Abstract:

Among the many different ICT mediums, the use of videos to enhance learning offers many advantages over other mediums. First, audiovisual experiences can heighten students’ awareness and encourage critical thinking skills. Past researches indicated that repeated viewings of explanations on difficulties to grasp concepts can better understanding of contents (Torri, 1994; Ross, 1995), better interrelate various topics or lessons that seem unrelated (Bransford et al., 1985) and better facilitate reflections (Rowley & Hart, 1996), which are important to effective learning. Furthermore, repeated viewing of the lecture videos can facilitate students to develop deeper levels of understanding, including major topics and minor ones initially ignored (Doran, Benson, & Longenecker, 1992). Thus, as the technology advances, especially with the development of the streaming technology, implementation of lecture video system is now much easier than before.

In this study, we utilize an in-house lecture video system to offer students with low-motivation an alternate way to learn. The in-class lectures were recorded, post-processed and made available for viewing using the in-house ICT tool. Students with low-motivation were not required to attend in-class lecture. Instead, they watched the recorded lectures in a computer lab at a time of their choosing. Teaching assistant was on hand to answer questions as well as to ensure attendance. This paper will report the experimental setup and the results of this study.

Both quantitative and qualitative methods was used to explore the learning process of low-motivated students from macro and micro views. The quantitative results indicated that low-motivators’ motivation (motivational beliefs), as defined by Pintrich and De Groot (1990), was enhanced with the proposed learning approach, while the test anxiety was lowered. In other words, the empirical results support that the proposed learning approach can effectively promote low-motivated students’ learning motivation and lower their test anxiety. In addition, qualitative analysis of post-experimental interviews showed that the proposed learning approach could help arouse low-motivated students’ learning responsibility, which resulted in better learning behaviors.

Keywords:

ICT, learning motivation.