Spelling Mastery via Google Classroom among Year 4 Elementary School ESL Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Spelling mastery is an important prerequisite of proficiency in the English language. The conventional language teaching strategy needs to be revolutionized for the 21st century by utilizing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enable English as a Second Language (ESL) students to master spelling. As such, online teaching and learning becomes a crucial strategy to impart and receive knowledge. This case study focused on teaching spelling mastery via Google Classroom to elementary school ESL students, coincidently during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in the emergence of a new norm in education. This case study involved thirty mixed-proficiency Year 4 ESL students from a suburban national primary school in Selangor. These students were divided into two groups, the experimental and control groups. The experimental group comprised a class of fifteen students who participated in the intervention, whereas the control group consisted of another fifteen students who did not participate in the intervention. The research instruments included pre-and post-test results, field notes and semi-structured interviews. To maintain the integrity of the data, the researchers took the necessary measures to ensure that the instruments were reliable and valid. This included assessing the content and face validity of the research instruments, expert validation for the interview questions and adequate engagement in data collection. The principal findings regarding the use of Google Classroom revealed students' improvement and increased motivation in mastering spelling.

Characteristics of distance education interventions and related outcomes in primary school children during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

“…Several Positive effects on academic performance were found in any educational type of intervention compared to those who did not receive interventions or before exposure to interventions. Academic-related behavior outcomes such as engagement or motivation had positive effects in synchronously student-centered interventions [20,25,30,41], while other interventions produced a mix of positive and negative results. Difficulties with remote or distance education in all studies were mostly associated with technical issues such as screens freezing or the inability of the school's infrastructure to support the platform's operations [22,23,26,27].…”

“…consisted of exercises or discussions where students received real-time feedback through Snappet and Google classroom [30,41]. The asynchronously student-centered approach was presented via gamification or exercises where students were given flexible learning times such as the Science Level Up program [32].…”

“…The most popular method is synchronous learning, followed by blended synchronicity. A study by Meeter [2021] and Yen and Mohamad [2021] showed that the synchronous student-centered interventions were mostly in the form of exercises or discussions where students received real-time feedback [30,41]. According to Media Naturalness Theory, the level of synchronicity and social communication cues such as facial expression or body language determine the naturalness of media [43].…”

“…The synchronously student-centered interventions are more engaging compared to other types. A study by Yen and Mohamad [2021] addressed that the use of Google Classroom revealed an increase in motivation among users in mastering spelling from the perspective of active participation and teamwork [41]. Compared to a study by Christopoulos and Sprangers [2021] about asynchronously student-centered approach that some students appreciated the intervention and wanted to keep practicing, whereas others felt frustration and dissatisfaction [22].…”

Lecturers’ Perception of Moodle-based LMS in Speaking Class

“…In terms of English classroom instructions, an extensive number of studies have been conducted to investigate the use of LMS in at various education levels (Al-Khresheh, 2022;Maulana & Lintangsari, 2021;Rasmitadila et al, 2020;Sefriani et al, 2021;Tarteer et al, 2021;Yen & Mohamad, 2021). These studies reported that Edmodo, Blackboard, Moodle, Google Classroom, and other LMSs are extensively used to enhance the blended and online learning during the pandemic.…”