Pupils’ Perceptions on the Adoption and Use of Toontastic 3D, a Digital Storytelling Application for Learning Speaking Skills

Abstract

English is an important language for all kinds of professional and personal goals. However, learning English as a second language is often difficult as learners are learning in a language which is not their mother tongue. Speaking skills have always played a pivotal role in second language learning as they are essential in job employments. However, there have always been concern ed with learners speaking ability in Malaysia. Therefore, with the advent of Information Communication Technology (ICT), researches have shown that Toontastic 3D, a Digital Storytelling Application could be used as a tool to improve speaking skills. Thus, this study explored pupils’ perceptions on the adoption of Toontastic 3D in terms of its usefulness, ease of use and pupils’ attitudes. 11 Year 5 pupils from a rural school in Melaka were selected through purposive sampling for this qualitative study and pupils’ reflective journals and responses from semi-structured interviews were collected. This data was then analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings from the study revealed that most pupils perceived the adoption of Toontastic 3D in speaking activities positively such as Toontastic 3D as a useful tool to enhance speaking skills as well as for the pedagogical process. It was also observed that Toontastic 3D is also a user-friendly tool that enables pupils to access it easily. Therefore, it is hoped that Toontastic 3D can be an option for educators to utilize it as an assessment or a pedagogical tool for speaking skills especially in this digital era.