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The purpose of this study was to examine students' attitudes and abilities to teach themselves academic content using YouTube in a 10th Grade English Language Arts classroom. It was conducted over a course of four-weeks and analyzed quantitative data in the form of a survey and test scores to test the efficacy of YouTube in a formal learning environment. The demographic makeup of this study consisted of twenty-seven participants from a highly-diverse and urban Title 1 school.
This study found that students’ attitudes towards YouTube may not determine their ability to use it for learning successfully in the classroom and that YouTube could be equally as effective as teacher lecture in delivering standards-based instruction. For this reason, the lecture-test model in education should be heavily scrutinized as it does not utilize 21st Century technology to its full advantage. Educators should focus their classroom on media literacy (finding credible sources online, utilizing new technologies, and teaching oneself using the Internet) as students will need to be lifelong learners to remain competitive in the future economy. It is recommended that future research test the efficacy of emerging technologies in the classroom.** **
Chapter 1
Statement of the Problem
The advent of YouTube was revolutionary for mankind and its popularization could potentially change the face of education, forever, “students can potentially download and stream media wherever and whenever they like, affording great flexibility in learning experiences, and potentially de-tether learning from the bricks and mortar university classroom” (Thomson, Bridgestock, Willems, 2014). Colleges have increasingly embraced online/distance learning and reaped the financial and logistical benefits of its approach. What effects of this paradigm shift will trickle down to high school ELA instruction? This must be examined, as it is imperative that secondary school curriculum promote media literacy in preparation for further education (McLoughlin & Lee, 2010). Retention and persistence in online courses is an issue in higher education because students must self-motivate and self-educate (Douglas, 2010). For this reason, using online sources, such as YouTube, to teach oneself has become an essential skill in collegiate online learning and should be taught early in a student’s career.
The future economy will be highly automated and technologically driven; it is estimated that sixty-five percent of present K-12 students will work jobs that do not exist yet (“The Future of Jobs”, 2016, p. 3). In order to stay competitive in an automated and globalized economy, it will be necessary for students to teach themselves new concepts and adapt to new environments as they become obsolete . Educators should redirect their curriculum to reflect this reality by preparing students for lifelong learning outside of academia through integrating technology into the classroom (McLoughlin & Lee, 2010, p. 38). YouTube is a possible means to meet such cyclical demands as it is low-cost, exhaustive, and easy-to-use.
Educators should integrate emerging technologies which prove more cost-effective, relevant, and efficient than traditional methods into their instruction with the intention of decreasing cost of services and increasing student engagement. Although not in the interest of career educators or educational institutions, this should be a goal of a democratic and equitable society-- where all people, regardless of income, are able to receive a high-quality education for little to no cost.
Purpose of the Study
Auto-didacticism through YouTube is happening all across the world, but its efficacy has only been briefly studied. It is possible that people could become well-versed in a subject using YouTube alone, completely outside of an educational institution.
New technologies are transforming the way people learn. Online learning has become very popular in higher education and is slowly finding its way into high school curriculums. In online learning situations, YouTube videos are often utilized to supplement or replace teacher lecture. Teachers use it because it is accessible, free, current, and if the source is credible, reliable, and students love the platform because it gives them autonomy, diverse perspectives, and the ability to engage on their own schedule.
The purpose of this study is to examine students' attitudes and ability to teach themselves difficult concepts through YouTube, and test the efficacy of their approach. This study will explore how students discover information with this democratic, omnipresent, and easily accessible medium.
Significance of the Study
Self-directed online learning requires little resources: anyone with a device connected to the Internet has the ability to educate themselves. It is possible that someone in a Third World country with access to the Internet could access a high-quality education for practically free. Autodidacticism through YouTube could be used as a means to advance one’s career or self-pursuits after graduation, regardless of socioeconomic status. This is a revolutionary concept.
The sheer amount of information published on the web is enormous. Gonzalez (2004), as cited in Seimens (2005), explains, “the amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 18 months.” Human advancements in knowledge, about practically everything, is an overwhelming behemoth (Garrett-Wright, Abell, 2011). It is humanly impossible for educators to teach their students everything, and YouTube is an outlet for both parties to stay informed on emerging information.
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
This study is built mainly upon Connectivism, which states that access to information is more important than the information itself, and that “real-life learning is messy and complex” (Siemens, 2005, p. 5). Connectivism builds upon on the idea that the Internet can be utilized to share knowledge and that people learn by building upon their prior knowledge in sometimes non-linear ways.
Bandura’s (1977) Social Learning Theory is a theory that states that people learn from observing others and replicating their behaviors. Effective modeling and reproduction by the viewer is a method in which humans learn. Reproducing what has been modeled is inextricable aspect of the human experience. People can learn by watching others perform tasks on YouTube.
Bruner’s (1961) Discovery Learning Theory holds the idea that people learn best by discovering information themselves. When humans are given a problem and asked to solve it, humans rise to the occasion by exploring possibilities, wrestling difficult concepts, and arriving at conclusions. The discovery learning process allows for mistakes and insufficiencies because overcoming obstacles leads to increased motivation, creativity, and learning. Students teaching themselves through YouTube could potentially be more effective than a teacher leading students through a prescribed curriculum.
Research Questions
The following questions were examined in this study:
1.) Is there a positive correlation between a student’s confidence level in self-guided online learning and their use of YouTube to master a specific-skill (i.e. grammar usage/mechanics) in 10th grade ELA instruction?
2.) How proficient are 10th grade students, on a skill-based assessment, at self-educating via YouTube versus traditional instruction?
Hypotheses
It is hypothesized that students will value flexibility in their learning and feel alienated by the current high school educational system and traditional “sage on a stage” student-teacher relationships (Prensky, 2008). They appreciate the freedom in a “go figure it out” approach and find this learning process relevant to their daily lives. Teaching themselves feels natural because Generation Z teachers themselves with technology outside of school. It is also hypothesized that the majority of students will be able to teach themselves grammar usage and mechanics with YouTube effectively, regardless of proclaimed confidence level.
Delimitations
This study tested a small sample size, and was reflective of a very specific diverse Title 1 student body. Not all students in this study had cell phones or immediate access to the Internet at home due to cultural or financial limitations. It is plausible that these students do not interact with technology in the same manner that those who do always have access. Students may encounter difficulties and not persevere, because they have been taught how to use technology for academic purposes.
Literature Search Procedures
Using Google Trends, this researcher searched for “YouTube how to” to analyze if people were interested in using YouTube to teach themselves. The results yielded a steady increase in interest in teaching oneself via YouTube over the course of around twelve years and, as Figure 1 indicates, an extremely high interest (almost 100%) since 2012.
Mark Prensky’s, a leader and visionary in technology in education, research was heavily examined for this study. He coined the terms, “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” (Prensky, 2001, p. 1), which will referenced throughout this study. His work begs educators to adapt to the modern world through the use of technology.
Articles from JStor were found regarding the effects of technology on psychology and the brain. ProQuest was used to find dissertations, which were very specific and relevant to this topic. A simple Google search for credible, academic writing on this issue proved highly effective as well.
Definition of Terms
The following terms will be used in the present action research study:
ELA: English Language Arts
Autodidacticism: Self-directed online learning
Digital Native: a person who has been connected to the Internet for the entirety of their life (Prensky, 2001, p. 1).
Digital Immigrant: a person who lived in the era before personal computing. This person knows “about” technology, but is not fully immersed in its domain (Prensky, 2001, p. 2).
Chapter 2
Findings from Literature Review
YouTube is a major player in the Information Age. It has billions of users (Bloom & Johnston, 2010, p. 113), accounts for hundreds of millions of hours of watch time and billions of views each day, has local versions in 76 different languages, and covers 95% of the world’s population. The average time spent on YouTube is forty minutes, and the average amount of video posted to YouTube per minute is 300 hours (“YouTube Statistics,” 2016). With this daily exponential expansion, it is possible that YouTube could become an essential part of the educational system (Fleck, Beckman, Sterns, & Hussey, 2014, p. 23).
Live vs. Online Instruction
Figlio, Rush, & Yin (2010) were the self-proclaimed first group to study the efficacy of online instruction versus live instruction. They found that live instruction showed a modest, almost negligible, increase in learning on a standardized tests. However, the researchers did find a discrepancy in participants whom were Hispanic, male, and low-achieving. Figlio, Rush, & Yin (2010), concluded that online instruction may prove effective for traditional students; however, “students from different language backgrounds, experience or motivation levels might have different experiences in live versus Internet only settings” (p.13).
In a later study, Driscoll, Jícha, Hunt, Tichavsky, & Gretchen (2012) studied satisfaction and success in a university level Sociology course in online versus F2F (face-to-face) scenarios. The professor taught the exact same material online and in a traditional classroom. The researchers found similar results to that of Figlio, Rush, & Yin (2010) stating that, online education is only effective when designed correctly (Driscoll et. al., 2012, 323). When it came to satisfaction, they found that students found each learning online or in a classroom was equally satisfactory. Their consensus, congruent with other studies they reviewed, was that there is no difference in the efficacy of online or classroom learning (p.325).
Persistence and Autodidactic Online Learning
Successful self-directed learning requires two key elements in order to be successful: an instructional method process and the responsibility and personality of the learner (Svedberg, 2010). Persistence and tenacity is an integral part of autodidacticism, especially in online distance learning. The dropout rates are higher in online programs as opposed to traditional classroom programs (Douglas, 2010).
A measurement tool exists for self-directed learning “readiness,” Guglielmino’s (1978) Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale. In Svedberg’s (2010) study, students were measured with this scale. The vast majority of students were labeled as “persisters” as opposed to “non-persisters.” However, the results of the study found that students labeled “non-persistent” actually scored higher on an assessment, which befuddled the researcher and contradicted popular learning theories outlined in Svedberg’s dissertation (p.44).
Douglas (2010) also studied persistence in self-directed online learning. His study focused on the correlation of students’ persistence amongst perceived barriers of success in online learning for adults. Similarly to Svedberg (2010), Douglas did not find a correlation between perceived barriers in self-directed learning and participants’ decisions to participate in self-directed learning. Adults were motivated to learn in online environments regardless of their personal situations. In fact, there was an overwhelming amount of interest amongst adults in autodidactic online learning environments; 84 percent of adults surveyed said that they wished to self-educate online (p. 92).
Technology and the Brain
Greenfeld (2016) studied how emerging technologies affect digital natives’ brains. Greenfeld found that Millennials process information differently than their predecessors. Since information is readily available at all times through the Internet; rote memorization is becoming increasingly unnecessary. Greenfeld concludes that technology, “reduces our motivation to acquire new knowledge that dwells in our heads” and that, “parents and teachers need strategies to educate a generation that increasingly believes all relevant knowledge resides online” (p. 342).
Fisher, Goddu, & Keil (2015) studied a person’s ability to use the Internet and their confidence level in answering general knowledge questions. Participants were asked simple questions like, “Why are there leap years?” and “Why are there more women than men?” When given access to a search engine, the researchers found an increase in participants confidence levels when given access to a search engine, even if their searches were insufficient. The researchers explained a “transactive” memory exchange with the Internet. Since human memory is highly fallible, humans have began to refer to search engines and, the Internet in general, to access knowledge. However, the participants had an inflated sense of what they knew and displayed an overconfidence in answering questions.
Millennial Attitudes towards YouTube
Fleck, Beckman, Sterns, & Hussey (2014) studied effective ways to use YouTube in a college-level psychology course. Their study utilized high-interest and entertaining, yet relevant, YouTube videos in order to teach content. Their selection included videos from popular culture i.e. Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Bang Theory. When surveyed before the experiment, 80 percent of students said that they found they videos helpful in an academic setting. In a post-experiment survey, 97.3 percent of students felt that the YouTube videos were useful and aided in learning. There was a positive correlation with students’ attitudes towards YouTube after they experienced how YouTube could be used positively in the curriculum. The study concluded that there were two elements in which the students found most helpful: entertainment and correlation to the curriculum.
Baby Boomers Attitudes towards YouTube
Thomson, Bridgstock, and Willems (2014) studied the generational attitudes between Baby Boomers and Millennials about using video in the classroom. Baby Boomers, who teach Millennials, may see emerging technology as a distraction and detractor from education, while Millennials see it as a viable means of credible information (Garrett-Wright & Abbell, 2011). This generational divide is a source of friction in the classroom. Attitudes towards emerging technologies heavily affects how teachers use video in the classroom and its efficacy. When veteran teachers create videos, they tend to make them in an online lecture format. However, this is not the most effective way to exploit the medium of video (Thomson, Bridgstock, Willems, 2014). There is a disconnect between how Baby Boomers and Millennials consume technology, and this may lead to conflicting views on the role of technology in the classroom, and consequently, how to use it in an effective way. The content within the video must be relevant to the course and the student’s interest (Thomson, Bridgstock, Willems, 2014), (Fleck, Beckman, Sterns, & Hussey, 2014, p. 23). When Baby Boomers are unable to meet these needs through video, their skepticism is confirmed. However, this is not a problem with the student, but rather with the teacher because developing quality videos requires a skill set which often times Baby Boomers do not have (Thomson, Bridgstock, Willems, 2014, p.76).
Conclusions
Academics overwhelming agree on one thing: not enough academic research exists on YouTube or video as a viable means of disseminating information in the classroom (Garrett-Wright & Abbell, 2011); (Thomson, Bridgstock, Willems, 2014); (Greenfeld, 2016); (Svedberg, 2010). Researchers, academics, and educators realize that education is incongruent with future lifestyles and economy (Bloom & Johnston, 2010). The process of redefining a modern education exemplar requires cross-generational understanding, feedback, and integration (Garrett-Wright & Abbell, 2011). There is a technological rift that exists between those who grew up with technology in their households (digital natives) and those which learned to adapt (digital immigrants) (Prensky, 2001), and YouTube may be a tool to mend this schism in the classroom. YouTube is easy to use, ubiquitous, and free (Garrett-Wright & Abbell, 2011). It is possible that entire courses will one day be based entirely around YouTube, which could make the generational divide in teaching irrelevant.
Implications for Future Research
Educators must reconcile traditional pedagogy and modern society. Future research should scrutinize the lecture-test model in education and examine the role of the teacher in the classroom as emerging technologies that may be more cost-effective, relevant, and efficient than traditional education are introduced.
The efficacy of self-directed online learning is difficult to measure in an online setting. Svedberg’s (2010) studied yielded contradictory results than pontificated: there may not be a correlation between self-motivation and self-directed online learning efficacy. A difficulty cited was the hurdle of getting honest and thoughtful feedback from participants, especially those considered “non-persisters”. Svedberg (2010) also believes that “reading avidity, GPA, how a student connects to the Internet, and work obligations should also be considered in future studies. Douglas (2010) states that his study could have been improved by taking a larger and truly random sample rather than examining a specific population.
Researchers should examine the use of YouTube in everyday life rather than isolated controlled settings. In a controlled setting YouTube may prove to be highly effective. However, in everyday situations, as Greenfeld (2015) postulates, YouTube may prove to be just another distraction. Researchers should understand that there is a difference of how students interact with technology in a formal experimental setting rather than browsing at home, where there are an infinite amount of distractions. In order to account for this, researchers could possibly let students multitask while they conduct an experiment to simulate a realistic setting. Or, researchers could use an informal setting while conducting an experiment to extrapolate more convincing results.
Chapter 3
Research Design
The design of this research was experimental. Both classes were taught the same topic but were delivered content differently. Students were given three pre/post tests over a span of four weeks.The order of the research experiment was as followed:
Students were given an attitudes survey regarding their use of YouTube.
A pretest was administered.
Instruction lasted around twenty minutes. The control group received instruction by teacher lecture and the experimental group was given a YouTube playlist to view at their leisure. Instruction in the control group was traditional teacher lecture, whereas the experimental group received instruction by watching YouTube videos in playlists curated by the teacher. In the control group, students were lectured with a PowerPoint presentation
A worksheet was given to students for practice.
A posttest was administered.
Only quantitative data was collected for this experiment because qualitative data was not necessarily relevant to the tested outcomes. The independent variable for this experiment was the method of delivery and the dependent variable was student growth by percentage points.
Sampling
The sample was not random; the classes were based upon scheduling by the school’s administration. Both the control and experiment groups were English II Standard classes of comparable ability level.
Participants
This research was conducted at a Title 1 school in Middle Tennessee. The participants of this study consisted of a highly diverse student body, many of whom were bilingual. There were twenty-two students total. Four students spoke Arabic and fourteen spoke Spanish. There were also two black students and two Asian students. Four students were enrolled in ELL programs, and one student had an IEP. Nineteen of these students were in 10th grade and three were registered 12th graders.
The experimental group consisted of seventeen students. The majority of students were also bilingual. The class consisted of four Arabic speakers, nine Spanish speakers, three black students and one white student. Eight students were enrolled in an ELL program and one had an IEP. Thirteen of the students were in 10th grade and four were registered 12th graders.
Data Collection
The research used an experimental approach of collecting data. Quantitative data was measured to answer the following questions:
1.) Is there a positive correlation between a student’s confidence level in self-guided online learning and successful use of YouTube to master a specific-skill (i.e. grammar usage/mechanics) in 10th grade ELA instruction?
2.) How proficient are 10th grade students at self-educating, on a skill-based assessment, via YouTube?
Apparatus or Instruments
Students in both the control and experimental group were administered pre/post tests with Kahoot at the end of each class session. Kahoot has been used several times in the classroom before and was familiar to the students. Kahoot was used for ease of use and reliability in data collection. Students used their cell phones or school issued computers to complete the tests.
A survey was given on Google Forms using a Likert scale (1-5) to test students attitudes towards self-directed learning and YouTube before the experiment began. The questions consisted of how comfortable students were with YouTube, teaching themselves, and their attitudes towards utilizing YouTube in a classroom setting.
Data Analysis
Data was collected in order to test the effectiveness of YouTube as an instructional method in the classroom. The researcher collected and analyzed students’ attitudes towards using YouTube and compared their responses with their average scores on posttests. Posttest data was also used to compare the efficacy of YouTube in autodidactic instruction to traditional lecture in a 10th grade ELA classroom.
Ethical Behavior
This researcher conducted an ethical study. Parents were given letters of consent forms at the beginning of the study, which were signed and returned to the researcher before any research data was collected. This study did not interfere with the curriculum in any way. All personal information from students was anonymized by assigning students’ names to numerical digits. The data was kept securely by the researcher. The school district and name of the school did not appear in any presentation or publication of data. This researcher also realizes that limitations in this study do exist, meaning that it may not be generalized to other populations.
Chapter 4
Pre-Instruction Assessment
An attitudes survey was given to all 27 students who participated in the study to determine how students interacted with YouTube. This survey quantified student comfortability levels with the medium, usage amount, general attitudes, and their preferred teaching model
(YouTube vs. lecture vs. hybrid). The researcher did not want to make any assumptions about how students used the platform and was interested in getting a general idea of how students used YouTube, and if they felt it could be used in an academic context.
Figure 3 indicates that the majority of students were “very comfortable” and confident in their ability to teach themselves using YouTube. Zero percent of students responded that they were “not comfortable” whereas forty-eight percent were “very comfortable.” Only three students (eleven percent) noted that they were less than comfortable.
There is a correlation between students’ comfortability levels and usage. For example, forty-eight percent were daily users and forty-eight percent of students were “very comfortable.” Eleven percent of students reported being less than comfortable and eleven percent of students used it once a week.
Figure 4. Students’ Preferences for Methods of Instruction.
Figure 4 indicates the majority of students prefered a hybrid teaching method; Fifty-nine percent of students gravitated towards a mixture of lecture and teaching themselves.
Figure 5. Student Attitudes Towards Using YouTube in the Classroom.
Figure 5 shows that the vast majority (eighty-five percent) of students found YouTube to be a useful tool in the classroom.
** Post-Instruction Results**
Figure 6. Percentage Increase after Instruction Intervention.
Figure 6 compares the increase in scores between the pretest and the posttest with the Lecture (control) and YouTube (experimental) group for three different lessons (MLA format, comma/semicolon usage, and parallel structure). There was a +13.79% difference in the control group lecture with MLA format. However, there was a -.98% difference in identifying needs for commas or semicolons and -.48% differences in parallel structure.
Figure 7. Correlation Between Average Score and Reported Comfortability Levels.
Figure 7 shows the comfortability rating students indicated on a pre-study survey versus the average score they received on three tests. The average score of students who responded a comfortability level of “2” scored, on average, 70%, “3’ scored 88.3%, “4,” 71.4%, and “5,” 62%. A higher report in comfortability level did not result in a higher score. In fact, those who marked a level of “3” scored better than those, on average, who marked a “5.”
Chapter 5
Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Summary of the Study
This study seeked to test the efficacy of autodidactism in 10th grade in English Language Arts (ELA) instruction and examine students’ attitudes towards using YouTube for learning in the classroom. Twenty-seven students in two different ELA classes participated in a four-week long study. The students took a pre-study survey for the researcher to better understand how students used YouTube in their daily lives and how they felt about using YouTube for learning. Each class took part in three sessions on different aspects of the 10th grade ELA curriculum.
The three sessions were intensive and required full attention from the students. For the most part, students took the experiment very seriously and answered questions to their best ability. In general, the sessions lasted a little over an hour and consisted of a pre-test, instruction (lecture or YouTube), and a post-test. In the lecture session, students were administered instruction by a slide show presentation and in the YouTube session, students were given a YouTube playlist curated by the researcher. After each session, students were given a worksheet to complete before the posttest.
Interpretation of Results
The results of this study indicate that YouTube may be a viable tool in this classroom. High school students gravitate towards the resource and they use it in their daily lives. Students are comfortable with using YouTube and also feel that it is a useful tool in learning. As this study indicates, autodidacticism with YouTube produced comparable results with teacher lecture in two out of three sessions. In the MLA session, there was a stark increase of 13.79%. A possible explanation for why this occurred is because the questions were mostly qualitative. The questions were not grammatical, they rather asked specific questions about the conventions of MLA format. The researcher may have “taught to the test,” giving the control group an advantage over the experimental group, which was not the intention of the researcher.
Links to Literature Review
Thomson, Bridgstock & Willems (2014) postulate that the ability to stream content allows students to circumvent the brick and mortar classroom. This reality has massive implications on the future of education and its business model; a school building is unnecessary for learning. For this reason, McLoughlin & Lee (2010) believe that educators should focus their curriculum on teaching students media literacy: how to find credible sources online, utilize new technologies, and teach themselves using the Internet.
Figlio, Rush, & Yin (2010), concluded that online instruction may prove effective for traditional students, however, students from lower socioeconomic classes may have difficulty using technology for learning. The researcher’s study would need to be compared with similar studies to test the validity of this statement, but this researcher found that their Title 1 students had little difficulty using teaching themselves using YouTube. In congruence with the conclusions of Driscoll et. al. (2012, p. 323), this researchers also found the efficacy of self-directed learning compared to teacher lecture were similar. In regards to increases in test score, there is no advantage in teacher lecture as a means to disseminate information.
In line with Douglas (2010) and Svedberg (2010), this researcher found no correlation in students’ perceived confidence and their ability to self-educate. Their attitude towards autodidacticism was, for the most part, irrelevant. In fact, Svedberg’s (2010) study found that students that labeled themselves as “non-persisters” actually scored better on assessments than those who were “persisters”. This study echoed that notion; students who marked “3” on a confidence level measure scored scored much higher those who labeled themselves a “5.”
Limitations
Limitations related to the findings were that the technology used in this study was temperamental. At times, computers froze or locked students out from logging in to the computer. Students may have been frustrated with the technology that was available to them for this reason, resulting in a lower test score. Another limitation related to this study were time restraints. The researcher wanted to perform more sessions with students but was unable to due to block scheduling, other classroom responsibilities, Spring Break, and school closings due to weather. Continuous sessions may have produced different results as students would be familiar with the format of the experiment and have scored better as a result.
Conclusions
After analyzing quantitative data, this researcher has concluded that YouTube may be an effective tool in the classroom. In some cases, YouTube is equally, or more, effective than teacher lecture. The researcher also found that students’ reported comfortability levels with YouTube may not indicate better scores on post-tests.
While compiling the playlists used for this study, this researcher found that some YouTube videos explained difficult concepts excellently. Fleck, Beckman, Sterns & Hussey (2014) discuss the advantages of using videos over teacher lecture in the classroom because videos are not bound by time, location, student or teacher mood, etc. YouTube is a massive library of videos created by experts in their field, and as new content is uploaded regularly, a place for breaking stories in every field. Overall, it is a dynamic tool that has many advantages over teacher lecture and is only getting better and more capable with time.
All teachers can find useful content on YouTube and few reasons exist to not to use it in the classroom. Educators in every field should consider uploading videos of their own to add content to the already deep breadth of knowledge. A technological future is a reality that must be embraced by educators. Teaching static information in a textbook is losing relevancy, and more dynamic means of disseminating information should be explored and utilized in the classroom to push Education into the 21st Century.
Recommendations
The findings from this study suggest that YouTube is an asset in the classroom. Students may use this website for self-directed learning or as a supplement to classroom instruction. Teachers should teach students how to search for and locate credible sources or create playlists for their students to view. This could allow students to engage with instruction outside of the classroom.
Implications for Further Research
YouTube should be further studied in K-12 education to explore its applications in the classroom, in online environments, and in autodidactic learning. It is changing the way people consume information, but is often not recognized formally as a viable resource by academia. This researcher would like to see studies that lasted longer on the subject to further its efficacy. Studies should be conducted with the consideration of having an online class built entirely around YouTube videos. If this is a reality, it would make the instruction aspect of education at no cost, which is a revolutionary concept.
In the future, students could theoretically “choose” their teacher. YouTube is a database of knowledge that is exponentially expanding. If a student does not understand their teacher, it could be utilized by students to get a different perspective or explanation, or it could be used in isolation for content delivery. Education should constantly strive to acknowledge tools that are free and readily available for academic and career advancement.
Action Plan
This researcher will use YouTube more frequently in the classroom. Along with lecture, YouTube playlists will be created for students to review concepts, receive further instruction, or as a means to receive instruction in lieu of absenteeism. Videos will also be created by the researcher more frequently to use in the classroom in the place of lecture. Media literacy will be a focus; Students will be taught how to find credible videos and how to use them for academic purposes. The researcher will encourage autonomy by teaching students to use the site to further their academic, career, and personal pursuits.
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Svedberg, M. K. (2010). Self-directed learning and persistence in online asynchronous
undergraduate programs (Order No. DP19199). Available from ProQuest Dissertations
(1021198144). http://search.proquest.com/docview/1021198144?accountid=56742
YouTube Statistics. (2016). https://www.YouTube.com/yt/press/statistics.html
Thomson, A., Bridgstock, R., & Willems, C. (2014). ‘Teachers flipping out’ beyond the online lecture: Maximising the educational potential of video. JLD Journal of Learning Design, 7(3). doi:10.5204/jld.v7i3.209
Wright, D. G., & Abell, C. H. (2011). Using YouTube to bridge the gap between Baby Boomers and Millennials. Journal of Nursing Education J Nurs Educ, 50(5), 299-300. doi:10.3928/01484834-20110419-03
The purpose of this study was to examine students' attitudes and abilities to teach themselves academic content using YouTube in a 10th Grade English Language Arts classroom. It was conducted over a course of four-weeks and analyzed quantitative data in the form of a survey and test scores to test the efficacy of YouTube in a formal learning environment. The demographic makeup of this study consisted of twenty-seven participants from a highly-diverse and urban Title 1 school.
This study found that students’ attitudes towards YouTube may not determine their ability to use it for learning successfully in the classroom and that YouTube could be equally as effective as teacher lecture in delivering standards-based instruction. For this reason, the lecture-test model in education should be heavily scrutinized as it does not utilize 21st Century technology to its full advantage. Educators should focus their classroom on media literacy (finding credible sources online, utilizing new technologies, and teaching oneself using the Internet) as students will need to be lifelong learners to remain competitive in the future economy. It is recommended that future research test the efficacy of emerging technologies in the classroom.** **
Chapter 1
Statement of the Problem
The advent of YouTube was revolutionary for mankind and its popularization could potentially change the face of education, forever, “students can potentially download and stream media wherever and whenever they like, affording great flexibility in learning experiences, and potentially de-tether learning from the bricks and mortar university classroom” (Thomson, Bridgestock, Willems, 2014). Colleges have increasingly embraced online/distance learning and reaped the financial and logistical benefits of its approach. What effects of this paradigm shift will trickle down to high school ELA instruction? This must be examined, as it is imperative that secondary school curriculum promote media literacy in preparation for further education (McLoughlin & Lee, 2010). Retention and persistence in online courses is an issue in higher education because students must self-motivate and self-educate (Douglas, 2010). For this reason, using online sources, such as YouTube, to teach oneself has become an essential skill in collegiate online learning and should be taught early in a student’s career.
The future economy will be highly automated and technologically driven; it is estimated that sixty-five percent of present K-12 students will work jobs that do not exist yet (“The Future of Jobs”, 2016, p. 3). In order to stay competitive in an automated and globalized economy, it will be necessary for students to teach themselves new concepts and adapt to new environments as they become obsolete . Educators should redirect their curriculum to reflect this reality by preparing students for lifelong learning outside of academia through integrating technology into the classroom (McLoughlin & Lee, 2010, p. 38). YouTube is a possible means to meet such cyclical demands as it is low-cost, exhaustive, and easy-to-use.
Educators should integrate emerging technologies which prove more cost-effective, relevant, and efficient than traditional methods into their instruction with the intention of decreasing cost of services and increasing student engagement. Although not in the interest of career educators or educational institutions, this should be a goal of a democratic and equitable society-- where all people, regardless of income, are able to receive a high-quality education for little to no cost.
Purpose of the Study
Auto-didacticism through YouTube is happening all across the world, but its efficacy has only been briefly studied. It is possible that people could become well-versed in a subject using YouTube alone, completely outside of an educational institution.
New technologies are transforming the way people learn. Online learning has become very popular in higher education and is slowly finding its way into high school curriculums. In online learning situations, YouTube videos are often utilized to supplement or replace teacher lecture. Teachers use it because it is accessible, free, current, and if the source is credible, reliable, and students love the platform because it gives them autonomy, diverse perspectives, and the ability to engage on their own schedule.
The purpose of this study is to examine students' attitudes and ability to teach themselves difficult concepts through YouTube, and test the efficacy of their approach. This study will explore how students discover information with this democratic, omnipresent, and easily accessible medium.
Significance of the Study
Self-directed online learning requires little resources: anyone with a device connected to the Internet has the ability to educate themselves. It is possible that someone in a Third World country with access to the Internet could access a high-quality education for practically free. Autodidacticism through YouTube could be used as a means to advance one’s career or self-pursuits after graduation, regardless of socioeconomic status. This is a revolutionary concept.
The sheer amount of information published on the web is enormous. Gonzalez (2004), as cited in Seimens (2005), explains, “the amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 18 months.” Human advancements in knowledge, about practically everything, is an overwhelming behemoth (Garrett-Wright, Abell, 2011). It is humanly impossible for educators to teach their students everything, and YouTube is an outlet for both parties to stay informed on emerging information.
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
This study is built mainly upon Connectivism, which states that access to information is more important than the information itself, and that “real-life learning is messy and complex” (Siemens, 2005, p. 5). Connectivism builds upon on the idea that the Internet can be utilized to share knowledge and that people learn by building upon their prior knowledge in sometimes non-linear ways.
Bandura’s (1977) Social Learning Theory is a theory that states that people learn from observing others and replicating their behaviors. Effective modeling and reproduction by the viewer is a method in which humans learn. Reproducing what has been modeled is inextricable aspect of the human experience. People can learn by watching others perform tasks on YouTube.
Bruner’s (1961) Discovery Learning Theory holds the idea that people learn best by discovering information themselves. When humans are given a problem and asked to solve it, humans rise to the occasion by exploring possibilities, wrestling difficult concepts, and arriving at conclusions. The discovery learning process allows for mistakes and insufficiencies because overcoming obstacles leads to increased motivation, creativity, and learning. Students teaching themselves through YouTube could potentially be more effective than a teacher leading students through a prescribed curriculum.
Research Questions
The following questions were examined in this study:
1.) Is there a positive correlation between a student’s confidence level in self-guided online learning and their use of YouTube to master a specific-skill (i.e. grammar usage/mechanics) in 10th grade ELA instruction?
2.) How proficient are 10th grade students, on a skill-based assessment, at self-educating via YouTube versus traditional instruction?
Hypotheses
It is hypothesized that students will value flexibility in their learning and feel alienated by the current high school educational system and traditional “sage on a stage” student-teacher relationships (Prensky, 2008). They appreciate the freedom in a “go figure it out” approach and find this learning process relevant to their daily lives. Teaching themselves feels natural because Generation Z teachers themselves with technology outside of school. It is also hypothesized that the majority of students will be able to teach themselves grammar usage and mechanics with YouTube effectively, regardless of proclaimed confidence level.
Delimitations
This study tested a small sample size, and was reflective of a very specific diverse Title 1 student body. Not all students in this study had cell phones or immediate access to the Internet at home due to cultural or financial limitations. It is plausible that these students do not interact with technology in the same manner that those who do always have access. Students may encounter difficulties and not persevere, because they have been taught how to use technology for academic purposes.
Literature Search Procedures
Using Google Trends, this researcher searched for “YouTube how to” to analyze if people were interested in using YouTube to teach themselves. The results yielded a steady increase in interest in teaching oneself via YouTube over the course of around twelve years and, as Figure 1 indicates, an extremely high interest (almost 100%) since 2012.
Mark Prensky’s, a leader and visionary in technology in education, research was heavily examined for this study. He coined the terms, “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” (Prensky, 2001, p. 1), which will referenced throughout this study. His work begs educators to adapt to the modern world through the use of technology.
Articles from JStor were found regarding the effects of technology on psychology and the brain. ProQuest was used to find dissertations, which were very specific and relevant to this topic. A simple Google search for credible, academic writing on this issue proved highly effective as well.
Definition of Terms
The following terms will be used in the present action research study:
ELA: English Language Arts
Autodidacticism: Self-directed online learning
Digital Native: a person who has been connected to the Internet for the entirety of their life (Prensky, 2001, p. 1).
Digital Immigrant: a person who lived in the era before personal computing. This person knows “about” technology, but is not fully immersed in its domain (Prensky, 2001, p. 2).
Chapter 2
Findings from Literature Review
YouTube is a major player in the Information Age. It has billions of users (Bloom & Johnston, 2010, p. 113), accounts for hundreds of millions of hours of watch time and billions of views each day, has local versions in 76 different languages, and covers 95% of the world’s population. The average time spent on YouTube is forty minutes, and the average amount of video posted to YouTube per minute is 300 hours (“YouTube Statistics,” 2016). With this daily exponential expansion, it is possible that YouTube could become an essential part of the educational system (Fleck, Beckman, Sterns, & Hussey, 2014, p. 23).
Live vs. Online Instruction
Figlio, Rush, & Yin (2010) were the self-proclaimed first group to study the efficacy of online instruction versus live instruction. They found that live instruction showed a modest, almost negligible, increase in learning on a standardized tests. However, the researchers did find a discrepancy in participants whom were Hispanic, male, and low-achieving. Figlio, Rush, & Yin (2010), concluded that online instruction may prove effective for traditional students; however, “students from different language backgrounds, experience or motivation levels might have different experiences in live versus Internet only settings” (p.13).
In a later study, Driscoll, Jícha, Hunt, Tichavsky, & Gretchen (2012) studied satisfaction and success in a university level Sociology course in online versus F2F (face-to-face) scenarios. The professor taught the exact same material online and in a traditional classroom. The researchers found similar results to that of Figlio, Rush, & Yin (2010) stating that, online education is only effective when designed correctly (Driscoll et. al., 2012, 323). When it came to satisfaction, they found that students found each learning online or in a classroom was equally satisfactory. Their consensus, congruent with other studies they reviewed, was that there is no difference in the efficacy of online or classroom learning (p.325).
Persistence and Autodidactic Online Learning
Successful self-directed learning requires two key elements in order to be successful: an instructional method process and the responsibility and personality of the learner (Svedberg, 2010). Persistence and tenacity is an integral part of autodidacticism, especially in online distance learning. The dropout rates are higher in online programs as opposed to traditional classroom programs (Douglas, 2010).
A measurement tool exists for self-directed learning “readiness,” Guglielmino’s (1978) Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale. In Svedberg’s (2010) study, students were measured with this scale. The vast majority of students were labeled as “persisters” as opposed to “non-persisters.” However, the results of the study found that students labeled “non-persistent” actually scored higher on an assessment, which befuddled the researcher and contradicted popular learning theories outlined in Svedberg’s dissertation (p.44).
Douglas (2010) also studied persistence in self-directed online learning. His study focused on the correlation of students’ persistence amongst perceived barriers of success in online learning for adults. Similarly to Svedberg (2010), Douglas did not find a correlation between perceived barriers in self-directed learning and participants’ decisions to participate in self-directed learning. Adults were motivated to learn in online environments regardless of their personal situations. In fact, there was an overwhelming amount of interest amongst adults in autodidactic online learning environments; 84 percent of adults surveyed said that they wished to self-educate online (p. 92).
Technology and the Brain
Greenfeld (2016) studied how emerging technologies affect digital natives’ brains. Greenfeld found that Millennials process information differently than their predecessors. Since information is readily available at all times through the Internet; rote memorization is becoming increasingly unnecessary. Greenfeld concludes that technology, “reduces our motivation to acquire new knowledge that dwells in our heads” and that, “parents and teachers need strategies to educate a generation that increasingly believes all relevant knowledge resides online” (p. 342).
Fisher, Goddu, & Keil (2015) studied a person’s ability to use the Internet and their confidence level in answering general knowledge questions. Participants were asked simple questions like, “Why are there leap years?” and “Why are there more women than men?” When given access to a search engine, the researchers found an increase in participants confidence levels when given access to a search engine, even if their searches were insufficient. The researchers explained a “transactive” memory exchange with the Internet. Since human memory is highly fallible, humans have began to refer to search engines and, the Internet in general, to access knowledge. However, the participants had an inflated sense of what they knew and displayed an overconfidence in answering questions.
Millennial Attitudes towards YouTube
Fleck, Beckman, Sterns, & Hussey (2014) studied effective ways to use YouTube in a college-level psychology course. Their study utilized high-interest and entertaining, yet relevant, YouTube videos in order to teach content. Their selection included videos from popular culture i.e. Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Bang Theory. When surveyed before the experiment, 80 percent of students said that they found they videos helpful in an academic setting. In a post-experiment survey, 97.3 percent of students felt that the YouTube videos were useful and aided in learning. There was a positive correlation with students’ attitudes towards YouTube after they experienced how YouTube could be used positively in the curriculum. The study concluded that there were two elements in which the students found most helpful: entertainment and correlation to the curriculum.
Baby Boomers Attitudes towards YouTube
Thomson, Bridgstock, and Willems (2014) studied the generational attitudes between Baby Boomers and Millennials about using video in the classroom. Baby Boomers, who teach Millennials, may see emerging technology as a distraction and detractor from education, while Millennials see it as a viable means of credible information (Garrett-Wright & Abbell, 2011). This generational divide is a source of friction in the classroom. Attitudes towards emerging technologies heavily affects how teachers use video in the classroom and its efficacy. When veteran teachers create videos, they tend to make them in an online lecture format. However, this is not the most effective way to exploit the medium of video (Thomson, Bridgstock, Willems, 2014). There is a disconnect between how Baby Boomers and Millennials consume technology, and this may lead to conflicting views on the role of technology in the classroom, and consequently, how to use it in an effective way. The content within the video must be relevant to the course and the student’s interest (Thomson, Bridgstock, Willems, 2014), (Fleck, Beckman, Sterns, & Hussey, 2014, p. 23). When Baby Boomers are unable to meet these needs through video, their skepticism is confirmed. However, this is not a problem with the student, but rather with the teacher because developing quality videos requires a skill set which often times Baby Boomers do not have (Thomson, Bridgstock, Willems, 2014, p.76).
Conclusions
Academics overwhelming agree on one thing: not enough academic research exists on YouTube or video as a viable means of disseminating information in the classroom (Garrett-Wright & Abbell, 2011); (Thomson, Bridgstock, Willems, 2014); (Greenfeld, 2016); (Svedberg, 2010). Researchers, academics, and educators realize that education is incongruent with future lifestyles and economy (Bloom & Johnston, 2010). The process of redefining a modern education exemplar requires cross-generational understanding, feedback, and integration (Garrett-Wright & Abbell, 2011). There is a technological rift that exists between those who grew up with technology in their households (digital natives) and those which learned to adapt (digital immigrants) (Prensky, 2001), and YouTube may be a tool to mend this schism in the classroom. YouTube is easy to use, ubiquitous, and free (Garrett-Wright & Abbell, 2011). It is possible that entire courses will one day be based entirely around YouTube, which could make the generational divide in teaching irrelevant.
Implications for Future Research
Educators must reconcile traditional pedagogy and modern society. Future research should scrutinize the lecture-test model in education and examine the role of the teacher in the classroom as emerging technologies that may be more cost-effective, relevant, and efficient than traditional education are introduced.
The efficacy of self-directed online learning is difficult to measure in an online setting. Svedberg’s (2010) studied yielded contradictory results than pontificated: there may not be a correlation between self-motivation and self-directed online learning efficacy. A difficulty cited was the hurdle of getting honest and thoughtful feedback from participants, especially those considered “non-persisters”. Svedberg (2010) also believes that “reading avidity, GPA, how a student connects to the Internet, and work obligations should also be considered in future studies. Douglas (2010) states that his study could have been improved by taking a larger and truly random sample rather than examining a specific population.
Researchers should examine the use of YouTube in everyday life rather than isolated controlled settings. In a controlled setting YouTube may prove to be highly effective. However, in everyday situations, as Greenfeld (2015) postulates, YouTube may prove to be just another distraction. Researchers should understand that there is a difference of how students interact with technology in a formal experimental setting rather than browsing at home, where there are an infinite amount of distractions. In order to account for this, researchers could possibly let students multitask while they conduct an experiment to simulate a realistic setting. Or, researchers could use an informal setting while conducting an experiment to extrapolate more convincing results.
Chapter 3
Research Design
The design of this research was experimental. Both classes were taught the same topic but were delivered content differently. Students were given three pre/post tests over a span of four weeks.The order of the research experiment was as followed:
Students were given an attitudes survey regarding their use of YouTube.
A pretest was administered.
Instruction lasted around twenty minutes. The control group received instruction by teacher lecture and the experimental group was given a YouTube playlist to view at their leisure. Instruction in the control group was traditional teacher lecture, whereas the experimental group received instruction by watching YouTube videos in playlists curated by the teacher. In the control group, students were lectured with a PowerPoint presentation
A worksheet was given to students for practice.
A posttest was administered.
Only quantitative data was collected for this experiment because qualitative data was not necessarily relevant to the tested outcomes. The independent variable for this experiment was the method of delivery and the dependent variable was student growth by percentage points.
Sampling
The sample was not random; the classes were based upon scheduling by the school’s administration. Both the control and experiment groups were English II Standard classes of comparable ability level.
Participants
This research was conducted at a Title 1 school in Middle Tennessee. The participants of this study consisted of a highly diverse student body, many of whom were bilingual. There were twenty-two students total. Four students spoke Arabic and fourteen spoke Spanish. There were also two black students and two Asian students. Four students were enrolled in ELL programs, and one student had an IEP. Nineteen of these students were in 10th grade and three were registered 12th graders.
The experimental group consisted of seventeen students. The majority of students were also bilingual. The class consisted of four Arabic speakers, nine Spanish speakers, three black students and one white student. Eight students were enrolled in an ELL program and one had an IEP. Thirteen of the students were in 10th grade and four were registered 12th graders.
Data Collection
The research used an experimental approach of collecting data. Quantitative data was measured to answer the following questions:
1.) Is there a positive correlation between a student’s confidence level in self-guided online learning and successful use of YouTube to master a specific-skill (i.e. grammar usage/mechanics) in 10th grade ELA instruction?
2.) How proficient are 10th grade students at self-educating, on a skill-based assessment, via YouTube?
Apparatus or Instruments
Students in both the control and experimental group were administered pre/post tests with Kahoot at the end of each class session. Kahoot has been used several times in the classroom before and was familiar to the students. Kahoot was used for ease of use and reliability in data collection. Students used their cell phones or school issued computers to complete the tests.
A survey was given on Google Forms using a Likert scale (1-5) to test students attitudes towards self-directed learning and YouTube before the experiment began. The questions consisted of how comfortable students were with YouTube, teaching themselves, and their attitudes towards utilizing YouTube in a classroom setting.
Data Analysis
Data was collected in order to test the effectiveness of YouTube as an instructional method in the classroom. The researcher collected and analyzed students’ attitudes towards using YouTube and compared their responses with their average scores on posttests. Posttest data was also used to compare the efficacy of YouTube in autodidactic instruction to traditional lecture in a 10th grade ELA classroom.
Ethical Behavior
This researcher conducted an ethical study. Parents were given letters of consent forms at the beginning of the study, which were signed and returned to the researcher before any research data was collected. This study did not interfere with the curriculum in any way. All personal information from students was anonymized by assigning students’ names to numerical digits. The data was kept securely by the researcher. The school district and name of the school did not appear in any presentation or publication of data. This researcher also realizes that limitations in this study do exist, meaning that it may not be generalized to other populations.
Chapter 4
Pre-Instruction Assessment
An attitudes survey was given to all 27 students who participated in the study to determine how students interacted with YouTube. This survey quantified student comfortability levels with the medium, usage amount, general attitudes, and their preferred teaching model
(YouTube vs. lecture vs. hybrid). The researcher did not want to make any assumptions about how students used the platform and was interested in getting a general idea of how students used YouTube, and if they felt it could be used in an academic context.
Figure 3 indicates that the majority of students were “very comfortable” and confident in their ability to teach themselves using YouTube. Zero percent of students responded that they were “not comfortable” whereas forty-eight percent were “very comfortable.” Only three students (eleven percent) noted that they were less than comfortable.
There is a correlation between students’ comfortability levels and usage. For example, forty-eight percent were daily users and forty-eight percent of students were “very comfortable.” Eleven percent of students reported being less than comfortable and eleven percent of students used it once a week.
Figure 4. Students’ Preferences for Methods of Instruction.
Figure 4 indicates the majority of students prefered a hybrid teaching method; Fifty-nine percent of students gravitated towards a mixture of lecture and teaching themselves.
Figure 5. Student Attitudes Towards Using YouTube in the Classroom.
Figure 5 shows that the vast majority (eighty-five percent) of students found YouTube to be a useful tool in the classroom.
** Post-Instruction Results**
Figure 6. Percentage Increase after Instruction Intervention.
Figure 6 compares the increase in scores between the pretest and the posttest with the Lecture (control) and YouTube (experimental) group for three different lessons (MLA format, comma/semicolon usage, and parallel structure). There was a +13.79% difference in the control group lecture with MLA format. However, there was a -.98% difference in identifying needs for commas or semicolons and -.48% differences in parallel structure.
Figure 7. Correlation Between Average Score and Reported Comfortability Levels.
Figure 7 shows the comfortability rating students indicated on a pre-study survey versus the average score they received on three tests. The average score of students who responded a comfortability level of “2” scored, on average, 70%, “3’ scored 88.3%, “4,” 71.4%, and “5,” 62%. A higher report in comfortability level did not result in a higher score. In fact, those who marked a level of “3” scored better than those, on average, who marked a “5.”
Chapter 5
Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Summary of the Study
This study seeked to test the efficacy of autodidactism in 10th grade in English Language Arts (ELA) instruction and examine students’ attitudes towards using YouTube for learning in the classroom. Twenty-seven students in two different ELA classes participated in a four-week long study. The students took a pre-study survey for the researcher to better understand how students used YouTube in their daily lives and how they felt about using YouTube for learning. Each class took part in three sessions on different aspects of the 10th grade ELA curriculum.
The three sessions were intensive and required full attention from the students. For the most part, students took the experiment very seriously and answered questions to their best ability. In general, the sessions lasted a little over an hour and consisted of a pre-test, instruction (lecture or YouTube), and a post-test. In the lecture session, students were administered instruction by a slide show presentation and in the YouTube session, students were given a YouTube playlist curated by the researcher. After each session, students were given a worksheet to complete before the posttest.
Interpretation of Results
The results of this study indicate that YouTube may be a viable tool in this classroom. High school students gravitate towards the resource and they use it in their daily lives. Students are comfortable with using YouTube and also feel that it is a useful tool in learning. As this study indicates, autodidacticism with YouTube produced comparable results with teacher lecture in two out of three sessions. In the MLA session, there was a stark increase of 13.79%. A possible explanation for why this occurred is because the questions were mostly qualitative. The questions were not grammatical, they rather asked specific questions about the conventions of MLA format. The researcher may have “taught to the test,” giving the control group an advantage over the experimental group, which was not the intention of the researcher.
Links to Literature Review
Thomson, Bridgstock & Willems (2014) postulate that the ability to stream content allows students to circumvent the brick and mortar classroom. This reality has massive implications on the future of education and its business model; a school building is unnecessary for learning. For this reason, McLoughlin & Lee (2010) believe that educators should focus their curriculum on teaching students media literacy: how to find credible sources online, utilize new technologies, and teach themselves using the Internet.
Figlio, Rush, & Yin (2010), concluded that online instruction may prove effective for traditional students, however, students from lower socioeconomic classes may have difficulty using technology for learning. The researcher’s study would need to be compared with similar studies to test the validity of this statement, but this researcher found that their Title 1 students had little difficulty using teaching themselves using YouTube. In congruence with the conclusions of Driscoll et. al. (2012, p. 323), this researchers also found the efficacy of self-directed learning compared to teacher lecture were similar. In regards to increases in test score, there is no advantage in teacher lecture as a means to disseminate information.
In line with Douglas (2010) and Svedberg (2010), this researcher found no correlation in students’ perceived confidence and their ability to self-educate. Their attitude towards autodidacticism was, for the most part, irrelevant. In fact, Svedberg’s (2010) study found that students that labeled themselves as “non-persisters” actually scored better on assessments than those who were “persisters”. This study echoed that notion; students who marked “3” on a confidence level measure scored scored much higher those who labeled themselves a “5.”
Limitations
Limitations related to the findings were that the technology used in this study was temperamental. At times, computers froze or locked students out from logging in to the computer. Students may have been frustrated with the technology that was available to them for this reason, resulting in a lower test score. Another limitation related to this study were time restraints. The researcher wanted to perform more sessions with students but was unable to due to block scheduling, other classroom responsibilities, Spring Break, and school closings due to weather. Continuous sessions may have produced different results as students would be familiar with the format of the experiment and have scored better as a result.
Conclusions
After analyzing quantitative data, this researcher has concluded that YouTube may be an effective tool in the classroom. In some cases, YouTube is equally, or more, effective than teacher lecture. The researcher also found that students’ reported comfortability levels with YouTube may not indicate better scores on post-tests.
While compiling the playlists used for this study, this researcher found that some YouTube videos explained difficult concepts excellently. Fleck, Beckman, Sterns & Hussey (2014) discuss the advantages of using videos over teacher lecture in the classroom because videos are not bound by time, location, student or teacher mood, etc. YouTube is a massive library of videos created by experts in their field, and as new content is uploaded regularly, a place for breaking stories in every field. Overall, it is a dynamic tool that has many advantages over teacher lecture and is only getting better and more capable with time.
All teachers can find useful content on YouTube and few reasons exist to not to use it in the classroom. Educators in every field should consider uploading videos of their own to add content to the already deep breadth of knowledge. A technological future is a reality that must be embraced by educators. Teaching static information in a textbook is losing relevancy, and more dynamic means of disseminating information should be explored and utilized in the classroom to push Education into the 21st Century.
Recommendations
The findings from this study suggest that YouTube is an asset in the classroom. Students may use this website for self-directed learning or as a supplement to classroom instruction. Teachers should teach students how to search for and locate credible sources or create playlists for their students to view. This could allow students to engage with instruction outside of the classroom.
Implications for Further Research
YouTube should be further studied in K-12 education to explore its applications in the classroom, in online environments, and in autodidactic learning. It is changing the way people consume information, but is often not recognized formally as a viable resource by academia. This researcher would like to see studies that lasted longer on the subject to further its efficacy. Studies should be conducted with the consideration of having an online class built entirely around YouTube videos. If this is a reality, it would make the instruction aspect of education at no cost, which is a revolutionary concept.
In the future, students could theoretically “choose” their teacher. YouTube is a database of knowledge that is exponentially expanding. If a student does not understand their teacher, it could be utilized by students to get a different perspective or explanation, or it could be used in isolation for content delivery. Education should constantly strive to acknowledge tools that are free and readily available for academic and career advancement.
Action Plan
This researcher will use YouTube more frequently in the classroom. Along with lecture, YouTube playlists will be created for students to review concepts, receive further instruction, or as a means to receive instruction in lieu of absenteeism. Videos will also be created by the researcher more frequently to use in the classroom in the place of lecture. Media literacy will be a focus; Students will be taught how to find credible videos and how to use them for academic purposes. The researcher will encourage autonomy by teaching students to use the site to further their academic, career, and personal pursuits.
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