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CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND FINDINGS
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factors of acceptance and the challenges of implementation detail the answers to the specific three research questions asked in this study:
3.5.1. Factors of Acceptance
After analyzing the data to provide concrete answers to RQ1, RQ2, and RQ3; it became clear that the responses received from the management team, teachers, and students reflect the acceptance of the e-portfolio technology and can be considered as factors to help make the desired change of the teaching methods. According to the (TRA) Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein 1980), these factors are interlinked and impacted by each other. The current study represents a good example to explain the theory, the participants’ perceived intentions in showing a certain behavior was a function of their attitude toward the usage of the e-portfolio; their attitudes predicted their intentions and that would paint an image for the acceptance of the technology and later to the actual use of the system. The factors of acceptance are:
The realization of the usefulness of the e-portfolio: the storage feature of the e- portfolio could help teachers upload and store their teaching material and provide the space for students to upload their work and follow their academic progress. This is in addition to the feedback feature which would allow teachers and students to communicate without relying on personal social media platforms but send and receive feedback by using a professional platform instead. Another e-portfolio feature is the reflection, some students were very positive about this feature for it provides them with the space to write and share experiences. During the interviews, many students expressed their admiration for the idea of building a personal website by the use of an e-portfolio to assist them to find employment opportunities. By realizing the usefulness of these features, the acceptance of the software would be guaranteed and the institute would be closer to the implementation.
The determination of the ease of use of the e-portfolio: four students gave positive answers when they were asked about how easy or hard the use of an e-portfolio can be
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for them, they have highlighted a few determinants of easy use to reflect on their thoughts, these are:
instant feedback and accessibility - the Wix platform presented was easy to be accessed via a mobile device, students expressed that sending and receiving instant feedback would help in their studies and that being able to access the e-portfolio whenever and wherever they are is considered a plus. Only one student had mixed thoughts and could not determine how easy or hard the platform was before receiving proper training, the Management team and teachers shared the same concept.
Agreeing to the ease of use with or without training would bring the idea of implementation another step forward toward accomplishment.
The link between the attitude and the intention: feelings and thoughts are leading motives towards accomplishing set goals, in this study; four students have shared interesting positive opinions which have mostly reflected a high level of interest in using the new technology. The factor of forming an attitude towards the use of an e- portfolio was highly impacted by the first factor which is the realization of the usefulness of the e-portfolio. The positive feelings shared by the students revolved around the benefits that the e-portfolio could bring them; some have compared it with social media platforms, while others have focused on its technical features. The only negative comment was a concern made by one of the students about the need for training to facilitate using the e-portfolio and the fear of system usage failure. The factor of attitude is critical since it can predict the intention to use the technology.
3.5.2. Challenges of Implementation
Time Waste: Opinions received during the interviews which were related to personal beliefs were based on predictions. The time waste factor describing the e-portfolio was also found in similar studies in the literature; but, suggestions were made in other studies to overcome this seemingly solvable issue. Hsieh et al. (2015) proposed a three-phase model called the (MAR) to tackle these concerns and stated that this opinion is rooted in the loss of interest over time and that it is solvable. The model
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was explained in detail in the literature review section.
Training: the researcher found that the management team and teachers perceived the idea of e-portfolios but were not ready enough for a technological change due to certain constraints including the lack of ICT skills of students and teaching staff.
Understandably, the factor of people having different ICT skills would affect any system implementation process; but, many solutions can be tailored to particularly serve that institution. If the stakeholders or decision-makers of an institution aim to implement a system that they deem necessary for their institutions; they can conduct studies carrying action research nature to analyze the situation or consult other studies of similar cases to provide solutions. The action research has to be conducted by a staff member or members of the university to understand the use of technology tools within teaching methods, they can gradually focus on studying the e-portfolio or any other system they find useful. Creswell (2015, p.22) in describing the criteria of action research stated that the goal of conducting the study could be to increase power, transform, and enable people in educational settings. Enabling people who work in educational settings to acquire ICT skills and develop their self-efficacy is an essential step to take before any implementation of technological systems. For e-portfolios and other advanced software to be used, students and staff must possess at least the basic technological skills before the implementation. The more the users feel comfortable with basic computer skills, the Internet, and email, the more they accept new technology. It is true that during the focus group interview, the majority of the students expressed that they are well acquainted with users’ IT skills except for one student who did not; yet, this cannot be generalized to the university as a whole. This training-related finding refers to the different levels of students' and staff skills and represents a call for an IT skills assessment to be conducted to determine users’ levels before commencing any technological software implementation.
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