The Relationship between the ICT Applications and Undergraduate Students Critical Thinking Skills in E-Learning in Selected Universities in Kenya
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the ICT applications and undergraduate students critical thinking skills in e-learning in selected Universities in Kenya. The study applied the quantitative approach in data collection and analysis plus a descriptive correlational design. The sample was drawn from undergraduate students taking e-learning in their third and fourth year of study in four selected universities in Kenya. The researcher generated descriptive and inferential statistics using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The findings are presented using tables. The correlation results indicated that there was significant strong positive relationship between ICT applications and undergraduate students critical thinking skills in e-learning (r=0.582; p=0.05). From the research literature, little is known on the relationship between ICT applications and Critical thinking skills. This current research contributes to knowledge in this area by suggesting that there is a strong positive relationship between ICT applications and undergraduate students critical thinking skills in an African context. ICT applications of interactive and discursive nature such as WhatsApp, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power point and discussion forums were found to associate with critical thinking skills in the context of this study.
Keywords: ICT applications, undergraduate students, critical thinking skills, e-learning & Universities in Kenya.
References
Adam, Lishan. (2003). ‘Information and Communication Technologies in Higher Education in Africa: Initiatives and Challenges.’ Journal of Higher Education in Africa 1 (1): 195– 221.
Alfadhil, Salah and Abdulwahed Khalfan. (2009.) “Developing Critical Thinking in e-learning environment: Kuwait University as a case study”. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Vol. 34, No. 5, October 2009, 529–536.
Andrew P. Ciganek. (2012). “Critical success factors for e-learning in developing countries: A comparative analysis between ICT experts and faculty. Computers and Education. 58 (2012) 843–855.
Bhuasiri, W., & Xaymoungkhoun, O. (2012). Hangjung Zo, Jae Jeung Rho, Andrew P. Ciganek, Critical success factors for e-learning in developing countries: A comparative analysis between ICT experts and faculty. Computers & Education, 58(2), 843-855.
Brooks, D.C., Dahlstrom, E., Grajek, S., and Reeves, J. (2015). ECAR Study of Students and Information Communication Technology, 2015. Research report. Louisville, CO: ECAR. December.
Brooks, J.G., and M.G. Brooks. (2001). The case for constructivist classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. Bufallo NY: Prometheus Books.
Doolittle, Peter E. 2017. “Constructivism and Online Education”. Available at http://www.trainingshare.com/resources/doo2.htm (Accessed 23.11.2017).
Garrison, D. R., & Anderson, T. (2003). E-learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice. London: Routledge.
Garrison, D. Randy. (2017). E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Community of Inquiry Framework for Research and Practice. New York: Routledge. Third Edition
Garrison, D.R., Terry Anderson and Walter Archer. (2000). “Critical Thinking, Cognitive Presence, and Conferencing in Distance Education”. American Journal of Distance Education. Vol.15, Issue 1, 2001.
Gharib, M., Zolfaghari M., Mojtahedzadeh R., Mohammadi A. and Gharib A., (2016). Promotion of Critical Thinking in e-learning: a qualitative study on the experiences of instructors and students. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2016 May 5; 7:271-9. Doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S105226. eCollection. Accessed 1.11.2016
Guri-Rosenblit, Sarah, (2005). “‘Distance education’ and ‘e-learning’: not the same thing”. Higher Education. Vol. 49. No.4 (Jun 2005) pp.467-493.
Hepworth, Mark and Siobhan Duvigneau. 2012. Building Research Capacity: Enabling Critical Thinking through Information Literacy in Higher Education in Africa. Brighton: BLDS and Institute of Development Studies.
Herring, Mary C., Matthew J. Koehler and Punya Mishra (Eds). 2016. Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Third Avenue, New York: Routledge. Second Edition.
Katz, R.N & Oblinger, D.G. (2000). The “E” is for everything: e-Commerce, e-Business and e-Learning in the future of higher education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Krahenbuhl, Kevin S., (2016). Student-Centered Education and Constructivism: Challenges, Concerns, and Clarity for Teachers. Taylor and Francis Online. Vol 89, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2016.1191311. Accessed 23rd November 2017.
Lorenzo, G. & Dziuban, C. (2006). Ensuring the Net Generation is Net Savvy. Educause Learning Initiative. Accessed 4 November 2016 from www.educause.edu/ELI/Ensuring theNetGenerationIsNetS/156766.
McCowan, Tristan. (2017). “Pedagogies for Critical Thinking: Innovation and Outcomes in African Higher Education”. Research Councils UK. Available at http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/projects?ref=ES%2FM005496%2F1(Accessed 01.04.2017).
OECD (2004) ‘Are students ready for a technology rich world? What PISA studies tell us’, France: OECD. Accessed at: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/28/4/35995145/pdf.
Pelgrum, W. J. (2005). ICT Integration, Data from International Cooperative Studies.
Saade, R. G.; Morin, D.; and Thomas; J. D. E. (2012). Critical Thinking in E-learning environments. Computers in Human Behavior, Vol 28, No. 5.
Sanger, L., (2010). Individual Knowledge in the Internet age. EDUCAUSE Review, 45(2), 14- 24.
Wu, Jen-Her, Robert D. Tennyson and Tzyh-Lih Hsia. (2012). “A Study of student satisfaction in a blended e-learning environment.” s & Education 55(1):155-164 · August 2010 (Accessed 15th March, 2017)
Zemsky, R., and W. Massy. (2004). Thwarted innovation: What happened to e-learning and why. Philadelphia, PA: The Learning Alliance at the University of Pennsylvania.
