The effect of using the SMART Boards on improving the writing skills of sixth grade students and their attitudes towards it as an educational tool

Salem Awad Alhawiti
College of Education
Department of Educational Technology
Jeddah University

معرف الوثيقة الرقمي : 2021

Abstract

Writing is an important part of a student’s academic life, especially for the children of 6^th grade who newly enter the middle schools and have to learn new forms of writing genres. This paper aims to prove that SMART Boards can help 6th grade students to improve their writing skills. For this purpose, various researches and studies have been analyzed which provide evidence that SMART Boards provide several tools and features that enable the teachers to instruct better to the students. This study was applied to 60 students, who were randomly assigned to two groups which is experimental of (30) student and control groups of (30) student. The quasi-experimental approach was used to answer the research question, and to achieve the objectives of the study, a performance test and criteria were prepared to measure the improvement in the writing level of the sample members. In addition to preparing an attitudes scale consisting of (20) items on the Likert scale to determine students’ attitudes toward using the interactive smart board. The smart board was used in teaching the experimental group, and the results of the study found that there were significant differences between the two groups in favor of the experimental group in improving the level of writing performance due to the variable of the teaching method. The results of the study also showed that students have a positive trend towards using the smart board as an educational tool. The paper concludes that SMART Boards are effective alternative to traditional white boards which greatly improve the writing skills of the 6^th grade students.

Keywords: SMART Boards, writing skills, interactive, innovative

Introduction

Technological advancement has revolutionized the educational tools and techniques, making learning and writing more interesting and effective. SMART Board is similar to a normal white board in terms of appearance, however, it is a complete gadget that adds several features into the board in order to enable the teachers instruct better. It is an interactive board that has the feature of touch detection which detects and responds to the touch command given by the user. Several researches have been conducted to analyze the advantages of using SMART Boards in the classroom environment and several researches have shown that they are helpful in improving the writing skills of the students. SMART Boards can help 6th grade students to improve their writing skills (Shi et al., 2003).

Background of the Study

According to a research conducted by Gilbert (2009), white boards help in improving the writing skills of the students. This suggests that adding more features into a simple white board and blending it in computing technologies has potential benefits in helping the students to improve their writing abilities. Therefore, this study uses various researches to prove that the use of SMART Boards is helpful in enhancing the writing skills of the students, especially the students of 6^th grade.

6^th grade is considered to be a year of transition where students move from primary schools to middle schools and experience a clear difference in terms of class environment, approach to instruction and overall class environment. In this educational phase, the students face the pressure of improving their skills in terms of writing, reading, speaking, and intellectual abilities. SMART Boards are used by educational institutes to help the students overcome their weaknesses and improve in their academic abilities.

According to Gilbert (2009), SMART Board is a useful device that helps in improving the writing skills in the classroom environment. Another research was conducted by Beeland, W.D., (2002) carried out a research to study the effectiveness of SMART Boards on instructing the students, and the results showed that not only the teachers were able to augment their instructional techniques, but also the students showed greater interest and responded more positively than usual.

A study conducted showed that SMART Boards provide an interactive learning environment to the students helping them to interact, experience, visualize and understand. Such a learning environment creates fun and interest and students pay more attention and work harder as a response. The research studied a class environment where the students were shown a video broken into several breaks and after every break; the instructor used SMART Boards to write notes or summaries of the scenes shown in the video. Once the video was completed, the students were asked to write their own notes remembering the scenes of the video as well as the notes written by the instructor on the SMART Board.  The creation of such an instructional environment allowed the students to write clear and specific summaries of the videos they watched (Ellis, 2011).

There are various features in SMART Boards which are designed specifically to help the students improve their writing abilities. One of these features includes editing/proofreading options available in SMART Boards. The instructors can show the students how proofreading and editing options help to improve the quality of writing ensuring its correctness (Kissel, Lundin & Samuels, 2002).

In 6th grade, students are asked to write persuasive, descriptive, narrative, and expository genres of writing. This includes essays, reports, and responses to literature, events, ideas and issues. This is the initial introduction of these students to these forms of writings which they consider not new but also challenging. The students face the fears of getting introduced to new concepts, new styles of interpretations and writing their responses (Kissel, Lundin & Samuels, 2002).

Traditionally the teachers used various techniques such as presentations, class exercises, lectures and discussions in order to introduce the students to the new writing styles and help them understand the concepts. However, the presence of SMART Boards has created several opportunities for the teachers to apply them in the class environment and help the 6^th grade students in quickly learning the new styles of writing (Kissel, Lundin & Samuels, 2002).

SMART Boards allow the teachers to show the formats of letters, applications, essays, reports and discussion papers. The boards use interactive, colorful and innovative techniques to present the information to the students. Therefore, the students can learn and understand the new writing styles and concepts more easily and in a better and innovative style. The interactive feature of the Board is the strongest factor of this technological device that not only makes teaching and instructions easier and better for the teachers but also creates an easy, enjoyable and pleasant environment where the students learn through visualization (Gilbert, 2009) .

In order to introduce the 6^th grade students to the complex writing forms of persuasive, descriptive, narrative, and expository genres, the teachers always find SMART Boards as the best teaching strategy that allows them to create and share visuals and sounds on the boards in order to attract the complete attention of the students making them learn and improve their writing styles (Kissel, Lundin & Samuels, 2002).

Previous Studies

The researcher reviewed a number of previous studies that revealed the effect of using the smart board on some variables such as teaching method, trend .
             (Lubna, 2020) conducted a study to reveal the effect of using the smart board on improving the writing skill of students with learning difficulties and their tendency towards using it. The study consisted of 50 students (males and females) and was divided equally into two groups (controlled and experimental) . The study found that there are statistically significant differences in favor of the experimental group that used the smart board as the teaching method. The study also showed that the experimental group members showed a positive reaction towards the use of the smart board.  

)            Hazimeh, 2016) conducted a study to find out the effect of using the interactive whiteboard on improving writing skills. The study sample consisted of 61 male and female students in the second grade of primary school in the United Arab Emirates. The sample was divided by two divisions, the first control and the second experimental, and a pre-test was performed for the two groups to ensure parity between the two groups. After that, students were trained in writing skills in light of the study standards. The experiment lasted two months, at the rate of two sessions per week. After performing the post-test, the results indicated that there is a general weakness in the writing skill of the second grade students and the presence of statistically significant differences in the skill of writing in favor of the experimental group that was trained using the interactive whiteboard.

          (Lin & Tai, Ting, 2015) conducted a study in Taiwan that aimed to uncover the effect of using the interactive whiteboard in enhancing learning, developing vocabulary, and its effect on the level of language proficiency among elementary students. To achieve the objectives of the study, a test in vocabulary was used, in addition to use a questionnaire to collect data and conduct interviews to identify the impact of the interactive whiteboard on the level of language proficiency. The study sample consisted of 134 students and 56 teachers. The results of the study showed that the interactive whiteboard had a positive effect on students language proficiency level.

A study by (Fay, 2013) was to determine whether the use of the Smart Board in a classroom during individual writing lessons would increase the motivation of a student with autism. The researcher used data collection methods included daily teacher reflection journals, student behavior checklists and pre- and posttests in order to determine growth in handwriting ability. The results of the study have shown that Smart Board did increase the motivation of the student under study to independently complete writing lessons on the Smart Board. The study data showed the lack of motivation of the student while completing writing lessons with a pencil and paper.

Methodology

The study relied on the use of the experimental method (control group, experimental group, pre-test and post-test) in order to determine the effect of using the interactive smart board in developing and improving writing skills, as well as the descriptive approach for the purpose of identifying students’ attitudes towards using the interactive smart board as an educational tool.

Sample Study

The study was limited to a sample of 6^th Grade Students at Al-Faisaliah Primary School in Duba city, Saudi Arabia for the first academic year 2019.

Aim of the study

The study aimed to know the effect of using an interactive smart board on improving the writing skills of sixth grade students. The researcher prepared a performance test in writing skills, and an attitude scale consisting of (20) items on the Likert scale.

Questions of the study

The study aimed to answer the following questions:

1. What is the effect of using the interactive smart board on developing and improving the writing skills of sixth grade students?
2. What are the students’ attitudes towards using the interactive smart board as an educational tool in educational situations?

Hypothesis of the study

There are no statistically significant differences at the level of (.05) between the average performance of the members of the first group that uses the interactive smart board and the performance of the members of the second group that uses the traditional blackboard in the post measurement to test the performance of writing skills due to the variable of the teaching method (traditional – interactive whiteboard) And the interaction between them.

Statistical tools

The researcher in conducting statistical analyzes on the Statistical Package for the hypotheses as to rely on the following statistical methods program 🙁 SPSS v.25), which depends on the following statistical methods

The statistical analysis techniques include the following:

1. Pearson correlation coefficients to test the validity of questionnaire used
2. Cronbach’s Alpha to test the reliability of questionnaire used
3. Mean, Standard deviation (STD).
4. Likart scale:

likart scale
Response	weighted mean	length interval	degree
Disagree	1-1.66	0.67	low
Neutral	1.67-2.32	0.67	moderate
Agree	2.33-3	0.67	high

• The independent sample t-test; is a statistical procedure used to determine whether the mean difference between two sets of observations is zero.

H_O: The difference between the two means is not significant

H₁: The difference between the two means is significant

We reject H_O, and accept H₁ when p.value is less than or equal ( 0.05).

We accept H_O, and reject H₁ when p.value is more than ( 0.05).

• Effect size; is an interpretable number that quantifies the difference between data and some hypothesis, effect sizes allow us to compare effects -both within and across studies.

Results

First: Analysis the attitudes of the study sample’s opinions towards using smart boards to improve writing skills:-

1. Descriptive Statistics for Control Group according to using smart boards to improve writing skills

Table (1)

N	Statements	Mean		Std. Deviation		Rank		Degree
	I am bored about using the smart board	2.71		0.71		1		High
	Did you encounter difficulties while using the smart board?	2.69		0.81		2		High
	I find it difficult to deal with the smart board	2.68		0.83		3		High
	Using a smart board is tiring and difficult	2.52		0.76		4		Moderate
	I hope to learn all materials with the smart board	2.07		0.64		5		Moderate
	The smart board takes into account the individual differences between students	2.00		0.79		6		Moderate
	Does the school have rooms for the smart board arranged and organized and prepared for the educational process?	1.83		0.75		7		Moderate
	The smart board makes me remember information and keep it in my mind longer	1.77		0.73		8		Moderate
	The smart board increases my confidence in learning and breaks the barrier of shyness	1.69		0.88		9		Moderate
	Smart board meets curiosity	1.66		0.89		10		Low
	The smart board offers a variety of alternatives and access to information	1.64		0.76		11		Low
	The smart board makes teaching interesting and more fun	1.63		0.61		12		Low
	The smart board provides instant feedback that helps me correct my mistakes	1.63		0.72		13		Low
	The smart board helps me collaborate with my classmates	1.61		0.72		14		Low
	The smart board increases my focus and interaction with the teacher	1.54		0.65		15		Low
	Auto correction is a feature that helped me write on the smart board	1.49		0.82		16		Low
	The smart board increases my attention to the lesson	1.45		0.86		17		Low
	The smart board helps me to write clearly	1.45		0.74		18		Low
	Interacting with the smart board makes me more eager to write	1.38		0.76		19		Low
	A smart board gives me new skills	1.36		0.77		20		Low
			1.84		0.76		Moderate

Table (1) clarifies that there was a moderate approvement for Control Group according to using smart boards to improve writing skills, as the mean = 1.84, with standard deviation= 0.76, and 3 statements came with high approvement, and 6 statements came with moderate approvement, and 11 statements came with moderate approvement, as the statement N. 14 “I am bored about using the smart board” came first with mean = 2.71, and standard deviation = 0.71, with high approvement, then the statement N.4 “Did you encounter difficulties while using the smart board?” came second with mean = 2.69, and standard deviation = 0.81, with high approvement, on the other hand the statement N. 11 “Interacting with the smart board makes me more eager to write” came pre-last with mean = 1.38, and standard deviation = 0.76, with low approvement, and the statement N.5 “A smart board gives me new skills” came last with mean = 1.36, and standard deviation = 0.77, with low approvement.

• Descriptive Statistics for Experimental Group according to using smart boards to improve writing skills.

Table (2)

N	Statements	Mean	Std. Deviation	Rank	Degree
1	I hope to learn all materials with the smart board	2.77	0.43	1	High
2	The smart board helps me collaborate with my classmates	2.75	0.71	2	High
3	The smart board increases my attention to the lesson	2.73	0.45	3	High
7	The smart board takes into account the individual differences between students	2.71	0.68	4	High
11	Auto correction is a feature that helped me write on the smart board	2.68	0.73	5	High
14	The smart board makes teaching interesting and more fun	2.68	0.76	6	High
10	Interacting with the smart board makes me more eager to write	2.67	0.73	7	High
9	The smart board increases my focus and interaction with the teacher	2.64	0.65	8	High
4	A smart board gives me new skills	2.63	0.61	9	High
12	The smart board provides instant feedback that helps me correct my mistakes	2.62	0.73	10	High
5	Smart board meets curiosity	2.60	0.62	11	High
6	The smart board makes me remember information and keep it in my mind longer	2.59	0.68	12	High
8	The smart board offers a variety of alternatives and access to information	2.47	0.57	13	High
13	The smart board increases my confidence in learning and breaks the barrier of shyness	2.43	0.77	14	High
15	The smart board helps me to write clearly	2.37	0.67	15	High
16	Does the school have rooms for the smart board arranged and organized and prepared for the educational process?	2.24	0.63	16	Moderate
17	Did you encounter difficulties while using the smart board?	1.67	0.73	17	Moderate
18	I find it difficult to deal with the smart board	1.61	0.62	18	Low
19	Using a smart board is tiring and difficult	1.54	0.67	19	Low
20	I am bored about using the smart board	1.52	0.76	20	Low
The main dimension		2.40	0.66	High

Table (2) clarifies that there was a high approvement for experimental group according to using smart boards to improve writing skills, as the mean = 2.40, with standard deviation= 0.43, and 15 statements came with high approvement, 2 statements came with moderate approvement, and 3 statements came with low approvement,  as the statement N.1 “I hope to learn all materials with the smart board” came first with mean = 2.77, and standard deviation = 0.43, with high approvement, then the statement N.2 “The smart board helps me collaborate with my classmates” came second with mean = 2.75, and standard deviation = 0.71, with high approvement, on the other hand the statement N. 19 “Using a smart board is tiring and difficult” came pre-last with mean = 1.54, and standard deviation = 0.67, with low approvement, and the statement N.20 “I am bored about using the smart board” came last with mean = 1.52, and standard deviation = 0.76, with low approvement.

Second: The differences between the average performance for the experimental group and control group according to use the interactive smart board.

Table (3)

Groups	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	t	Sig. (2-tailed)	Significance
Control	30	1.840	0.167	-11.802	0.000	significant
Experimental	30	2.405	0.202

Table (3) clarifies that from T test, there is a highly statistically significant difference between the average performance for the experimental group and control group according to use the interactive smart board, at 95% level of confidence, and this difference is favor to the experimental group with mean and standard deviation (2.4±0.202), is more than control group with mean and standard deviation (1.84±0.167).

Third: The effect of using the interactive smart board on developing and improving the writing skills of the sixth grade students.

Table (4)

T	t2	N	N-1	Eta2
-11.80	139.30	60.00	59.00	0.70

Table (4) shows us that the effect size = 0.7 and it is large enough to infers that There is an effect of using the interactive smart board on developing and improving the writing skills of the sixth grade students.

Findings

The results of the study concluded that:

• There was a moderate approvement for Control Group according to using smart boards to improve writing skills.
• There was a high approvement for experimental group according to using smart boards to improve writing skills,
• There are significant differences between the two groups in favor of the experimental group in improving the level of writing performance due to the variable of the teaching method. The results of the study also showed that students have a positive trend towards using the smart board as an educational tool.
• There is an effect of using the interactive smart board on developing and improving the writing skills of the sixth grade students.

Recommendations

1. The study presents a number of recommendations, the most important of which are the following:
2. Equipping classrooms inside schools with an interactive smart board
3. Providing training opportunities for all students to use the interactive smart boards.
4. Overcome obstacles and encourage students to use the interactive smart boards inside their classes.
5. Helping the students to d increases their confidence in learning and breaks the barrier of shyness by using the interactive smart boards.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the advent of technology in the lives of human beings has opened doors to opportunities and every field of life is benefitting from it. SMART Board is a perfect example of a technological instrument specially designed for the classrooms with an aim to replace the traditional white boards and create a more interactive and fun filled environment in the class. The above research shows that SMART Boards have proved to be extremely useful in helping the students of 6^th grade to improve their writing skills. The teachers use various innovative features of this technological tool to instruct the students the different styles of writing which are completely new for them. As the students find it difficult to understand these new concepts and get bored in the traditional classroom environment, SMART Boards are able to retain their focus for a longer period of time which in turn helps the teachers to teach even the difficult concepts in an entertaining environment. 

References

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2. Ellis, B.F. (2011). Learning from the Land: Teaching Ecology through Stories and Activities: Teaching Ecology through Stories and Activities, California: ABC-CLIO.
3. Gilbert, C. (2009). Writing Improvement through the Whiteboard, Virginia: Second Grade Teacher Forestville Elementary Great Falls.
4. Kissel, T., Lundin, D., & Samuels, N. (2002). How to Prepare for the Cat/6 6th Grade, Carney Educational Services.
5. Shi, Y., Xie, W., Xu, G., Shi, R., Chen, E., Mao, Y., et al. (2003).The Smart Classroom: Merging Technologies for Seamless Tele-Education, Published by the IEEE CS and IEEE ComSoc, 3, 47-54.
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• Hazimeh, Sami. (2016). The effect of using a smart board in improving the performance writing skill of second-grade students in the UAE. Al-Manara Journal for Research and Studies, Aal Al-Bayt University – Jordan, 23 (3) 175-220.
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• Fay, R. (2013). To What Extent Does Smart Board Technology Increase Motivation and Participation During Writing Lessons for a Student With Autism? (Doctoral dissertation, Caldwell College).‏