, H., Amin, S., & Mattoo, M. (2018). Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (MOODLE): An Open Learning Platform. Journal of Applied Research in Education, 23, 201-212.
Lloyd, S. A., & Robertson, C. L. (2012). Screencast Tutorials Enhance Student Learning of Statistics. Teaching of Psychology, 39, 67-71. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628311430640
Marra, R. M. (2002). The Ideal Online Learning Environment for Supporting Epistemic Development: Putting the Puzzle Together. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 3, 15-31.
Mestre, L. S. (2012). Student Preference for Tutorial Design: A Usability Study. Services Review, 40, 258-276. https://doi.org/10.1108/00907321211228318
O’loughlin, M. (1992). Rethinking Science Education: Beyond Piagetian Constructivism toward a Sociocultural Model of Teaching and Learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29, 791-820. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660290805
Putnam, R. (2006). CEP 805 Teaching and Learning Mathematics with Technology. http://www.projectlearning.org/numeracy/affordances.html
Said, M., & Bin, M. (2014). Technological Affordances of E-Learning: An Analysis of Students’ Perceptions in Tertiary ICT Education. International Journal on Information, 17, 3659-3674.
Schuell, T. J. (1986). Cognitive Conceptions of Learning. Review of Education Research, 56, 411-436. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543056004411
Treem, J. W., & Leonardi, P. (2013). Social Media Use in Organizations: Exploring the Affordances of Visibility, Editability, Persistence, and Association. Annals of the International Communication Association, 36, 143-189. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2013.11679130
Umek, L., Aristovnik, A., Tomazevic, N., & Kerzic, D. (2015). Analysis of Selected Aspects of Students’ Performance and Satisfaction in a Moodle-Based E-Learning System Environment. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 11, 1495-1505. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2015.1408a
Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics, an Introductory Analysis (2nd ed.). Harper and Row.