UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA

USING MOBILE DEVICES AND LAPTOP TO IMPROVE UPON THE

COMMUNICATION AND TYPING SKILLS OF BASIC SEVEN (7)

LEARNERS OF ABUAKWA M/A JHS SCHOOL

ARMAH NAOMI
201816236

2022
 UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA

FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION

USING MOBILE DEVICES AND LAPTOP TO ASSIST BASIC SEVEN (7)

LEARNERS OF ABUAKWA M/A JHS TO IMPROVE UPON THE

COMMUNICATION AND TYPING SKILLS

ARMAH NAOMI
201816236

AN ACTION RESEARCH PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF

EDUCATIONAL STUDIES, DEPARTMENT OF BASIC
EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL
FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN BASIC EDUCATION

OCTOBER, 2022
 DECLARATION

Student’s Declaration

I, Armah Naomi, hereby declare that apart from reference to other people’s work

which have been duly cited, this project work is a true copy of my own work and that

it has not been published in whole or partly here in Ghana or elsewhere.

SIGNATURE…………………………………..

DATE…………………………………………...

Supervisor’s Declaration

I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of this research work was

supervised in accordance with the guidelines on the supervision of action research laid

down by the University of Education, Winneba.

SUPERVISOR’S NAME:MR SIMON DONKOR

SIGNATURE………………………………………

DATE……………………………………………….

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 DEDICATION

I dedicate this project to my dear caring and loving family especially my mom Mrs,

Mary Antwi , Mr George Agyanim Boateng and Mr. John Kwaku Armah whose love,

care, prayers and financial support has brought me this far. I also dedicate this piece

of work to everyone who helped me get up till now.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I express my sincere thanks and heart-felt gratitude to the

Almighty God for His guidance, protection and wisdom throughout the writing of the

project.

I also wish to acknowledge my supervisor, Mr. Simon Donkor in University of

Education, Winneba for his kindness and loyalty throughout my project work. He has

been very diplomatic. His corrections were constructive and his suggestions were

valuable.

Again, my sincere thanks go to my Mom whose financial support and advice.

Also thanks goes to Abuakwa M/A JHS Basic School my mentor Mr Joseph Akonsa.

God bless you all.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION...........................................................................................................ii

DEDICATION..............................................................................................................iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT............................................................................................iv

LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................vii

ABSTRACT................................................................................................................viii

CHAPTER ONE............................................................................................................1

1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................1

1.1 Background to The Study.........................................................................................1

1.2 Problem statement....................................................................................................3

1.3 Research Objective...................................................................................................4

1.4 Research Questions..................................................................................................4

1.5 Methodology............................................................................................................4

1.6 Scope of The Study the Study..................................................................................4

1.7 Organization of the Study........................................................................................5

2.0 Overview..................................................................................................................6

2.1Theoretical Framework.............................................................................................6

2.1.1 Modern Educational Technology Theory.............................................................6

2.2 Empirical review......................................................................................................7

2.3The Education Providers...........................................................................................8

CHAPTER THREE......................................................................................................17

METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................17

3.0 Overview................................................................................................................17

3.1 Research Design.....................................................................................................17

3.2 Setting....................................................................................................................17

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3.3 Population..............................................................................................................18

3.4 Sampling Techniques.............................................................................................18

3.5 Intervention............................................................................................................18

3.6 Implementation......................................................................................................18

3.7 Post-Tests...............................................................................................................25

3.8 Data Collection Instrument....................................................................................25

3.9 Methods of Data Analysis......................................................................................25

CHAPTER FOUR........................................................................................................26

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS...........26

4.0 Overview................................................................................................................26

4.1 Data Presentation...................................................................................................26

CHAPTER FIVE..........................................................................................................29

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..................................29

5.0 Overview................................................................................................................29

5.1 Summary................................................................................................................29

5.2 Findings..................................................................................................................30

5.3 Limitation...............................................................................................................30

5.4 Conclusion..............................................................................................................30

5.5 Recommendations..................................................................................................30

REFERENCES.............................................................................................................31

APPENDIXES.............................................................................................................35

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

Table 1: Pre-Test scores 30

Table 2: Post Test 1 – Use of Area Model 31
Table 3: Post Test 2 – Use of Multi-purpose Chart 32

vii
 ABSTRACT

The study sought to assist Basic seven (7) pupils of Abuakwa M/M Basic School in

the Atwima Nwaibiagye municipal of the Ashanti Region of Ghana to using mobile

devices and laptop to improve upon the communication and typing skills. the

purposive sampling technique was used to sample a total number of sixty-seven (67)

pupils for the study. Two interventions were systematically implemented within a

period of three weeks. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to collect data for the study

and the results were analysed using percentages and tables. It was revealed that pupils

were able to type with mobile devices without any difficulty as shown by post test

results. It also came to light that, pupils’ academic performance increased as shown in

the various post-test results. Based on the findings, it was recommended that teachers

should use varieties of teaching techniques and also provides varieties of teaching and

learning materials when teaching to enable pupils interact with them in order that they

will explore different approaches or ways to solve problems on their own rather than

teaching abstractly.

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 CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction
This chapter consists of the background to the study, perceived problem,

diagnosis(evidence and causes), statement of the problem, purpose of study,

objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, delimitation of

the study and organization of the study.

1.1 Background to The Study

New education depends on new technologies and new technology is changing every

single day. Based on this fact, education is continuously changing every single day.

Throughout time as technology changes, so do, the ways teachers and students use

their own methods of teaching and learning respectively in or out of classrooms.

Several years ago, students were using their textbooks to review what they studied in

classrooms with their teachers. Nowadays, students can study from their homes and

even no need to have teacher as long as there are many learning styles. For example,

distance learning allows students to contact universities where ever they are by

internet and they can have their textbooks, training, home works and exams through

the internet.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are practical and highly available

tools that combined with the vast amount of knowledge available in the web have

several implications in everyday life, including education. ICT advances nowadays

have implications for learning patterns in schools. The emergence of digital based

learning innovations, such as e-learning, virtual classes, game-based learning,

interactive multimedia, computer-based learning, and so on fosters student’s

independent learning. Learning is not only limited by classroom partitions and time,

but can browse information online through computers and smartphones, so that the

1
21st century demands innovation in the learning process (Wahyudi, 2019). Mobile

learning, or m-learning, is perhaps the fastest growth area in the whole field of ICTs

in education. It covers any form of learning that is mediated through a mobile or,

more precisely, mobile handheld, device. These devices encompass digital media

players (including iPods and iPod Touches), smartphones (including iPhones,

Android phones, BlackBerrys and Windows phones), personal digital assistants

(PDAs), and tablet computers (including iPads). In the last decade, the Government of

Ghana has championed the use of ICT in education for improved educational

outcomes in the country.

Mobile devices offer a number of advantages for education in comparison to laptops

or netbooks. First, their lighter weight and orientation flexibility makes them far

superior for digital reading or accessing of content. Second, their instant-on capability

and fast switching among applications allows learning activities to proceed with less

delay. Third, their touch screen interface allows a high degree of user interactivity.

Fourth, they are much more mobile than textbooks, and can also use them for mobile

data collection or note taking. Fifth, since it is inexpensive to develop apps for mobile

platforms, there is a rapidly growing amount of free or low-cost apps for mobile

devices, many of which are suitable for education. And finally, mobile devices

‘long battery life makes them more suitable for a school day (Warschauer, 2011)

According to research carried out by (Warschauer, 2011) to investigate the use of

iPads in K-12 schools in the US, the following observations were made: In one

private school in California, students had daily access to laptops and frequent access

to iPads, thus allowing the researchers to compare the use of the two. In a science

class that was observed, students unanimously stated that they prefer using the iPads

to the notebooks and textbooks due to the tablet’s light weight, mobility, touch screen,

2
and apps. Students used the iPads and laptops to read free open source Earth sciences

textbook, investigate the elements and the composition of the Earth and galaxy via

interactive apps, access the school’s e-learning platform, log and analyze lab data, and

produce lab reports. The researcher’s observations suggested that the iPads were

particularly helpful for laboratory work as the students carry the devices around to

input data on the move.

Therefore, the usage of mobile devices and ICT tools (laptops)improve the typing

skills, evaluating the composition of grammar, etc of students.

1.2 Problem statement

Technology is perhaps the strongest factor shaping the educational landscape today.

Many basic schools are showing support for increased levels of technology in the

classroom by providing hardware such as tablets and computers, enhancing internet

connectivity, and implementing programs designed to improve computer literacy for

both teachers and students. But at Abuawa D/A JHS, I realized that, because the

school do not use mobile devices and ICT as part of their teaching and learning

materials, most and or all the students at the school cannot use the computer to type or

they are not able to type on the computer.

The ability to produce text using mobile devices has become another challenge at

the Abuakwa D/A JHS due to the fact that teachers do not use mobile devices and

ICT as part of their learning materials. Another problem is, the student’s composition

of grammar using mobile devices and ICT is not something to write home about.

Therefore, this research work will look at using mobile devices and ICT tool (laptops)

to improve the typing skills, evaluating the composition of grammar etc of the

students at the Abuakwa D/A JHS.

3
1.3 Research Objective
The main objective of the study is how will the usage of mobile devices and ICT tool

(laptops) improve the typing skills, evaluating the composition of grammar, etc of the

students at the Abuakwa D/A JHS.

 Determine the effect of mobile devices and ICT tool (laptops) on good

composition of grammar of the students at Abuakwa D/A JHS.

 Determine the effect of mobile devices and ICT tool (laptops) on improving

the typing skills of the students at Abuakwa D/A JHS.

1.4 Research Questions

This research sought in providing answers to the following questions:

 Can mobile devices and ICT tool (laptops) improve the composition of

grammar of the students at Abuakwa D/A JHS?

 How can mobile devices and ICT tool (laptops) improve the typing skills of

the students at Abuakwa D/A JHS?

1.5 Methodology
The research design used was the descriptive research method. The population is the

study of students and teachers of the Abuakwa D/A JHS. The sample size used was

100 thus, 90 students and10 teachers of the Abuakwa D/A JHS. The sample

procedure used was purposive selection and or the simple random selection for

the students and the teachers of AbuakwaD/A JHS. The data collection method was

Questionnaires for all the students and staff (teachers).

4
1.6 Scope of The Study the Study
Scope of the study sought to determine how will the usage of mobile devices and ICT

tool (laptops) improve the typing skills, evaluating the composition of grammar of the

students at the Abuakwa D/A JHS. The mobile devices and ICT tool were based

on IPad, Mobile phones, Laptops. On the other hand, improving the typing skills of

the students at Abuakwa D/A JHS.

1.7 Organization of the Study

This study or research undertook was organized into five chapters to enable reader’s

attention. Each chapter is arranged accordingly. Chapter one talks about background

of the study, statement of the problem, the objectives of the study, research questions,

significance, the methodology, as well as scope and limitations of the study. The

chapter two tries to review existing related literature concerning how mobile devices

and ICT tool (laptops) improve the typing skills, evaluate the composition of

grammar of students to acquire detail understanding on the topic. This chapter gives a

fair view of the theoretical framework, the empirical review and the conceptual

framework. The chapter three looks at the scope of the methodology, the design

sampling procedure of data collection, chapter four present the analysis of data and

presentation of facts, finally chapter five also presents the summary, conclusion and

recommendations for the study.

5
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Overview
This chapter reviewed the literature advanced in the study area of mobile devices and

ICT tool (Laptop) on typing skills and communication skills. The chapter starts by

reviewing various theories relevant to this study. The theory used is Modern

Educational Technology Theory. Empirical literature was reviewed in this chapter.

Lastly, a conceptual framework is also presented based on the study’s objectives to

assist in identification of existing gaps in the literature.

2.1Theoretical Framework
2.1.1 Modern Educational Technology Theory
The Modern Educational Technology Theory was developed by Qiaojuan Lei (2010).

In the theory he said, the human society has entered the era of information and

Internet; the field of education is no exception. Informatization and networking have

broken the gap between time and space and broadened horizons and fields for the

development of education. Modern education should be combined with modern

means. It is particularly important to advocate quality education now. In 1994, the

American educational communication and Technology Association published the

basic definition of modern educational technology. Educational technology is the

theory and practice of the design, development, utilization, management and

evaluation of learning resources and learning processes. After this theory was

introduced into China, the scholars in our country have re expounded the modern

educational technology according to the characteristics of the domestic educational

system: In the advanced education thought and theory under the guidance of

modern educational technology to make full use of modern information technology,

through the design, the teaching and learning process and resource development,

6
utilization, management and evaluation of theory and practice, so as to realize the

optimization of teaching. This statement emphasizes the guiding role of educational

theory and the extension of teaching methods, and points out the direction for the

application of educational technology. Modern educational technology theory has

been paid more and more attention by educators all over the world, and its theory is

also in the process of rapid development and improvement. In the modern educational

technology theory system constructed by scholars from different countries, cognitive

constructivism, learning constructivism and radical constructivism are mainly

included. No matter what kind of theory, they are from the perspective of serving

students to learn, and strive to cultivate and improve the enthusiasm and initiative of

students in learning. In this framework, the process of student learning is viewed as a

process of self-exploration, cognition, and interpretation of unknown

domains. This theory backed the study that, mobile devices and ICT tools can help

improve the typing skills and the communication skills of students.

2.2 Empirical review

Kumar etal (2010) argue that mobile devices like cell phones are a perfect vehicle for

making educational opportunities accessible to rural children in places and times that

are more convenient than formal schooling. They conducted a 26-week study to

investigate the extent to which rural children will voluntarily make use of mobile

devices like cell phones to access educational content. Their results show a reasonable

level of academic learning and motivation. Koole (2009) emphasizesthat there is a

tremendous scope for learning with mobile devices and establishes a framework to

assist practitioners in designing activities appropriate for mobile learning.

Donner (2009) in Research Approaches to Mobile Use in the Developing World: A

Review of the Literature reviews 200 recent studies of mobile phone use in the

developing world. He categorizes his research into three common themes, with one of
7
them being Mobile Impact on Education. Donner states a good number of studies

consider mobile devices as a resource for elearning in Tanzania (Stone, Lynch, and

Poole 2003) and Thailand (Whattananarong 2005). All argue that the mobiles

portability, simplicity, and affordability make it a natural fit for education initiatives

in places where PCs an d internet connectivity may be scarce.

According to Kam et. al. (2008) cell phones are increasingly adopted in the

developing world, and an increasing fraction of these phones feature multimedia

capabilities for gaming and photos. These devices are a promising vehicle for out-of-

school learning to complement formal schooling. In particular, they believe that

learning English as a Second Language (ESL) by playing games on cell phones

present an opportunity to dramatically expand the reach of English learning, by

making it possible to acquire ESL in out-of-school settings that can be more

convenient than school.

With mobile devices increasing ubiquity in developing countries, Brown

(2003) argues that it is timely to envision a future where the mobile devices play a

pivotal role in education in developing countries. According to Brown, while there are

as many people using mobile technologies as there are opinions on how mobile

technologies will impact on education; the majority agree that m-learning will play a

major role in e-learning. Already, there are numerous applications for mobile

technologies in education – from the ability to wirelessly transmit learning modules

and administrative data, to enabling learners to communicate with lecturers and peers.

2.3The Education Providers

When stakeholders move from using computers in education to using mobile devices

in education, there will be many economic advantages for the education providers.

Education providers can also expect improved student learning outcomes, satisfied

teachers with technology for support and assistance, and happy parents. To start off
8
with: there will be no need to have dedicated computer labs, specific computer desks,

chairs and computer lab space which also means no IT support required, no IT staff

needed, no servicing, repairs and maintenance of computers required. All other

associated costs like networking equipment, ISP connections, air conditioning and

huge power bills will be saved. However, subscription will be paid to the mobile

phone network provider, which in many cases will be insignificant when compared to

computer networks to the internet. In many cases students with mobile devices will

already be subscribed to a network service provider, if not, then schools normally

get subsidized packages or are totally subsidized by their governments. Mobile

devices, now available in abundance, are cheaper and simpler to use. New mobile

apps rely on new input and output methods and allow a new population of non-expert

users to use the device more cheaply and simply. For those education providers that

were constrained by funds and expertise to use computers in education – using mobile

devices in education seems like their savior. Nalder, 2011.

The Teachers

Teachers are probably the most important and critical factor at the moment of the

movement towards using mobile devices in education. What is lacking today are the

skilled teachers that can take a mobile device and incorporate it from the paper-based

or blackboard based classroom lessons, into student-centric learning deployed via

mobile devices. But have we included the mobile device teaching into our existing

teacher training curriculum. Are our teachers training institutions and universities

teaching our future teachers on how to use mobile devices for teaching in the

classroom or are we going to burden them after they graduate and start teaching. As

suggested by Weinberger, (2011), add no burden - the failure of almost all educational

technology initiatives can usually be traced to the additional burden placed on the

9
teacher. Ideally, teachers ‘burdens should be reduced by technology. Teachers require

training to understand how to teach differently. How methods like studentcentric

learning can be applied to the classroom, and shown how this learning style will

increase educational outcomes. Yet who is investing in teacher training? If you look

around, Ministers of Education get excited about shiny, flashy things, not human

capacity building. And who can blame them? It’s a lot easier to show off a technology

implementation than a trained teacher, and children and their voting parents can see a

quick difference with a computer that is not so noticeable with a trained teacher

(Vota, 2011). So regardless of how amazing the mobile device technology is, until we

invest in trained teachers who know how to use technology to improve their teaching

activities, we are not going to make much difference with the current generation of

teachers and learners. We also need parents and politicians who are focused on

learning outcomes and not the new mobile device technology and what it can do,

because regardless of how many applications or how easy the technology is, I fear

that using mobile devices in education initiative will be wasted (Vota, 2011). The

issues that face developing countries using mobile devices in education are very

different from those in the developed countries. In the developing countries, there is

no training available for teachers on how to use technology to teach or to improve

students learning.

The Students

Mobile devices are undoubtedly an exciting way to interact with technology,

especially, when they are touch screen enabled. The intimacy and immediacy of the

personal screen and the ease of use and intuitive design of modern touch screen

operating systems greatly eases user fears and facilitates user adoption. This ease of

use is exciting technologists and educators, both of whom are thinking of new ways to

10
use technology like the mobile devices in educational systems of the developing

world. In an interview, a teacher at a residential school specifically for the disabled

(both mentally and physically) in rural Transkei in South Africa shared an anecdote.

She pointed to a crude sketch of an ATM that they used to teach basic life skills to

their students and said that it often took years before the children were able to get

their numbers right. However ever since they all got mobile phones (they receive

special grants from the South African government) they had all figured out their

numbers, how to maximize the use of their phones and often showed her how to use

hers or top up her airtime or some such assistance. She said she'd been teaching for

35 years and had never seen anything like it, until the mobile phones came (Bhan,

2011). Another interesting set of users for mobile devices are the senior citizens. They

found using computers very hard as it required them to learn many things and

remember them all. For example, if a user wanted to word process a letter, the user

first had to learn the operating systems, then the word processing application, and

then could do the letter. They did not find this very productive, and thus shied away

from using computers. With mobile devices, they basically have to remember just a

few buttons like the call (green) button or the end (red) button to make phone calls or

to send and receive text messages. With touch screen mobile devices and user friendly

mobile interfaces it is easier for them to interact with. Similarly, there is a movement

of consumers who are embracing mobile devices due to their simpler,

more personalized nature. Generally, these are older users such as the 99-year-

old Virginia Campbell of Oregon, USA, for whom an iPad was her first ever

computer, and one she was able to use unaided. She has been writing limericks as

well as reading books again after having not been able to for ten years due to poor

eyesight. So what does this mean for education? If Virginia can overcome

11
encumbrances older than the PC era to take advantage of the lower entry level of skill

and IT support that Post-PC devices provides, as well as go on to explore new

applications and uses suited to her personalized needs, then anyone, including

Education can (Nalder, 2011).

Mobile devices

There are currently numerous mobile devices, but not all of them can be used for

educational purposes since one of the main features is easy to access to the internet,

among which we mention the following:

 Smartphone

As of the 20th century, cell phones have presented changes in their internal structure,

so today the Smartphone appears rioting the new digital era. According to Muñoz

(2014), they are one of the most everyday mobile devices; since its appearance in the

late 1990s, it has evolved to the current format with a clearly tactile vocation (p. 34).

Now, due to the low cost, most human beings have a cell phone for personal use.

 Tablet

It is very useful computer equipment for its agility to transport, handling and interact

with its programs. According to (Jurado et al., 2019; Muñoz, 2014) “They are light

notebook-sized computers designed to be operated using a touch screen” (p.35).

Sometimes these devices have a significant degree of use in primary school students

because of their easy handling and connectivity in their graphic environment.

 Laptop

Computer equipment of greater advantage over other equipment, currently its use is

prioritized in all social fields. According to (Iglesias, 2017), he mentions that a laptop

or laptop is a PC designed to be used in more than one place, that is, mobile. This is

achieved thanks to a battery that is recharged using electric current. The consumption

12
of each of its components or programs is very important since this determines the

autonomy and its correct handling for better functioning.

Typing skills

Typing is the process of writing or inputting text by pressing keys on a typewriter,

computer keyboard, cell phone, or calculator. It can be distinguished from other

means of text input, such as handwriting and speech recognition. Text can be in the

form of letters, numbers and other symbols. The world’s first typist was Lillian Sholes

from Wisconsin, the daughter of Christopher Sholes, who invented the first practical

typewriter

Technique

Hunt and peck

Hunt and peck (two-fingered typing) is a common form of typing in which the typist

presses each key individually. Instead of relying on the memorized position of keys,

the typist must find each key by sight. The use of this method may also prevent the

typist from being able to see what has been typed without glancing away from the

keys. Although good accuracy may be achieved, any typing errors that are made may

not be noticed immediately due to the user not looking at the screen. There is also the

disadvantage that because fewer fingers are used, those that are used are forced to

move a much greater distance.

Touch typing

The basic technique stands in contrast to hunt and peck typing in which the typist

keeps their eyes on the source copy at all times. Touch typing also involves the use of

the home row method, where typists rest their wrist down, rather than lifting up and

typing (which can cause carpal tunnel syndrome). To avoid this, typists should sit up

tall, leaning slightly forward from the waist, place their feet flat on the floor in front

13
of them with one foot slightly in front of the other, and keep their elbows close to

their sides with forearms slanted slightly upward to the keyboard; fingers should be

curved slightly and rest on the home row. Many touch typists also use keyboard

shortcuts when typing on a computer. This allows them to edit their document without

having to take their hands off the keyboard to use a mouse. An example of a keyboard

shortcut is pressing the Ctrl key plus the S key to save a document as they type, or the

Ctrl key plus the Z key to undo a mistake. Other shortcuts are the Ctrl key plus the C

to copy and the Ctrl key and the V key to paste, and the Ctrl key and the X key to cut.

Many experienced typists can feel or sense when they have made an error and can hit

the ← Backspace key and make the correction with no increase in time between

keystrokes.

Hybrid: There are many idiosyncratic typing styles in between novice-style "hunt and

peck" and touch typing. For example, many "hunt and peck" typists have the

keyboard layout memorized and are able to type while focusing their gaze on the

screen. Some use just two fingers, while others use 3–6 fingers. Some use their

fingers very consistently, with the same finger being used to type the same character

every time, while others vary the way they use their fingers. One study examining 30

subjects, of varying different styles and expertise, has found minimal difference in

typing speed between touch typists and self-taught hybrid typists. According to the

study, "The number of fingers does not determine typing speed... People using self-

taught typing strategies were found to be as fast as trained typists... instead of the

number of fingers, there are other factors that predict typing speed... fast typists...

keep their hands fixed on one position, instead of moving them over the keyboard,

and more consistently use the same finger to type a certain letter." To quote doctoral

candidate Anna Feit: "We were surprised to observe that people who took a typing

14
course, performed at similar average speed and accuracy, as those that taught typing

to themselves and only used 6 fingers on average."

Thumbing: A late 20th century trend in typing, primarily used with devices with

small keyboards (such as PDAs and Smartphones), is thumbing or thumb typing. This

can be accomplished using either only one thumb or both the thumbs, with more

proficient typists reaching speeds of 100 words per minute. Similar to desktop

keyboards and input devices, if a user overuses keys which need hard presses and/or

have small and unergonomic layouts, it could cause thumb tendonitis or other

repetitive strain injury. Words per minute Further information:

Communication Skills

Communication skills are the abilities you use when giving and receiving different

kinds of information. Some examples include communicating new ideas, feelings or

even an update on your project. Communication skills involve listening, speaking,

observing and empathizing. It is also helpful to understand the differences in how to

communicate through face-to-face interactions, phone conversations and digital

communications like email and social media.

Examples of communication skills

There are different types of communication skills you can learn and practice to help

you become an effective communicator. Many of these skills work together making it

important to practice communication skills in different contexts whenever possible.

Active listening

Active listening means paying close attention to the person who is speaking to you.

People who are active listeners are well-regarded by their co-workers because of the

attention and respect they offer others. While it seems simple, this is a skill that can be

hard to develop and improve. You can be an active listener by focusing on the

15
speaker, avoiding distractions like cell phones, laptops or other projects and by

preparing questions, comments or ideas to thoughtfully respond.

Adapting your communication style to your audience

Different styles of communication are appropriate in different situations. To make the

best use of your communication skills, it’s important to consider your audience and

the most effective format to communicate with them.

For example, if you are communicating with a potential employer, it’s better to send a

formal email or call them on the phone. Depending on the situation, you may even

need to send a formal, typed letter over other forms of communication. In the

workplace, you may find it’s easier to communicate complex information in person or

via a video conference than in a long, dense email.

16
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.0 Overview
This chapter contains the research design, setting, population, sample population,

sampling technique, research instruments, intervention, implementation of

intervention, data collection procedure and data analysis.

3.1 Research Design

Researchers described research design as a blueprint, or outline, for conducting the

study in such a way that maximum control will be exercised over factors that could

interfere with the validity of the research results. The research design is the

researcher’s overall plan for obtaining answers to the research questions guiding the

study. Burns and Grove (2001) state that designing a study helps researchers to plan

and implement the study in a way that will help them obtain the intended results, thus

increasing the chances of obtaining information that could be associated with the real

situation. This study used a quantitative exploratory descriptive design to identify and

analyze addition of fractions with different denominators.

The design of the research is Action Research. An action research is a research in

which the researcher identifies a problem in his or her field or a situation (Agyemang,

2000). In the process, the researcher tries to find the causes and possible remedies to

the identified problems. After obtaining data on these problems, the researcher tries to

adopt intervention designs to see if the condition can be enhanced.

3.2 Setting
The research setting refers to the place where the data is collected. In this study, data

were conducted in the Abuakwa M/A JSS Basic School in the Ashanti Region of

Ghana.

17
3.3 Population
Population is defined as the totality of all subjects that conform to a set of

specifications, comprising the entire group of persons that is of interest to the

researcher and to whom the research results can be generalized. The target population

for this research includes the Basic 7 pupils of Abuakwa M/A Basic School in the

Ashanti Region of Ghana. The accessible population of the study was made up of 85

pupils in Basic seven (7) of Abuakwa M/A Basic School. The sample size covered 40

pupils in the class who had problems on the input and output devices with different

denominators and out of the 40 pupils, 28 were girls and 12 were boys.

3.4 Sampling Techniques

The purposive sampling technique was used. This was due to the fact that the problem

under study affected Basic seven (7) pupils of Abuakwa JSS Basic School.

3.5 Intervention
The intervention of the research commenced on the 9th February, 2022 and ended on

16th March, 2022. Each period lasted thirty (30) minutes. A post test was conducted at

the end of each intervention session.

The researcher used thirty (30) minutes for each meeting period after school hours.

Before the intervention, a pre-test was conducted to ascertain the fact the pupils really

have the problem relating to digital literacy

3.6 Implementation
Week 1: Pre-intervention

Day 1

Date: 9th February, 2022

Time: 2:00pm-2:30pm

Duration: 30 minutes

Activities: I gave pupils pre-test to do to acquaint their level of understanding typing.

18
Week 1:

Intervention 1 (mobile devices)

Day two

Topic: Computing word processing

Sub-topic: MS-Word

Date: 10th February, 2021

Time: 2:00pm-2:30pm

Duration: 30 minutes

Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the pupil will be able;

To know what typing is and 5 techniques of typing.

Activities: Using computer devices to assist pupils to identify devices for typing.

With this activity, the researcher put pupils into six groups with each group having a

leader. She also distributed pieces of papers contain the five techniques to the

learners; the researcher did a demonstration to them and they follow the steps Each

group had a malina card containing a technique learners did work in groups after the

researcher revised their previous knowledge on typing with the same denominators

using the game.

Activity I: Name the five techniques for typing

Example

19
The researcher then helped the learners to add the all the techniques and for typing is

as follows.

Activity II: identify the kind of techniques for typing on.

Example

The researcher then helped the pupils to identify the first and the second devices add

the first and the second device and write the answers.

Week 2:

Intervention one continued (laptop, Ms word)

Day one and two

Topic: Computer processor

Sub-topic: Ms-word

Date: 16th and 17th February, 2021

Time: 2:00pm-2:30pm

Duration: 30 minutes

Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the learners will:

Be able to type and communicate using mobile and laptop

Activities: Using mobile device (laptop) to assist learners to type and communicate

through researching.

The researcher therefore introduced the typing technique through typing games on the

various forms of typing to learners. learners were then asked to write the same

techniques in their books.

The researcher helped the pupils to list the techniques they are familiar to.

Below indicate the illustrations described

20
E.g. 1

 Maintain a healthy posture.

 Familiarize yourself with the keyboard layout.

 Start typing with touch typing.

 Press each key with the proper finger.

 Each key has to pressed by the same finger all the time.

 Take a typing speed test to keep track of your progress.

After such exercise, the researcher went round to check whether learners did as

expect. The researcher realized that few of them were finding it difficult to partition

the Ms- word the. So, the researcher addressed the problem by using devices that can

type aside mobile phone and laptop; computer can also perform the same function.

Hence, they attained mastery into the concept after such activity.

The researcher proceeded on to the devices of each tool shown. For e.g. list the

devices that is use for typing and informed them that they should group them. With

this demonstration, the pupils understood how typing can be done on any smartphone

or laptop and computers.

21
The researcher summarized these techniques by way of testing learners. Learners

solved the problems using the situational approach where they understood clearly

where typing can take place and how to obtain their typing techniques u

Week three:

Intervention 2 (Typing game)

Day one and two

Topic: computer processing

Sub-topic: Ms-word

Date: 22nd and 24th February, 2022

Time: 2:00pm-2:30pm

Duration: 30 minutes

Objective: By the end of the lesson, the pupil will:

Mention some devices use for typing.

Activities: Using computer for typing to assist learners to recognize the key for

typing. Below is;

In this intervention, the researcher tells the learners that their finger position is one

of the most important basics. When you start on an lesson you must place your

index fingers as shown at the image below.

22
This is the starting position, and the keys ASDF, for your left hand, and JKL;, for

your right hand are called the 'home keys'.

For example, with your index fingers you can feel a bump on the keys 'F' and 'J'.

When you type you must get back to these two keys as soon as a key has been

pressed on the keyboard so that you know all the time where you are on the

keyboard. If you don't find the keys 'F' and 'J' again you will get lost and make a lot

of mistakes. For the same reasons the first lessons are done without ever moving

your fingers from these two keys.

The researcher then asked the learners to identify the major keys for typing.

The researcher did four examples with them, for instance;

Next key to be pressed:

You have two ways to determine what key to press next. First of all the next key to

be pressed is highlighted by a yellow light around the key like this:

Secondly the next key to be types is indicated by an arrow on the line you are typing

like this:

23
After solving these three examples with the learners; the researcher posed a question

like ‘which type of keys are assigned to each figure when typing? Most of them were

able to give correct answers.

 Maintain a healthy posture.

 Familiarize yourself with the keyboard layout.

 Start typing with touch typing.

 Press each key with the proper finger.

 Each key has to pressed by the same finger all the time.

 Take a typing speed test to keep track of your progress.

After the first activity, the researcher put the learners into six groups of seven, and

gave each group task. After that the researcher wrote the questions on the board and

told the groups to do it using the techniques for typing. Some of the questions were,

what are the 5 typing techniques?

 After they were done with the work, each group was called to present its

answer on the blackboard and all the six groups performed well without any

difficulties. After taking them through the series of activities, the researcher

taught them that after listing the techniques i.e. Keeping your feet flat on the

ground and your neck and back straight.Adjusting your elbows to an angle

between 90 and 110 degrees.

 Keeping your wrists in a neutral stance.

 Moving your monitor so that the top of your screen is at eye-level.

 Adding appropriate ergonomic typing accessories.

By following these ideas, the pupils enjoy the lesson and were able to answer any

question the researcher posed to them with ease.

24
3.7 Post-Tests
After these interventions, post-tests activities were conducted to determine the

learners level of achievement; the researcher therefore held discussion with the ICT

teachers, head teacher where I stripped the problems discovered and all the

intervention measures administered to solve them.

3.8 Data Collection Instrument

The main instruments used for data collection were class exercises, class assignments

and class test.

3.9 Methods of Data Analysis

Simple percentages were used to analyze the data. Learners performance was grouped

under above average, average and below average. The grading system is shown

below.

Table 1: Grading System

Range of Scores Description

0-3 Below Average

4-5 Average

6-10 Above Average

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

4.0 Overview
This chapter deals with data presentation, analysis and discussion of findings via pre

and post-test analysis. To enable the researcher, know the situation of learner’s
25
inability to a use mobile devices for typing, a pre-test was conducted and the result is

shown in Table 1.

4.1 Data Presentation

Table 1: Pre-test scores

Scores (Marks) Frequency Percentage (%)

6 - 10 3 9

4-5 9 28

0-3 20 63

The data from the pre-test table shows that out of 32 pupils, 20 pupils representing

(63%) achieved below average, 9 pupils representing (28%) had average marks and 3

pupils representing (9%) achieved above average marks. This percentage indicated

that learners really had problems in typing with mobile devices. Poor performance of

pupils as indicated in the pre-test may be attributed to the following:

The absence of relevant teaching-learning materials focusing attention on ICT tools

and answer realization, incorrect use of words when typing such as “invert”, “goes

into” and others (Billstein, 1993). Also, Dotse (2000) states that “teaching and

learning becomes more effectively and enjoyable when instructional aid is properly

used but in the absence of such aids teaching and learning become more difficult.”

Research Question 1

To what extent would the use mobile devices and laptop improve upon the typing

skills of Basic seven (7) learners of Abuakwa JSS B’ Basic School

Data collected in response to this research question is shown in table two.

Table 2: Post Test 1 – use of mobile devices

Scores (Marks) Frequency Percentage (%)

26
 6 - 10 22 69

4-5 8 25

0-3 2 6

The comparison between this table and the pre-test showed that learners achievement

had improved. Twenty-two pupils representing (69%) achieved above average in the

post-test one whilst three learners representing (9%) achieved above average in the

pre-test conducted. Also, eight pupils representing (25%) scored average marks in the

post-test 1 as compared to nine pupils representing (28%) in the pre-test conducted.

Again, two pupils representing (6%) achieved below average in the post-test whereas

twenty pupils representing (63%) achieved below average in the pre-test. A study of

the above table shows that pupils’ achievement has improved as a result of

introduction typing into typing games. This improvement supports the idea of Steff

(1992) who state that games serve as the framework whereby teachers plant powerful

computing ideas of typing in a personally meaningful context for students to

investigate. The researcher believes that the relationship between games and mental

models help to ensure better understanding of typing in a practical situation. This led

to the improvement one typing skills achievement in the post-test 1.

Research Question 2

How would the use mobile devices and laptop improve upon the typing skills of Basic

seven (7) learners of Abuakwa JSS B’ Basic School

Table 3: Post Test 2 – using typing techniques

Scores (Marks) Frequency Percentage (%)

6 - 10 23 72

27
 4-5 8 25

0-3 1 3

Also, 1 pupil representing (3%) achieved below average as against 20 learners

representing (63%) achieved below average mark in the pre-test. The analysis of the

post-test 2 also reveals tremendous improvement in learner’s achievement. This was

based on the improvement of Kay (2005) who state that typing technology will make

lesson more simple, easy and understanding, which eventually arouse the learner’s

interest.

28
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 Overview
This chapter covers the summary of the research, findings, limitations, conclusions

and recommendations.

5.1 Summary
The research was aimed at assisting Basic Seven (7) pupils of Abuakwa M/A Basic

School to improve upon their typing skills. The research questions were answered.

Thus the implementation of ICT tools for typing arouses and sustains learners interest.

The sample size was made up of thirty (30) Basic Seven (7) pupils of Abuakwa M/A

Basic School. Also, the sampling technique used was the purposive sampling

technique because the problem identified affected all the learners in Basic Seven (7)

of Abuakwa M/A Basic School.

Varied interventional strategies were used to assist pupils to deal with the problems

on typing. These were the use of relevant teaching learning materials, adequate

exercises backed by homework and group activity among learners. The intervention

of the research commenced on the 9th February, 2022 and ended on 15th March, 2022.

After each intervention, a post- test was conducted to find out the effectiveness of the

interventional strategies used. The result of the post-test revealed that learner’s

achievement on typing improved significantly when varieties of relevant techniques

were used with adequate exercises and homework. The study revealed that Basic

Seven (7) pupils of Abuakwa M/A Basic School were able to communicate well and

their typing skills was good;

1. Mobile devices

2. Computer

29
 5.2 Findings
The findings of the study suggested that;

1. The implementation of mobile devices has assisted Basic Seven (7) Abuakwa JSS

B’ Basic School to communicate and type. Learners can now use mobile devices to

solve problems including use of communication and typing

5.3 Limitation
There was a problem of time and financial constraints to buy or prepare all the

relevant teaching learning materials.

Again, some of the pupils were not regular at schooling, making the implementation

of the intervention extremely difficult.

Finally, there was too much noise in the class due to large class size of 65 pupils.

5.4 Conclusion
The use of computer device model are suitable interventions that could help learners

add improve communications and typing skills.

5.5 Recommendations

1. It is recommended that teachers having similar problems may use the interventions

of this research to solve similar problems facing them on literacy.

2. The use of appropriate teaching and learning materials and relevant models should

be recommended for the teaching of ICT.

3. Attention must be given to the teaching of computing at all levels in the

educational system.

4. Finally, workshops need to be organized on teaching of computing to teachers in

all schools to enhance their competencies.

30
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 APPENDIXES

APPENDIX A

PRE-TEST

Answer all the following questions (show workings)

35