Comparison of primary four students’ perceptions towards self-directed learning and collaborative learning with technology in their English writing lessons

The purpose of this study is to examine Primary school students’ perceptions towards self-directed learning (SDL) and Collaborative learning (CL) with and without the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in English writing lessons in Singapore. There were 408 students participated in this study voluntarily. The results showed that the participants’ perceptions for SDL and CL were positive in both control and ICT-enhanced experimental groups, with means ranged from 3.73 to 3.90 out of a 5-point Likert scale. Both groups’ perceptions for SDL with technology and CL with technology were consistent lower than without technology, ranged from 2.98 to 3.72. MANCOVA was used to compare the difference in perceptions between the control and the experimental groups. The results showed that there were significant differences between the two groups in the perceptions of SDL with technology and CL with technology. The experimental group used a variety of technology tools, such as tablets, online writing assistant tools and online notice boards to facilitate their narrative writings during the 5-week intervention. They have opportunities to develop self-direct learning skills through the online writing assistant tool, they practiced collaborative learning skills through sharing their narratives and providing constructive peer feedback on online notice boards. The results indicated that students in the ICT-enhanced experimental group perceived significantly more positive perceptions towards both SDL with technology and CL with technology. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the world, learning activities conducted in this study could be applicable to blended or online English lessons to facilitate the development of students’ Self-directed learning and Collaborative learning skills through the ICT-enhanced learning activities. Some recommendations will be discussed in the paper.