Serkan Dinçer

Are preservice teachers really literate enough to integrate technology in their classroom practice? Determining the technology literacy level of preservice teachers

At the present time, many researchers conduct studies in order to ensure technology integration in education. But most of these studies are related to material design. Material is an important concept but it is also important to examine knowledge, skills and attitude, namely technology literacy, of students or teachers who would use these materials. Although technology literacy was investigated in some studies, data collection tools measured different variables. As knowledge, skills and attitude are different concepts, they need to be examined together to determine literacy level. Thus, the purpose of the study is to determine knowledge, skills and attitude about technology use of preservice teachers. Although most of preservice teachers said they had knowledge, skills and positive attitude to use technology in teaching activities, the results revealed that they had a low level of technology literacy in terms of knowledge and skills. The results showed that no relationship was found between knowledge/skill test scores and attitude, so preservice teachers could not correctly describe their level of technology literacy. As the results obtained from scale based on participants’ claims and those obtained from the tests were very contradictory, it is stated that would cause incorrect results and interpretations. The fact that preservice teachers didn’t take any technology related courses in their teacher training programs or they had such courses with insufficient contents was considered one of the main reasons for this low level. Therefore, courses about technology literacy must sufficiently be given in teacher training.

The Impact of Pedagogical Agent on Learners' Motivation and Academic Success.

Abstract Pedagogical agent is generally described as educational programs that guide, motivate learners while encouraging them during learning by providing feedback. The tasks (informative, guiding, or friend, etc.) and types (human-like, cartoon character, audio, text, etc.) of these modules can be classified based on various variables. Although computer-assisted instruction software is commonly used as a teaching material, research on modules integrated on such programs is scarce. Studies in the field have revealed that such computer-assisted instruction programs increase motivation of learners. In order to keep motivation levels high, these programs need to be adopted depending on the individual needs. Therefore, it can be beneficial to integrate software designed that can be personalized. In this respect, the present study was conducted with secondary school students to identify the impact of pedagogical agent on learners’ academic success and motivation. For the purpose of the study, four groups were formed. The first group received education via fixed pedagogical agent, the second group had the option to choose among several pedagogical agents, the third group received the education without pedagogical agent and finally the last group received the same education through traditional (non-computer) way. This four-week program was introduced to students via MS Excel program and the data was gathered as pre- and post-test method. The findings have revealed that interfaces impacted motivation and accordingly academic success in a positive way. As a result of the study, it is suggested that learners should be provided programs that can be personalized depending on learners’ needs and preferences.