TECNOLOGÍA DE LA CLONACIÓN

The third phase in the Pasifika students ICT skills development framework was the analysing of the participants’ learning gaps that may require ICT-assisted learning. The gaps were identified through the matching of the participants’ current ICT skills against the demands of their programmes of study. Programme documents relevant to the participants’ programmes of study were scrutinised and ICT requirements were obtained from the participants through talanoa. The programme documents used in this phase were those available from the students and were given in class. The requirements were then matched against the participants’ measured ICT skills levels obtained from Phase 1 of the ICT skills development framework. In addition, through talanoa participants were invited to share their own assessment of their ability to meet the demands of their chosen field of study using ICT. Similar to the previous phase the following discussions centred on the participants’ programme of study.

Business Studies

The Business Computing course was a compulsory course for the Diploma in Business Studies. The course outline offered a well defined requirement that

was used for analysing the participants’ learning gaps. An entry requirement for this qualification was based on the applicant’s age. Applicants under twenty years old were required to have acquired 50 credits at the National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) Level 2 and a satisfactory standard of literacy in English or Te Reo Maori and numeracy in Mathematics or Pangarau or equivalent (Wellington Institute of Technology, 2009a). For applicants over twenty years old, entry was granted provided the institute was satisfied of the applicant’s ability to undertake the course. All participants in this study had English as a second or third language, therefore all were required to have obtained a score of 6.0 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or have scored 550 in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

ICT skills requirements were not listed in the entry requirements for the Business Studies qualification but participants concur that it was essential to ensure their successful completion of their studies. According to the participants, the use of ICT in businesses was widespread (Stoner, 2009), therefore intermediate ICT skills were essential for tertiary graduates to secure employment in the current employment market. Webb (2006) demonstrated that ICT skills were regarded as commodities that could increase human capital.

An observed characteristic of the Business Studies participants was their age. Most of the participants were over twenty years of age therefore their entry requirements were assessed by the institute. One of the gaps identified by the participants was their inadequate command of the English language (Harb and El-Shaarawi, 2007; Watty, Jackson, & Yu, 2010). Three participants enrolled in Business Studies programmes confirmed that they had completed the English Language for Further Studies programme as a prerequisite. The participants’ command of the English language was identified as an area that needed attention as their successful completion of their courses hinged on their ability to read English text, write assignments, and communicate to their classmates and tutors.

Other skills not stated by the participants but have been widely promoted as essential skills for business studies students included language relevant to the business profession, problem solving, analysis and planning, decision making, critical thinking, creativity, team work, and communication (Yu & Boulton-Lewis,

2008). Most of these skills were not explicitly outlined but were embedded in their course work requirements.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

The second group of participants were enrolled in the ESOL programmes. Two participants were enrolled in English for Further Studies (EFS) programme while two participants were in the General English programme. The EFS programme focused on improving students’ English skills in order to pursue further tertiary level studies. The contents of this programme included improving the students’ English reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills. There was a component on word processing and document production. Participants enrolled in ESOL programmes were unaware of the capability of ICT in enhancing their learning experience and they would benefit tremendously if their ICT skills were improved.

The use of ICT to support ESOL students is widespread in most aspects of the ESOL learning activities such as listening, speaking and pronunciation (Yunus et al, 2010), and writing (Miyazoe & Anderson, 2009; Klimona, 2010; Mompean, 2010; Sun, 2010). This must not be forced upon the participants as they were not comfortable with the use of the computer and the internet. The approach will be based on what the participants were interested in and to support their learning experience in their classroom.

Exercise Science

The third group comprised of three male participants who were enrolled in the Exercise Science programmes. Exercise science is an interdisciplinary field combining concepts from the fields of biology, physics, mathematics, chemistry, psychology, and medicine (Karmen, 2001). Exercise Science examined the effects of exercise and physical activity on people in order to optimize their physical and mental health (Brown, 2001). Participants in this group were mainly sport-oriented type of people. They enjoyed the physical activities associated with sports and exercise. Participants in this group insisted that improving their ICT skills was not a high priority because it was perceived as irrelevant to their field of study.

Two participants were enrolled in the Certificate in Exercise Science programme while the third participant was in the diploma level. The certificate programme comprised of nine topics that included: nutrition, anatomy, exercise physiology and communication, fitness testing principles and practices, weights and

resistance training, group training and instruction, anthropometry, small business skills, and industry work placement (Wellington Institute of Technology, 2009c). During talanoa a participant revealed that in the exercise physiology class, they were taught the respiratory system and involved identifying parts of the respiratory system (Lew, 2009). Along with the identification process was the required explanations of how the lungs, alveoli, and bronchi worked.

The small business skills and marketing topics were topics that the researcher felt would require ICT skills. While this was only one out of the nine topics, business skills demanded computer skills and generally ICT skills. This was based on the current trend that business communications and processes have been computerised (Veen, 2009). In addition, marketing demanded some level of ICT skills for preparing a letter, a business flyer, an email and many other business related tasks supporting the operations of a small business.

Construction Trades

The fourth group of participants were enrolled in the Construction trades and had been working in their respective trades before embarking on further studies. This group comprised of two mature male adults who had families to support. A participant was enrolled in the Certificate in Carpentry (Level 3) and the other in the Certificate in Plumbing and Gasfitting (Level 3). The programme content for carpentry included construction health and safety, carpentry theory, woodworking machine use and safety, trade quantities and calculations, building site work experience in house construction, practical workshop projects, and on-site work experience (Wellington Institute of Technology, 2009d).

The “trade quantities and calculations” topic was initially viewed by the researcher as an area where ICT could be explored to support the participants. While students in the carpentry class used calculators to assist in calculations, the ability to use a computer and the relevant software applications would put students in good stead in large scale building projects (Le Gallais, 2001).

Findings in Phase 1 revealed that participants in this group had the lowest ICT skills. Both participants in this group were very reluctant to sit in front of the computer to use it. One of the participants joked that there was a computer at his home and he usually asked his children to do things for him. Both participants held the view that the computer was not their thing and if required they would ask

Initially, both participants concurred that ICT skills were not essential for their trades. When asked if they had considered self-employment as a possible prospect, both participants positively endorsed the opportunity of becoming self- employed. Operating a small business demanded more than the trade skills to ensure the overall running of the business. In the construction industry, larger contractors use smaller subcontractors to reduce construction cost forces. Consequently, the subcontractors bid for work on construction projects and this bidding process would give subcontractors with ICT skills an advantage over subcontractors who lacked ICT skills (Albers et al, 1997). The two participants would be in a more competitive position if their ICT skills were enhanced.

Information Technology (IT)

Two participants were enrolled in IT programmes. They revealed that ICT skills demanded in their programme of study were much higher than they anticipated. This revelation was common among students who based their expectation on their past experiences of computing and were shocked to find that IT programmes did not match their expectations (Adya & Kaiser, 2005).

Participants in this group had the highest IT skills levels as measured in Phase 1 of the ICT skills development framework. However, participants acknowledged that they lacked skills in programming languages, computer networking and IT mathematics. Mathematics in computer science and engineering is inevitable due to its role in these two fields (Sancho, 1986). The entry requirements for IT programmes was 42 credits at Level 3 NCEA or higher and both participants met these requirements.

Hospitality

The two participants were enrolled in the Hospitality programmes comprised of a mature female in her early thirties and a twenty year old male. They both expressed similar views as those shared by the participants enrolled in the Construction trades programmes. Both participants in the Hospitality programmes agreed that while ICT had a positive impact on the industry as a whole, their immediate course content did not require ICT skills. The female participant was enrolled in the Certificate in Patisserie (Level 4) qualification while the other was enrolled in the Certificate in Food Preparation and Culinary Arts (Level 4).

The patisserie programme documents stated a topic named “Costing, budgets and control” (Wellington Institute of Technology, 2009e). The participant in this programme clarified that students had used calculators to perform the costing and budgeting exercises. The participant reiterated that the calculations were very straight forward and she was capable of undertaking future costing requirements with the help of a calculator.

During talanoa the female participant revealed that she had “accidently” started

working as a cook and she found it exciting. Although she dreamt of being a primary school teacher when she was at high school and during one of the school holidays she found employment at a restaurant as a kitchen hand. The money she received at the time gave her some freedom and as she shared “the rest was history”. Six years later she moved to Australia and that was when she came to the realisation that a tertiary qualification was her ticket to advance her career. She returned to New Zealand to pursue tertiary training.

According to the participants, their learning experience involved the tutor explaining a bit of theory relating to the topic for the day or the week before proceeding to perform the demonstration (Hegarty, 2004). Students on the other hand, attempt to imitate their tutor’s demonstration. According to Woolcock (2011), the teaching focus of the tutors tended to be limited to the skills to be assessed. This was perceived as a side effect of the competency based training paradigm offered through vocational training establishments (Hager, 2004).

Counselling & Alcohol and Drug Studies

The sole female participant enrolled in the Counselling & Alcohol and Drug Studies revealed that her courses demanded a lot of research, reading and writing. During the time of this study, she was in the first year of the Diploma in Counselling. Some of the courses that she identified that she felt that she may need help with included counselling theories, impact of social policy on current issues in NZ society, introduction to individual and social psychology, and psychological theory and practice (Wellington Institute of Technology, 2009f). The research component demanded searching for relevant reading resources in counselling theories and other topics for assignments from the library and online sources. The participant acknowledged that while she considered herself a competent computer and internet user, she was aware that there were lots more things that she needed to learn to maximise the use of ICT to support her studies.

Engineering Technology

The sole female participant enrolled in the Engineering Technology programme made a similar revelation to the one offered by the two participants in the IT programmes. The participant stated that ICT skills were generally in high demand and the ability to quickly learn how to use the new engineering software that she used in class would be advantageous. In addition to the sentiments outlined above, the participant confided that there were only two other female students in her class of nearly thirty students in total. The low number of females in the engineering field was unsurprising given the societal and historical context of the engineering profession (Larkin & Quinn, 2011).