-
2117
-
1190
-
861
-
697
-
662
Perceptions of Parents on Raz-Kid' s Role in Enhancing Students' Micro and Macro-Skills Holistically: A Study on Ishik Brayaty International Primary School in Erbil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i3.6822Abstract
Many educational institutions globally have adopted the motto of technology-enriched education. Among others, e-books have come to the forefront with technological developments. Accordingly, e-book apps have gained increasing popularity due to their numerous advantages. Although many studies have been conducted on e-book platforms’ effectiveness on a global scale, Raz-Kid’s influence on students’ macro and micro-skill development has not been studied in the context of Iraq. Bearing this fact in mind, this study is an endeavor to explore parents’ perceptions about a well-known e-reading app, Raz-Kids, in Erbil, Iraq, on students attending Ishik Brayaty International Primary School in the 2023–2024 academic year. Through convenience sampling, 100 parents uncovered their genuine opinions in a mixed-methods research design study. Data were gathered via questionnaire and interview, and analyzed by either SPSS 29 or NVivo. Findings demonstrated that Raz-Kids has the limitless potential to increase students’ linguistic skills holistically. In addition, parents’ and teachers’ encouragement has been considered as the triggering force to increase students’ reading rates. The study’s findings may have certain implications for the stakeholders who plan to integrate means of technology into the curriculum in a balanced way. Thus, some rational steps can be taken to eliminate the negative impacts of technology and highlight the positive aspects via well-designed e-book reading apps and more.
Keywords:
E-book apps; Macro-skills; Micro-skills; Raz-KidsReferences
Abdulrahman, S.A., Kara, S., 2023. The effects of movie-enriched extensive reading on TOEFL IBT vocabulary expansion and TOEFL IBT speaking section score. Journal of Qualitative Research in Education. 33, 176–197. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14689/enad.33.913
Al Rawashdeh, A.Z., Mohammed, E.Y., Al Arab, et al., 2021. Advantages and disadvantages of using e-learning in university education: Analyzing students’ perspectives. Electronic Journal of E-learning. 19(3), 107–117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.19.3.2168
Alice Chen, M.R., Hwang, G.J., Majumdar, R., et al., 2023. Research trends in the use of e-books in English as a foreign language (EFL) education from 2011 to 2020: A bibliometric and content analysis. Interactive Learning Environments. 31(4), 2411–2427. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1888755
Andries, F.A., Posumah, J., 2023. User experience of mobile phone users in exploring and reading nonfiction books. Journal of English Culture, Language, Literature and Education. 11(1), 146–162.
Arulanand, N., Babu, A.R., Rajesh, P.K., 2020. Enriched learning experience using augmented reality framework in engineering education. Procedia Computer Science. 172(1), 937–942.
Atabek, O., 2020. Development and validation of digital writing scale for preservice teachers. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language). 14(2), 119–139.
Bala, A., 2020. The impact of incentives and awards in digital libraries on primary school students’ reading motivation in EFL classrooms. Journal of Education in Black Sea Region. 6(1), 1–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31578/jebs.v6i1.215
Bates, C.C., Klein, A., Schubert, B., et al., 2017. E‐books and e‐book apps: Considerations for beginning readers. The Reading Teacher. 70(4), 401–411. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1543
Bijay, S.K., Bavani, S., 2023. Effectiveness of incorporating a structured e-books programme to improve the outcomes for early struggling readers. Asia Pacific Journal of Developmental Differences. 10(2), 289–305. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/S2345734123001198
Bilgin, R., 2024. Exploring students’ perceptions towards 21st century skills through novel applications: A comparative study among EFL learners in Iraq. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ). 15(1), 283–297.
Blummer, B., Kenton, J.M., 2020. A systematic review of e-books in academic libraries: Access, advantages, and usage. New Review of Academic Librarianship. 26(1), 79–109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2018.1524390
Bowman, R., 2011. Rethinking what motivates and inspires students. Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas. 84(6), 264–269. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2011.592164
Celik, B., 2018. Effects of extensive reading on learners: How it develops certain points in vocabulary and sentence structure. International Journal of English Linguistics. 8(2), 73–84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v8n2p73
Celik, B., 2023. Using QR codes to develop EFL learners’ pronunciation skills and expand vocabulary knowledge. Amazonia Investiga. 12(66), 21–30.
Cumaoglu, G., Sacici, E., Torun, K., 2013. E-book versus printed materials: preferences of university students. Contemporary Educational Technology. 4(2), 121–135.
Gülşen, E., Mede, E., 2017. Efficacy of multi-level extensive reading in young learners’ reading motivation. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET). 4(4), 290–315.
Hardiyanto, A., 2020. Developing e-book for pre-intermediate grammar in EFL classroom. PREMISE: Journal of English Education and Applied Linguistic. 9(2), 129–142.
Ho, H., Smrekar, M., 2020. Implementation and efficacy study of Raz-Plus for students from kindergarten to fifth grade. McREL International.
Ikpeze, C.H., 2018. Designing e-books: Enhancing prospective teachers’ digital literacy skills. Emerald Publishing Limited. 9, 29–42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S2048-045820180000009003
Issa, F.M., 2024. Using infographics as an educational technology tool in EFL writing: University of Baghdad case study. Arab World English Journal. 15(1), 166–181.
Kaban, A.L., 2021. Gamified e-reading experiences and their impact on reading comprehension and attitude in EFL classes. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning (IJMBL). 13(3), 1–20.
Kara, S., 2023. The Effects of ecology-oriented instruction on enhancing EFL learner’s writing competence. Arab World English Journal. 14 (4), 395–408.
Kara, S., Kucuk, T., 2023. The effects of picture dictionaries in promoting vocabulary development of EFL learners at tertiary level. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language). 17(2), 80–94.
Kaynar, N., Sadik, O., Boichuk, E., 2020. Technology in early childhood education: Electronic books for improving students’ literacy skills. TechTrends. 64(6), 911–921. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00520-5
Kucuk, T., 2023. Technology integrated teaching and its positive and negative impacts on education. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies. 10(1), 46–55.
Kurudirek, A., Berdieva, O., 2024. The more empowered schools, the more fruitful students. Educenter: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan. 3(1), 1–9.
Li, G., Lin, Z., 2024. Towards an inclusive language education system in the age of superdiversity. Promoting Inclusive Systems for Migrants in Education. England: Routledge.
Marchand, A., 2015. Using the RK reading program to increase reading comprehension and fluency for students with LD [Master’s Thesis]. Glassboro: Rowan University.
Menggo, S., Suastra, I., Budiarsa, M., et al., 2019). Needs analysis of academic-English speaking material in promoting 21st century skills. International Journal of Instruction. 12(2), 739–754. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12247a
Mizher, R.A., Alwreikat, A.A., 2023. EFL students’ use of e-books for e-learning: Applying technology acceptance model (TAM). Journal of Language Teaching and Research. 14(1), 153–162. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1401.16
Nawe, P.A.M., Amin, W.O., 2020. The impact of integrating technology in teaching listening skills to Kurdish students at preparatory schools. Qalaai Zanist Journal. 5(3), 811–838. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25212/lfu.qzj.5.3.32
Neslihan, K., Olgun, S., Elina, B., 2020. Technology in early childhood education: electronic books for improving students’ literacy skills. TechTrends. 64(6), 911–921.
Nurhayati, S., 2023. The efficiency of extensive reading using reading A-Z on vocabulary enrichment. Conference on English Language Teaching. pp. 699–708.
Park, J., Lee, J., 2021. Effects of e-books and printed books on EFL learners’ reading comprehension and grammatical knowledge. English Teaching. 76(3), 35–61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.76.3.202109.35
Qin, L., Wei, R., 2021. Investigating affordance in technology-enriched language learning environment through exploring students’ perezhivanija. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics. 44(2), 187–202.
Savin-Baden, M., Major, C., 2023. Qualitative research: The essential guide to theory and practice. Routledge.
Shelburne, W.A., 2009. E-book usage in an academic library: User attitudes and behaviors. Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services. 33(2), 59–72.
Thorsteinson, T.J., 2018. A meta‐analysis of interview length on reliability and validity. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology. 91(1), 1–32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12186
Tlili, A., Zhao, J., Yang, K., et al., 2022. Going beyond books to using e-books in education: A systematic literature review of empirical studies. Interactive Learning Environments. 9(8) 1–25.
White, S.R., Mulder, S., 2016. Razkids for mLearning in Japanese English language learning. Language Teacher. 40, 19–30.
Widodo, J.W., 2024. Perceptions and challenges of undergraduate EFL students’towards audiobooks and textbooks on the Xreading Website. IJLECR (International Journal of Language Education and Cultural Review). 10(1), 45–56.
Winans, Amanda R., 2016. Swipe, tap, and read: Research on e-book tools, features, and student engagement education and human development [Master’s Thesis]. Brockport (NY): Brockport University.
Yildiz, Y., 2020. Task-based language teaching: An approach in the spotlight to propel language learning forward. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies. 7(1), 72–77.
Yudhiantara, R., Nasir, I.A., 2017. Toward mobile-assisted language learning (MALL): Reaping mobile phone benefits in classroom activities. Register Journal. 10(1), 12–28. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v10i1.12-28
Downloads
How to Cite
Issue
Article Type
License
Copyright © 2024 Bunyamin Celik, Saban Kara
This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.