Abstract
Prensky (On the Horizon 9:1–6, 2001a, b) and other proponents of the concept of ‘digital natives’ claim that the current generation of undergraduates possesses advanced knowledge and skills in Information Communication Technologies and is highly motivated to learn in this mode. In contrast, there are studies that revealed a variation in the levels of students’ access and a greater tendency to use it for social rather than academic purposes. This suggests that the concept of ‘digital natives’ need further investigation. Studies undertaken on digital natives in Malaysia have generally shown that students are receptive to technology use in learning English; however, no study has clearly delineated the characteristics of Malaysian ‘digital natives’. Thus, the present study intends to fill this gap in knowledge by exploring Malaysian ‘digital natives’ usage of technologies in terms of extent of use, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use and the influence of learning styles on this usage by juxtaposing the Technology Acceptance Model with Willing’s learning styles construct. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data which were analysed quantitatively. The findings support those of other studies undertaken in other countries. The students only used common technological tools such as emails and Facebook and generally had positive perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of technology in the learning of English, regardless of learning styles. Although students expressed interest in using more technology, they were using less technology than anticipated in their learning of English and showed a preference for teacher-centred learning.
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This work was supported by a research Grant provided by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM-DLP-2012-032).
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Thang, S.M., Nambiar, R.M.K., Wong, F.F. et al. A Clamour for More Technology in Universities: What Does an Investigation into the ICT Use and Learning Styles of Malaysian ‘Digital Natives’ Tell Us?. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 24, 353–361 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-014-0185-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-014-0185-2