Attitudes of English Preparatory School Students' towards Using Technology at the Students'Self Study Centers

Abstract

Student Self Study Centers are educational places where students can find a variety of materials, some of which are technology based, in order to improve their English on their own. Students who use self-study centers have a chance to work on educational materials that include reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar and vocabulary. Some of these educational materials are paper-based, but others are technological like computers, CD players, DVDs and TV and are used to enhance their study skills in learning English. Technological equipment are very important because they help learners to learn on their own and also enable them to monitor their learning. For instance, computers are versatile; facilitate learning and make it more enjoyable. The present study was conducted to explore attitudes of Eastern Mediterranean Preparatory School (EMU,EPS) students towards using Student Self Study Center (S.S.S.C) in 2009 Academic Year Spring Semester. The study aims to find out if there is any relationship between students‟ use of S.S.S.C with respect to gender and school of graduation. Also, the study aims to investigate students‟ attitudes towards using technology in S.S.S.C in general and technological materials in particular. For the study, quantitative research methodology was used, and a questionnaire was prepared and distributed to students at S.S.S.C during the open access hours and lesson hours. 157 students participated in the study. 52 of them answered the questionnaire during the open access hour and 105 of them answered the questionnaire during the lesson. Findings indicate that the majority of students agreed on the benefits of CD players, DVDs, TVs and computers in education and in learning English. In addition to this, findings reveal that a majority of the students do not use CD players or watch DVDs in S.S.S.C, but they like using them in their free time. Also, it was found that they enjoy going to and studying at the S.S.S.C. Cross-tabulation findings reveal that in some situations gender and school of graduation influence students‟ attitudes. For example, female students watch DVDs in S.S.S.C more than male students. Another example is that State school graduates do homework in S.S.S.C more than Private school and College graduates. In conclusion, the matereials in S.S.S.C could be updated and also more encouragement could be given to students to use S.S.S.C more efficiently. Further research can be conducted to explore teachers‟ attitudes towards S.S.S.C.