Information quality dimensions of farsi web-based learning resources for instructional use / Faegheh Mohammadi Ghazi Jahani
The Ministry of Education Iran, in its fifth educational development plan has prioritized the use of web resources in school connectivity project among Smart Schools. The problem is, Iranian educators’ acceptance of using web resources in their classrooms remains low. The quality of the Farsi web...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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2014
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| Online Access: | http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/4686/ http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/4686/1/my_final_thesis_nov_2014.pdf |
| Summary: | The Ministry of Education Iran, in its fifth educational development plan has prioritized the
use of web resources in school connectivity project among Smart Schools. The problem is,
Iranian educators’ acceptance of using web resources in their classrooms remains low. The
quality of the Farsi web-based learning resources (FWBLRs) might be taken into account
towards the teachers’ motivation to use these resources. This research positions information
quality as “information fit for use”, which implies that it is relative, as information considered
appropriate for one use may not have sufficient attributes for another use. The objective of
this study is to identify the perceived quality dimensions of FWBLRs for instructional use.
The following questions drive this research: a) Why are teachers motivated to use Farsi webbased
learning resources for classroom instruction? b) What are the issues and/or challenges
teachers face in terms of assessing the quality of Farsi web-based learning resources for
classroom instruction? c) How do teachers address the issues and/or challenges in terms of
meeting their instructional information needs? d) What is the teachers’ perceived information
quality of Farsi web-based learning resources for classroom instruction? To answer the
research questions, Eisenhardt’s eight-step process approach of “building theory from case
study research” has been used in this study as a guide. A single-selected premier secondary
smart school in Tehran was chosen as the case setting. The research employs a qualitative
approach completed in two phases. Firstly, two focus group interviews were conducted on ten
teachers, followed by several face-to-face interviews with five teachers who were recruited
from the focus groups. As an additional data, several sessions of face-to-face interviews were
conducted with five students who were active web log readers and had the experience
collaborating with their teachers to produce customized web content. All participants were
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purposively sampled. Findings of the first phase indicate that perceived pedagogical usability
of FWBLRs motivates the teachers to use these resources for their classroom teaching.
Teachers’ are motivated to use FWBLRs for (a) the delivery of instructional materials; and
(b) the development of instructional materials. The participants reveal several problems and
problem solving strategies associated with content, presentation and accessibility of websites
when using FWBLRs for classroom instructions. Fourteen (14) information quality
dimensions emerge from the data. Five dimensions are related to motivation addressing
pedagogical usability. Six (6) dimensions are related to contents, two dimensions emerge
from the presentation category and one (1) dimension is related to accessibility. Educators’
perceptions about the quality of web resources might be considered as a critical issue in terms
of usage of web resources in the Iranian school context. The information quality dimensions
highlighted in this study may be helpful to Iranian teachers, to increase their theoretical
understanding and translate this into their professional practice. The understanding will
benefit professionals about what elements to consider when designing Farsi educational web
sites for credibility. Knowing information quality dimensions may help educators who are in
the evaluation process, to select appropriate web-based learning resources for their
instructional needs and enables information producers to produce appropriate Farsi
information resources compatible to teachers’ instructional needs. |
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