Ipa ESL Learners' Attitudes Order Research Proposal

Lam (2000) noted that the top-down implementation of technology by administration and senior staff may make teachers resent and avoid its utilization. He added that concern regarding legitimacy of the computer as an effective educational tool has an influence on teacher adoption. He suggested that language teachers are not technophobes, as some believe, but do not incorporate technology because institutions and programs fail to notice the importance of training teachers and matching their goals with the tools they wish to use. Differences in acceptance and adoption of technology also occur in students, with some being more accepting of computer-aided learning than others. According to Na (2001), male students frequently have more confidence in computer technology than females. It is also known that students have different learning styles (VanZile-Tamsen & Livingston, J.A., 1999; Sankaran et al., 2000). There is thus a need to match course formats with students' attitudes and learning strategies to enhance learning performance.

The Institute of Public Administration offers a variety of different three-year programs in banking operations, office management, accounting, sales, and marketing. English is an obligatory course for these programs. Therefore, the students must first study English for one academic year, and can only graduate with a successful completion. After graduation from the English instruction, they may enroll in their majors, where English is used as the main language for communication and textbook content.To develop and enhance the learners' proficiency in English, IPA spends significant funds on the use of English language computer programs. However, the outcomes have not been as expected or as desired. The students in the ESL programs are not effectively utilizing CALL, plus it appears they have negative attitudes toward this instructional approach. Consequently, the ESL teachers are not satisfied with the students' ultimate performance. What is unknown, however is why the students have such a negative attitude toward the CALL approach. This is one of the main objectives of the proposed study.

Research Questions

The following research questions will be addressed in this proposed study:

1) to what extent does the ESL students' attitude toward computer program affect their overall achievements?

2) to what extent do the instructors' attitudes toward computer programs influence the learners' attitudes and perceptions of these programs?

These two major questions raise other implied ones:

a. Is there a relationship between the learners' attitudes and their success in using and benefiting from the computer programs?

b. Is there a relationship between the teacher' attitudes toward computer programs and the learners'?

c. Which one influences the other?

d. Is the general attitude negative? What triggers.....