Teacher readiness towards the use of mobile learning for dyslexia student: a survey in Malaysia

Rohaizat Ibrahim

Abstract

The education system in Malaysia has undergone a process of transformation. Recently, mobile learning (m-learning) has become a trend in education in this country. Face-to-face teaching and learning have shifted to online. However, research on the use of Mobile Learning (M-Learning) is still limited. Therefore, this study aims to identify the readiness of teachers towards the use of M-Learning for dyslexia students in terms of (i) Possibilities, (ii) Benefits, (iii) Preferences and (iv) External Influencers. Furthermore, this study also aims to identify the differences between teachers' readiness and gender towards M-Learning for dyslexia students. A total of 172 teachers throughout Malaysia have participated in this quantitative study. This online survey uses the Mobile Learning Readiness Survey (MLRS) instrument. The analysis methods in the research are mean, standard deviation and t-test. The data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23.0. Overall, the study's findings of teacher readiness towards M-Learning for dyslexia students are low. The result is low because of 1) teacher-centered, 2) lack of knowledge about dyslexia, 3) lack of teachers' knowledge of pedagogical integration in m-learning, and 4) lack of dyslexia-related training. In addition, the findings also show that there is no difference significant difference between teacher readiness and gender. Thus, this study shows that teachers in Malaysia need training and courses related to M-learning and Dyslexia. This action can improve the quality of teacher pedagogy and academic performance among dyslexia students.

References

Ahmad, H., & Tasir, Z. (2018). The effect of mobile application towards Malay language literacy skill of special education student with learning disabilities. Innovative Teaching and Learning Journal (ITLJ), 2(2), 1-16.

Al-Emran, M., Alkhoudary, Y. A., Mezhuyev, V., & Al-Emran, M. (2019). Students and educators attitudes towards the use of m-learning: Gender and Smartphone ownership Differences. International Association of Online Engineering, 13(1), 1-9. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v13i01.9374.

Almutairy, S., Davies, T., & Dimitriadi, Y. (2015). Students’ perception of their m-learning readiness. International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering, 9(5), 1505-1508

Baran, E. (2014). A review of research on mobile learning in teacher education. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17(4), 17-32.

Christensen, R., & Knezek, G. (2018). Reprint of readiness for integrating mobile learning in the classroom: Challenges, preferences, and possibilities. Computers in Human Behavior, 78, 379–388. Available at: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.07.046.

Cornelius, S., & Shanks, R. (2017). Expectations and challenges: the implementation of mobile devices in a Scottish primary school. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 26(1), 19-31.

Coskun-Setirek, A., & Tanrikulu, Z. (2021). M-universities: Critical sustainability factors. SAGE Open, 11(1), 2158244021999388.

Daud, W. A. A. W., Teck, W. K., Ghani, M. T. A., & Ramli, S. (2021). Gender differences in learning Arabic language proficiency via m-learning among Malaysia University Students.

Hadiyanto, H., Mukminin, A., Makmur, M., Hidayat, M., & Failasofah, F. (2013). Teaching in a digital era: English lecturers’ readiness toward the internet use in teaching and learning at selected higher education institutions in Indonesia. Asia-Pacific Collaborative Education Journal, 9(2), 113-124.

Jones, S. J. (2017). Technology in the montessori classroom: Teachers' beliefs and technology use. Journal of Montessori Research, 3(1), 16-29.

Kopcha, T. J. (2012). Teachers' perceptions of the barriers to technology integration and practices with technology under situated professional development. Computers & Education, 59(4), 1109-1121.

Looi, C. K., Sun, D., Wu, L., Seow, P., Chia, G., Wong, L. H., & Norris, C. (2014). Implementing mobile learning curricula in a grade level: Empirical study of learning effectiveness at scale. Computers & Education, 77, 101-115. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.04.011.

Malaysian Education Ministry. (2011). Dyslexia Checklist Instrument (ISD) (2nd ed.). Malaysia: Ministry of Education Malaysia.

Nikolopoulou, K., Gialamas, V., Lavidas, K., & Komis, V. (2021). Teachers’ readiness to adopt mobile learning in classrooms: A study in Greece. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 26(1), 53-77.

Osakwe, J., Dlodlo, N., & Jere, N. (2017). Where learners' and teachers' perceptions on mobile learning meet: A case of Namibian secondary schools in the Khomas region. Technology in Society, 49, 16-30. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2016.12.004.

Ramli, S., Idris, I. B., Omar, K., Harun, D., & Surat, S. (2020). Development of Dyslexia health education module (DHEM) for preschool teachers. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 16(7), 1-7.

Roslin, N. B., & Salleh, N. M. (2021). The use of m-learning as a teaching aid in Special Education Classes. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 6(5), 53-63.

Smythe, I. (2010). Dyslexia in the digital age: Making IT work. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.

Turkyılmaz, A., Şenvar, O., Unal, İ., & Bulkan, S. (2020). A research survey: Heuristic approaches for solving multi objective flexible job shop problems. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 31(8), 1949-1983. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-020-01547-4.

Wilmshurst, L. (2017). Abnormal child and adolescent psychology: A developmental perspective (2nd ed.): Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.