Enhancing the reading culture among language education graduate students through emerging technologies

Historically, functional literacy defined civilization and societies with writing and reading systems advanced steadily and colonized illiterate societies. The Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Mesopotamia’s Sumerian script reinvented the wheel in world history where social strata emerged basing on one’s ability to read and write. But, writing and reading is no longer a preserve for a few societies, but a global human right, and attention has shifted to one’s ability to transform ideas from the text into knowledge. With the emergence of a knowledge society, the assumption that knowledge would become the most expensive commodity in the world did not hold, but instead knowledge is becoming the cheapest commodity in as far as accessibility is concerned.

The open education resources and emergence of massive online open courses (MOOCs); where information is relatively cheap and free (in economic terms as pointed out in the NMC Horizon Report 2014), are making consumption of electronic materials easily accessible (Bali 2014), and are greatly impacting teaching and learning than before (Hodgkinson-Williams and Shihaam 2010). Universities are increasingly subscribing to open resources and encouraging students to utilize them. As one of the emerging technologies, open educational resources (OERs) are increasingly adopted and adapted by educators and learners as pointed out in the NMC Horizon Report (2014). To access this knowledge, one needs to read either print or electronic materials. Print materials are gradually losing their position as the widely sought-out materials for either educational purposes or social purposes, and instead digital materials are taking root. This is because publishers no longer produce print materials only as the case was before the digital age, but are increasingly providing audio and sometimes, audio-visual versions of the printed material; hence providing the reader with wider options than ever before. But, as we settle in the digital age, emerging technologies are increasingly impacting lives of students in higher education more than ever before (Bozalek et al. 2013).

The extent to which traditional forms of information (such as the printed materials) is giving way to digital materials (which are easy to access and user friendly) is high. Learners are bombarded with information that necessitates quick access, internalization and synthesis. Nonetheless, the rate at which digital materials are becoming obsolete is high; given the frequency with which knowledge is produced and accessed. Consequently, learners are accessing high-tech gadgets such as smart phones and laptops that seem to be less utilized in their educational engagements especially in as far as the concept of utilizing them for meaningful reading is concerned. Integrating technology to the concept of reading is a recent phenomenon but instead ‘technology applications in literacy appear to have been far more commonly implemented in special education….’ (Mckenna and Walpole 2007). The advent of digital literacy programmes is traced to the emergence of the Palm Pilot and its successors, language dictionaries, e-book grammars, and flashcard programmes (Godwin-Jones 2011). It is therefore highly doubted whether lecturers in higher education institutions, and especially language teacher trainers, are employing methodologies that integrate the use of emerging technologies (Ng’ambi et al. 2012, 2013) to stimulate the reading culture among learners.

Conceptually, emerging technologies have been defined differently by different authors though many agree that these technologies may or may not be new; are evolving in nature; experience hyper cycle; have not yet been fully understood or researched; disruptive in nature (in regard to the status quo); utilized by specific people; and provide personalized learning opportunities (Gachago et al. 2013; Veletsianos 2010). Emerging technologies are designed to facilitate individual learning through assisted discovery, and provide effective learning through hands-on experience. Research has shown that emerging technologies have the capacity to impact classroom practices, and reading inclusive (NMC Horizon Report 2014; Veletsianos 2010). Reading as a receptive skill is an essential skill in the development of scholarly and intellectual faculties of the learner. Reading is critical to any educational initiative, and is part of the functional literacy that defines the intellectual faculties of an individual. Reading is key to literacy development through empowering readers with new vocabularies as masterly of the spelling system (of a particular language) takes root (Krashen 2004). It is a core skill to other forms of literacy such as critical literacy and social literacy. In education, reading cultivates a sense of intellectualism and scholarly readiness among learners.

At the onset of the digital age, the concept of reading got redefined as a result of information overload that emerged to define the social and educational dimensions of the learner. As the learner tries to make sense of the information around her, she can no longer afford to employ skimming (a sub skill of reading where an entire text is read to get an overall idea/s) for some of the literature she finds, but scans (another sub skill of reading) through looking for specific information pertinent to the challenge or opportunity being worked on. In this case, computer skills in knowledge search and management is important, and the learner’s level of digital identity (DI) is essential. Digital identity entails digital learners’ engagement with the available technologies at home and school, and is geared towards attaining educational and social objectives (Gurung and Rutledge 2014).

The personal digital engagement (PDE) or personal use of technology is becoming crucial in deciding learners’ educational digital engagement (Gurung and Rutledge 2014; Oliver and Curtin 2007). Cell phones and internet have become part and parcel of learners’ social lives and providing educational affordances that had not been thought of by the end-user before. Researchers are becoming interested in learners’ engagement with their digital equipment to redefine the teaching–learning process. Educationists need to design educational materials that fit the context of the learner in developing countries. The question at hand would be ‘What kind of digital reading activities and materials are needed to enhance learners’ reading culture?’ Different types of digital technologies are emerging every day but in this study, a voki was exploited to find out how it could be utilized to enhance graduate students’ reading culture. A voki is an educational tool that provides learners with opportunities to create and customize talking characters through recording their own voices or typing a message. A voki enhances learners’ creativity and originality as they read a text and encapsulate a voki message which could form an abridged version of the text.

Contextually, graduate training at Makerere University where the study took place emphasizes knowledge generation, innovation and utilization of the knowledge (Makerere University Strategic Plan 2008/9–2018/9; Makerere University Research and Innovations Policy 2008a). At Master degree level, students are expected to be creative, resourceful and adopt and adapt new knowledge through critical thinking, research and interrogation of pedagogical content and discussions. The reading culture among the graduate (Language and Literature) students at Makerere University is low, as they do not seem to engage in intensive and extensive reading which is part and parcel of their scholarly and intellectual growth and development. Several indicators attest to this and include; inability to critically contribute to classroom discussion; failure to analyse issues that crop up in classroom; failure to critique pre-tasks such as reading articles and critiquing them during the teaching–learning process. It was therefore assumed that employing emerging technologies especially a voki in the learning contexts of graduate students would enhance their reading culture. It was also premised on the assumption that the acquired skills, reading inclusive were not only viewed as pertinent to pedagogical considerations but significantly relevant to students’ working life after school. This masters’ programme is offered in two languages; English and Luganda.

Below are the findings that emerged from a study geared towards enhancing the reading culture among the language education graduate students at Makerere University through the use of emerging technologies:

Technology is increasingly becoming a determinant in renewal of teacher education (Adcock and Bolick 2011). The creation of a voki in a lecture room was not only a mere introduction of technology but a hands-on experience that provided learners with opportunities to discover and exploit their reading and creative abilities (Baron and Wright 2008). The interest stimulated by the voki became a foundation upon which the reading culture is gradually taking root. Kennedy et al. (2008) underscores the importance of introducing practical oriented tasks in technology for greater learner involvement in order to enhance their learning experiences. Use of authentic language, in context of high interest (for example, through creating a voki), and of familiar nature to the learner seem to be the best bet for success in any teaching–learning process (LeLoup et al. 2005).

Introducing a voki and the eventual creation of vokis by students, presented ‘evidence of learner and technology interaction whose outcome resulted in knowledge construction’ (Ng’ambi 2013). The researcher noticed that students especially those who successfully created a voki, were reading much more text than they used to do before the study, and were always picking out a message for voki creation, and sharing their success with peers. Therefore, emerging technologies carries with it a social aspect that makes learning an interactive and social process (Leu et al. 2004) where an informal environment is created in the lecture room; which ultimately enhances learners’ interest and cultivates their reading culture.

Although the study did not concretely integrate the voki in the pedagogical process as Rogers (2003)’s diffusion of innovations theory stipulates (as expounded in Bozalek et al. 2013), with the creativity and interest manifested by students, it is hoped that over time, and with the introduction of several other emerging technologies, the pedagogical process will become digital and quite interactive. Integrating organically emerging technologies in the pedagogical process warrants exploitation of knowledge and skills from students’ personal digital engagement and assimilating them in their educational digital engagement (Gurung and Rutledge 2014). Integrating students’ literacy practices, such as instant messaging, in the pedagogical process could be a useful mechanism of enhancing learning (Lewis and Fabos 2005) and widening students’ educational digital engagement (EDE).

The study set out to investigate the enhancement of the reading culture among language education graduate students at Makerere University through the use of emerging technologies. The results indicated that the introduction of interventions such as the voki and the ETILAB methodology in the teaching–learning process made tremendous strides in enhancing students’ reading culture. Guided by Bowers affordance analysis framework, the researcher was able to identify a voki as an appropriate technological affordance to match with the task at hand—of enhancing graduate students’ reading culture. The outcome manifested students’ increased engagement and interaction in the teaching–learning process with evidence of incremental improvement in reading. Hence, an enabling environment geared towards empowering students to search, read and express themselves freely in a scholarly manner was forged (Henschke 2010). The integration of the voki in graduate students’ pedagogical considerations and the subsequent interaction and interest that ensued among them, postulated an acquisition of knowledge and skills that was not only significant to students’ educational endeavours but a life time undertaking.

To achieve the above results, a reflective practitioner approach to learning and the ETILAB sandpit methodology were adopted during the teaching–learning process. The ETILAB sandpit methodology in particular was employed in this study to cultivate interaction and nurture creativity among learners. The Educational Technology Inquiry Lab (ETILAB) was established by the University of Cape Town (UCT) School of Education, South Africa to ‘facilitate inquiry into educational technology research and pedagogies’ (http://www.humanities.uct.ac.za/news/etilab-hosts-teaching-and-learning-think-tank). It is one of the maker spaces that provide learners with an opportunity to ‘explore best practices in e-learning techniques and to experiment and prototype innovative teaching methods for the classrooms of the future’. Relatedly, a reflective practitioner approach was used in order to anchor the teaching–learning process on the rich learner experience (Stuart et al. 2009), especially their ability to read, which has accumulated since their undergraduate studies and also as practicing teachers. The above framework, theories and approaches were deemed important because of their ability to cultivate Bloom’s revised (digital) higher order thinking skills such as evaluating and creating (Anderson and Krathwohl 2001). The higher order thinking skills of critiquing (evaluating) the read materials and creating a voki that summarises the text were indeed new skills students attained after introducing the methodology. Being a new phenomenon, creating a voki necessitated students’ interaction, collaboration and discussion.

Specifically the above methodology employed naturalistic methods of inquiry which included observations, interviews, focus group discussion, collaboration and discovery to obtain data. The methods encouraged inquiry-based learning; where students were assigned tasks that led to critical thinking and reflection. Emphasis was not laid on the end product but more on the process of learning through utilizing open and formative assessment. The reflective-ETILAB model created greater student engagement and involvement in the pedagogical process. Resourcefulness, innovativeness and creativity became the basis for learning. Prior to the introduction of the methodology, a document on the ‘21st century Knowledge and Skills in Educator Preparation’ and some selected extracts of the NMC Horizon Report 2014 K-12 were given to students to acquaint themselves with the role of technology in the teaching–learning process. After reading the materials, the technology or digital component was analysed and discussed in detail to single out its significance in education. In a discussion that ensued, the importance of digitalization in education basing on what students had read in the documents and their own experiences was shared. To ensure ethical considerations, students filled and signed a consent form that guaranteed confidentiality of the responses obtained, and use of their information for academic purposes.

In the subsequent interactions, the researcher would give students an article to read prior to the lecture, and summarize it basing on the provided guiding questions. Sometimes, he could encourage them to critique the article, coming up with their own ideas on how a certain situation could be improved or made better. To sum it up, students had to create a voki (an audio-visual digital tool). The researcher requested one of his colleagues (Lecturer) to attend these lectures and comment on what transpired during the teaching–learning process. Subsequently, it naturally turned into micro-teaching whereby he could comment, ask questions, implore students to think and could also respond to particular questions and comments from students. The findings were coded and organized into meaningful categories for easy interpretation. The categories were analysed further to establish relationships among categories, meanings and interpretation of the collected data (Creswell 2009). As a result, themes emerged from data, which were employed in the discussion of results.