International Journal of Teacher Educational Research (IJTER) Vol.4 No.4 April, 2015 ISSN: 2319-4642
www.ijter.com
ATTITUDE OF UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING STUDENTS TOWARDS E-LEARNING
Mr. P.GERSHOM JEBARAJ
Research Scholar
M.S. University
Tirunelveli
Email: [email protected]
Dr. K.MOHANASUNDARAM
Principal
Government Arts College (Autonomous)
Kumbakonam
Email: [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Now a days, with the tremendous developments in technology, possibilities are emerging to
provide Technical and Engineering education in an innovative way to meet global demands. We shall
provide multidimensional and multi-disciplinary educational experiences to the learners with the help of
e-Learning. It is the utilization of technology to enrich learning process. It allows the learners to interact
with the learning material for maximum retention of the obtained knowledge. A study was undertaken to
assess the attitude of Undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-learning. For this purpose, 300
Undergraduate Engineering Students were randomly selected in Karur district of Tamilnadu. Tool to
assess Engineering Students’ Perception Towards e-Learning (TESPTe-L) was administered on them.
t-Test was applied to find out the significance of difference between different groups of various branch
Engineering Students. The overall results indicate that maximum number of Undergraduate
Engineering Students have a positive attitude towards e-Learning. Significant difference was seen in
the attitude of Male, Female, Urban and Rural Undergraduate Engineering Students towards eLearning. There is no significant difference in the attitude of Hosteller, Day Scholar, Government Quota
and Management Quota Undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-Learning.
Keywords: E-learning, Attitude, Undergraduate Engineering Students
INTRODUCTION
In this era of technological revolution, teaching through traditional methods cannot completely
meet the demands of students. Changes in the methods of teaching and learning are inevitable. There
is a need for technology aided education. The focus of all educational policies and reforms in recent
years has been on integration of technology in teaching and its impact in transforming the system of
education in our country. The inception of e-learning is a great leap towards teaching and learning
process. It has the potential to enhance and support the traditional learning system. It has been widely
used because of its flexibility. It provides the accessibility for individuals who wish to learn at their own
pace, place and time.
Attitude of undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning
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International Journal of Teacher Educational Research (IJTER) Vol.4 No.4 April, 2015 ISSN: 2319-4642
www.ijter.com
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Following objectives were framed for the present study:
1. To assess the attitude of Undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-Learning.
2. To find out the difference in the attitude of Male and Female undergraduate Engineering
students towards e-learning.
3. To find out the difference in the attitude of Hosteller and Day Scholar undergraduate
Engineering students towards e-learning.
4. To find out the difference in the attitude of Government Quota and Management Quota
undergraduate Engineering students towards e-learning.
5. To find out the difference in the attitude of Urban and Rural undergraduate Engineering
students towards e-learning.
HYPOTHESES
Following hypotheses were formulated for this research study.
1.
There is no significant difference in the attitude of Male and Female undergraduate
Engineering students towards e-learning.
2. There is no significant difference in the attitude of Hosteller and Day Scholar
undergraduate Engineering students towards e-learning.
3. There is no significant difference in the attitude of Government Quota and Management
Quota undergraduate Engineering students towards e-learning.
4. There is no significant difference in the attitude of Urban and Rural undergraduate
Engineering students towards e-learning.
METHODOLOGY
In this present study, descriptive method was used to assess the attitude of Undergraduate
Engineering Students towards e-learning. It is the process of gathering evidences in the existing
situations.
SAMPLE
Stratified random sampling technique was used in this present study. The population of the
study consisted of Undergraduate Engineering Students of different branches in Karur District of
Tamilnadu. The population was divided into three strata of Engineering Branches viz. Circuit Branch,
Non-Circuit Branch and Computer Branch. Finally, 300 Undergraduate Engineering Students were
taken as sample for this study. The distribution of the sample is shown in the Table 1.
Attitude of undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning
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International Journal of Teacher Educational Research (IJTER) Vol.4 No.4 April, 2015 ISSN: 2319-4642
www.ijter.com
Table 1
Branch -Wise Distribution of the Sample
Sl.No
Engineering Branch
Circuit Branches
1
(ECE, EEE)
Non-Circuit Branches
2
(Mechanical, Civil)
Computer Branches
3
(CSE, IT)
Total
Male
Female
Total
48
52
100
59
41
100
46
54
100
153
147
300
ADMINISTRATION OF THE TOOL TESPTE-L
To assess the attitude of the Undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-learning, an
attitude tool in the name of Tool to assess Engineering Students’ Perception Towards e-Learning
(TESPTe-L) developed by the investigators was used and administered to the Undergraduate
Engineering students belonging to different branches (Circuit, Non-Circuit and Computer) in Karur
District of Tamilnadu. The Students were explained the purpose and significance of collecting required
information from them. It was also ensured that no item was left un-attempted by any student. It was
further explained that there was no right or wrong answer to any of the items of the attitude tool.
SCORING
Likert's method of scoring was adopted for this research study. In the attitude tool, there are 25
statements. Out of the 25, 17 are positive and 8 are negative. Statements 6,8,11,13,17,20, 21 and 23
are negative and the remaining statements are positive. The procedures followed for scoring of the
positive and the negative statements are given in Tables 2 and 3.
Options
Score
Options
Score
Table 2
Scoring Procedure for Positive Statements
Strongly
Agree
Undecided
Disagree
Agree
5
4
3
2
Strongly
Disagree
1
Table 3
Scoring Procedure for Negative Statements
Strongly
Agree
Undecided
Disagree
Agree
1
2
3
4
Strongly
Disagree
5
Attitude of undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning
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International Journal of Teacher Educational Research (IJTER) Vol.4 No.4 April, 2015 ISSN: 2319-4642
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The total score of students on the attitude tool was calculated by adding the individual points
got by the Undergraduate Engineering Students for each statement of the tool.
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Frequency distribution table was prepared and percentage of the total Undergraduate
Engineering Students was calculated for each class interval of the attitude scores to assess the attitude
of Undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-learning.
STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES USED
The Statistical techniques are being used for the Descriptive and Inferential Analyses. Following
Statistical techniques were used in this present study.
1. Mean and Standard Deviation
2. “t” Test for determining the significance of difference between means of two groups.
Table 4
Frequency Distribution and Percentage of Attitude Score of Total Undergraduate Engineering
Students
Percentage of
Class Interval of Attitude Score
Frequency
Sample
111-115
05
01.60
106-110
13
04.33
101-105
33
11.00
96-100
37
12.33
91-95
52
17.33
86-90
42
14.00
81-85
40
13.33
76-80
17
05.66
71-75
24
08.00
66-70
30
10.00
61-65
07
02.33
Total
300
100
From Table 4, it is observed that 1.60 % Undergraduate Engineering Students scored highest
on attitude tool. 4.33% of the Undergraduate Engineering Students scored between 106-110 and 11%
students scored between 101–105. Table 4 also shows that 12.33% students scored between 96-100
and 17.33% students responded between 91-95 on the attitude tool. 14% students scored between 86Attitude of undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning
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International Journal of Teacher Educational Research (IJTER) Vol.4 No.4 April, 2015 ISSN: 2319-4642
www.ijter.com
90, 13.33% of students scored between 81-85, 5.66% students scored between 76-80 and 8% students
scored between 71-75. It can also be seen that 10% students scored between 66-70. Only 2.33%
students scored lowest i.e. between 61-65 on the attitude tool. Results in Table 4 indicate that about
90% students scored more than 60 points on the attitude tool. Therefore, it can be concluded that,
maximum Undergraduate Engineering Students are having positive attitude towards e-learning.
Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference in the attitude of Male and Female
undergraduate Engineering students towards e-learning.
This hypothesis deals with the difference in attitude of the male and female Undergraduate
Engineering Students towards e-learning. Mean Scores, S.D. and t-value of Male and Female
undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-Learning were calculated for testing this hypothesis.
The results are given in Table 5.
Table 5
Mean Scores, SD and t-value of Male and Female Undergraduate Engineering Students
Level of
Gender
N
Mean
SD
‘t’
Significance
Male
153
98.87
6.52
Female
147
96.03
8.40
3.77
Significant at
0.01 Level
Table 5 shows that the mean score and standard deviation of male students is 98.87 and 6.52
respectively, whereas the mean score and SD of female students is 96.03 and 8.40 respectively. The tvalue between these two groups is 3.77, which is significant at both levels of significance. It indicates
that there is significant difference in the attitude of male and female undergraduate Engineering
students towards e-learning. Hence, the fourth hypothesis “There is no significant difference in the
attitude of Male and Female undergraduate Engineering students towards e-learning” is rejected.
Hypothesis 2: There is no significant difference in the attitude of Hosteller and Day Scholar
undergraduate Engineering students towards e-learning.
This hypothesis is to compare the difference of attitude between the Hosteller and Day Scholar
undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning. Mean Scores, S.D. and t-value of Hosteller
and Day Scholar undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-Learning were calculated for testing
this hypothesis. The results are given in Table 6.
Attitude of undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning
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International Journal of Teacher Educational Research (IJTER) Vol.4 No.4 April, 2015 ISSN: 2319-4642
www.ijter.com
Table 6
Mean Scores, SD and t-value of Hosteller and Day Scholar Undergraduate Engineering Students
Level of
Type of Stay
N
Mean
SD
‘t’
Significance
Hosteller
152
97.9
7.83
Day Scholar
148
96.4
7.57
1.67
Not Significant
at 0.01 Level
Table 6 shows that the mean scores and standard deviation of Hosteller is 97.9 and 7.83
respectively whereas the mean and SD of Day Scholar students is 96.4 and 7.57 respectively. The tvalue between these two groups is 1.67, which is not significant at 0.01 level. It indicates that there is
no significant difference in the attitude of Hosteller and Day Scholar students towards e-learning.
Hence, the second hypothesis “There is no significant difference in the attitude of Hosteller and Day
Scholar undergraduate Engineering students towards e-learning” is accepted.
Hypothesis 3: There is no significant difference in the attitude of Government Quota and
Management Quota undergraduate Engineering students towards e-learning.
This hypothesis is to compare the difference of attitude between the Government Quota and
Management Quota undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning. Mean Scores, S.D. and
t-value of Government Quota and Management Quota undergraduate Engineering Students towards eLearning were calculated for testing this hypothesis. The results are given in Table 7.
Table 7
Mean Scores, SD and t-value of Government Quota and Management Quota Undergraduate
Engineering Students
Mode of
Level of
N
Mean
SD
‘t’
Admission
Significance
Government
Quota
Management
Quota
141
96.4
7.35
1.61
159
97.1
7.62
Not Significant
at 0.01 Level
Table 7 shows that the mean scores and standard deviation of Government Quota students is
96.4 and 7.35 respectively whereas the mean and SD of management Quota students is 97.1 and 7.62
respectively. The t-value between these two groups is 1.61 which is not significant at any level. It
indicates that there is no significant difference in the attitude of Government Quota and management
Quota students towards e-learning. Hence, the third hypothesis “There is no significant difference in the
Attitude of undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning
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International Journal of Teacher Educational Research (IJTER) Vol.4 No.4 April, 2015 ISSN: 2319-4642
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attitude of Government Quota and management Quota undergraduate Engineering students towards elearning” is accepted.
Hypothesis 4: There is no significant difference in the attitude of Urban and Rural
undergraduate Engineering students towards e-learning.
This hypothesis deals with the comparison between the attitude of urban and rural
Undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-learning. Mean Scores, S.D. and t-value of Urban and
Rural undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-Learning were calculated for testing this
hypothesis. The results are given in Table 8.
Table 8
Mean Scores, SD and t-value of Urban and Rural Undergraduate Engineering Students
Level of
Locality
N
Mean
SD
‘t’
Significance
Urban
140
93.36
9.61
Rural
160
89
11.33
2.67
Significant at
0.01 Level
It can be observed from Table 8 that, the mean scores of the urban and rural Undergraduate
Engineering Students are 93.36 and 89 respectively. The standard deviations of urban and rural
Undergraduate Engineering Students are 9.61 and 11.33 respectively. The t-value between these two
groups is 2.67, which is significant at 0.01 level of significance. It indicates that urban and rural
Undergraduate Engineering students have different attitudes towards e-Learning. Hence, the fourth
hypothesis, “There is no significant difference in the attitude of urban and rural Undergraduate
Engineering Students towards e-learning” is rejected.
FINDINGS
1. Table 4 indicates that about 90% Undergraduate Engineering Students scored more than 65
points on the attitude tool. Hence, it can be concluded that maximum Undergraduate Engineering
Students have positive attitude towards e-learning. It may be because they understood the utility of
technology for self learning.
2. There is significant difference in the attitude of Male and Female Undergraduate Engineering
Students towards e-learning. The above results show that interest of Male and Female Undergraduate
Engineering Students varies with regard to new technological tools and advancements. Generally male
students get more time to explore the Internet. They take more interest in electronic devices. Due to
this, Male Undergraduate Engineering students have better attitude than the female Undergraduate
Engineering students towards e-learning.
Attitude of undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning
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International Journal of Teacher Educational Research (IJTER) Vol.4 No.4 April, 2015 ISSN: 2319-4642
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3. There is no significant difference in the attitude of Hosteller and Day Scholar Undergraduate
Engineering Students towards e-learning. The reason may be that the Hosteller and Day Scholar
students are having more or less equal opportunity for exploring the e-Learning Tools.
4. There is no significant difference in the attitude of Management Quota and Government
Quota Undergraduate Engineering Students towards e-learning. The reason is the seat allotment does
not play a significant role in the attitude of Undergraduate Engineering students towards e-Learning.
Management Quota and Government Quota students are having equal opportunity to go through the eLearning platform.
5. There is significant difference in the attitude of Urban and Rural Undergraduate Engineering
Students towards e-learning. The reason may be that the urban Undergraduate Engineering students
have more exposure to technology when compared with the rural Undergraduate Engineering students.
CONCLUSION
e-Learning breaks all barriers such as geographical, cultural, gender and time. This study was
an effort to find out the attitude of Undergraduate Engineering Students belonging to different gender,
type of stay, mode of admission and locality towards e-Learning. This study has its implications for
teachers, students, planners and administrators in the field of Engineering education. The results of the
present study show that Undergraduate Engineering students have positive attitude towards e-learning.
Hence, the e-Learning can effectively be implemented in the Engineering Institutions of our country.
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