The Importance of Information and Communication Technology in English Learning: Indigenous Students' Perspectives

Abstract

The increasing dependence of people on technology nowadays is evident through the transformation of various sectors, placing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an enabler in enhancing human capabilities and participations as a member of society. Policymakers and educators agreed that ICT is a supreme factor in leveraging positive effects on the students' achievements at large. Although myriad of studies have focused on ICT integration in education of students from the rural communities, the ICT issues among indigenous students have been sidelined. This study intended to address this gap by focusing on the views of indigenous students on the importance of ICT in learning English. A total of 94 indigenous students from three districts in Pahang, Malaysia were involved in this study. A quantitative approach was employed where questionnaires were used as instruments to gauge the participants' views. The findings revealed that the indigenous students have low ICT competence but have positive attitude in the use of ICT in teaching and learning. The level of ICT use in classroom was found to be low and, surprisingly, most of them preferred to have Internet-related activities in learning English.

Appropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in the indigenous communities of La Guajira, Colombia

“…Of the evaluated indicators of the TIC competences dimension, it can be denoted that there is a high level of computers, but a moderated internet management, which agrees with what was mentioned by [17], who determined that by factors of lack of material the improvement in the use of these is minor but in the same way there is an interest in learning to use the internet correctly. Finally, the Learning indicator obtained an average of 2.5, indicating the low level of learning in terms of ICT, which contrasts with that established by [18], who mention that access to the Internet allows to facilitate the learning of the management of these tools, due to the good adaptation of the indigenous communities to the use of the internet and their low level of learning.…”

Acceptance of ICT Usage Among Indigenous Students: Empirical Findings Based on UTAUT

“…However, global distribution of ICTs in the most Indigenous villages is not as advanced as in the urban area (Bala & Tan, 2021). Their community's geographic location restricts their access to ICT and worsens the digital gap, which slows the expansion of ICT in education within the Indigenous community (Luaran et al, 2016). As they live and work in specific locations and speak only their own culture's language, Indigenous students who use ICT sparingly have difficulty understanding and using instructional software that is often produced in English and is text-heavy (Kenrick & Lewis, 2004;Stephens et al, 2006).…”

Development and Evaluation of Localized Digital Learning Modules for Indigenous Peoples' Health Education in the Philippines

“…The use of ICT among IPs has been investigated in multiple contexts [9], [10], [11], [13], while the development, considerations, and integration of culturally-relevant teaching techniques and pedagogies for learners from diverse backgrounds in classroom settings were specifically explored in various studies as well [2], [4], [11], [18], [19], [20]. For one, Byrd [2] explored the effectiveness of culturally relevant teaching methods towards improved learning outcomes, increased engagement, and minimized achievement gaps among learners.…”

“…Furthermore, Byrd [2] analyzed the learners' perspectives and concluded that academic outcomes are closely related to culturally relevant pedagogies [19]. The use of such pedagogies has proven to have a positive impact on learners [4], [11], [18], [20]. Moreover, the addition of existing knowledge from the community has manifested benefits for socially diverse learners [18].…”