IAFOR Journal of Education: Technology in Education
Volume 8 – Issue 2 – 2020
and local communities is needed to provide the infrastructure and support necessary to promote more equitable opportunities for learning. The third article, “Understanding the Characteristics of English Language Learners’ Out-ofClass Language Learning through Digital Practices,” by Ali Dincer, draws on mixed-methods to look at students’ use of digital tools outside the classroom for English language learning at three state universities in Turkey. The study identifies the importance for teachers to link classroom teaching to outside digital tools such as social media, games, YouTube, and intelligent tutoring applications. Ariana Eichelberger and Hong Ngo, in “Beyond the Basics: Adapting an Open Textbook to Accommodate a Flipped Class,” utilize a mixed-methods approach to determine how undergraduate Biology students at a public university in Hawaii perceive an Open Biology textbook, including identification of design features, course satisfaction, and suggestions for improvement. Design decisions made based on conceptual frameworks as well as student feedback improved the text and the students’ overall experience. In “Learning Management Systems Adoption in Higher Education Using the Extended Technology Acceptance Model,” Marissa R. Fearnley and Johnny T. Amora employ structural equation modeling to determine the influence of technology acceptance constructs among teachers in using a Learning Management System at a private college in the Philippines. Significant implications of the study include the importance of self-confidence and system quality in technology adoption. In the sixth article, Iwona Kolodziejczyk, Philip Gibbs, Cecilia Nembou, and Maria Rodina Sagrista conduct regression analysis in a study of the level of digital skills among university students in Papua New Guinea. Their study, “Digital Skills at Divine Word University, Papua New Guinea,” suggests that operational and formal skills are necessary, but not sufficient, for higher information skills. Compared to countries such as the Netherlands, the effects of the digital divide mean first year students in Papua New Guinea are at a disadvantage and face a steep learning curve in attaining digital literacy, thus needing exposure to digital skills much sooner. Chesla Ann Lenkaitis, Shannon M. Hilliker, and Kayla Roumeliotis, through qualitative analysis, examine the effects of a virtual exchange among teacher training candidates learning to teach English to Speakers of Other Languages in their article, “Teacher Candidate Reflection and Development Through Virtual Exchange.” Teacher candidates at a U.S. university partnered with English as a Foreign Language learners at a Mexican university to assist in language learning. The study supports direct language collaboration through virtual exchange as a contributor to teacher candidate success. The eighth article, “Training Factors as Predictors of Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs for Online Journalism Practice,” authored by Joseph Njuguna, employs correlation analysis to determine the strength between training factors and students’ self-efficacy in five Rwandan universities. The results show the importance of training in fostering students’ beliefs and confidence in their capacity to perform online. In the final article, “Developing an Open Educational Resource and Exploring OER-enabled Pedagogy in Higher Education,” Beth Tillinghast relies on an interpretive qualitative approach to explore the perspectives of staff and faculty developing an Open Textbook using OER-
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