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Voicing Diversity: How can I integrate WebQuests and Moodle
into Religious Education at Second Level?
By
Fiona A. Williams
B. Rel. Sc.
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the M. Sc.
Education and Training Management (ICT) Degree, DCU.
Supervisor: Fionnuala Flanagan, School of Education, DCU, June 2004.
2
Table of Contents
Table of Contents 2
Abstract 7
Declaration 8
Acknowledgements 9
1 Introduction 10
1.1 The Changing Face of Religious Education 11
2 Literature Review 17
2.1 ICT and the Promotion Of Learning 17
2.1.1 Motivation and ICT 18
2.1.2 Autonomy/Self-Direction in Learning 19
2.1.3 Collaborative Problem Solving and ICT 20
2.2 WebQuests in Teaching and Learning 21
2.2.1 WebQuests and scaffolding 24
2.3 Moodle 26
2.4 ICT and Religious Education 27
3
2.5 Conclusion 30
3 The Research Project: Its Character and Context 31
3.1 School Context 31
3.2 WebQuests 32
3.3 Definition of the Research Project 33
3.4 Moodle as a Pedagogic Tool 35
3.5 Action Research as Research Paradigm 35
3.5.1 Criticisms of Action Research 38
3.6 The Research Plan 39
3.6.1 Educational Values 40
3.6.2 Teaching Aims 41
4 Implementation of the Research 48
4.1 Cycle 1 48
4.1.1 Structure of Cycle 1 49
4.2 WebQuest 1: Born and Raised in Belfast. 50
4.2.1 Research Findings from Born and Raised in Belfast with Moodle 51
4.3 WebQuest 2: The Synoptic Gospel WebQuest 52
4.3.1 Research Findings from the Synoptic Gospel WebQuest 54
4.4 Cycle 1: Reflections and Review 56
4.4.1 WebQuest Design 56
4.4.2 Use of Moodle 57
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4.4.3 Teaching PowerPoint 58
4.5 Cycle 2 58
4.6 WebQuest 3, Faith in Ireland: Design Issues 58
4.6.1 Technical Considerations 58
4.6.2 Choice of Content 60
4.7.3 Selection of Participating Christian Communities 61
4.6.4 Setting up the Discussion Forum 61
4.6.5 Validation of WebQuest Pages 62
4.7 Usability Test 62
4.8 Implementation of Cycle 2 65
5 Analysis of Cycle 2: Research Findings from Faith in Ireland 71
5.1 Pupil Collaboration 71
5.2 Moodle Discussion Board 75
5.3 Comparison of WebQuests and Moodle With Traditional Learning. 79
5.4 Constructivist Learning through WebQuests 81
5.4.1 Self-directed learning 81
5.4.2 Constructivist Learning through the Use of PowerPoint 83
5.5 Implications for Cycle 3 86
5.6 Validation of Research 87
6 Conclusions and Recommendations 92
6.1 Improvement in Students’ Learning 92
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6.2 Improvements in My Own Practice as an Educator 96
6.3 Unexpected Learning Outcomes 99
6.3.1 Factors Contributing to the Success of this Research 100
6.4 Conclusion 101
Appendices
Appendix A: Letter to Students’ Parents 102
Appendix B: Sample Letter to External Collaborators 103
Appendix C: Screenshots from Faith in Ireland WebQuest 104
Appendix D: Faith in Ireland Usability Test 114
Appendix E1: Sample of correspondence with Sr. Pat on Moodle 118
Appendix E2: Sample of correspondence with Fr. Geoffrey on Moodle 122
Appendix E3: Sample of correspondence with Rev. Sargent on Moodle. 124
Appendix F1: Research Diary from Session 128
Appendix F2: Research Diary from Session 2 130
Appendix F3: Research Diary from Session 3 111
Appendix F4: Research Diary from Session 4 136
Appendix F5: Research Diary from Session 5 139
Appendix G: Observer Comment Form. 140
Appendix H: Student responses to questionnaires on Faith in Ireland and Moodle
discussion board. 142
Appendix I1: Interview with Susan 150
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Appendix I2: Interview with Geraldine 154
Appendix I3: Interview with Jennifer 158
Appendix I4: Interview with Rosemary 162
Appendix J: Sample Student PowerPoint Slideshows 167
Bibliography 172
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Voicing Diversity: How can I integrate WebQuests and Moodle into Religious Education at Second Level?
Fiona Williams
Abstract
This thesis involves both the design of a WebQuest in Religious Education and an analysis of its implementation in the classroom. This WebQuest is followed by a Moodle discussion forum. The purpose of the research is to demonstrate how Religious Education can be made more inclusive by giving students access to authentic voices from different religious traditions. The analysis is conducted via an action research methodology. Chapter One sets the research in the context of the development of a more inclusive vision of the curriculum in Religious Education in Ireland and in an awareness of the benefits of ICT in teaching. The literature review in Chapter Two examines the material that has emerged in the Irish context and appraises the relevance of material from international sources. Chapter 3 situates the research within the specific school context and within the context of my own educational aims. My choice of action research as the research paradigm is also justified and my action research planner is explained. The first cycle of the research is analysed in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 presents and analyses data from the second cycle of the research, namely, the Faith in Ireland WebQuest, followed by a discussion board with external collaborators representing three different faith communities in Ireland. This analysis is made using the themes noted in my literature review. This chapter concludes with an evaluation of the action research process. Chapter 6 draws the research together. It makes explicit the transformation in my practice as a teacher and appraises it against Winter’s six criteria of rigour. The chapter concludes with recommendations as to how this research could be modified for a further cycle, and how it could be applied to other areas of the curriculum.
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I hereby certify that his material, which I now submit for assessment on the
programme of study leading to the award of M. Sc. Education and Training
Management (ICT) is entirely my own work and has not been taken from the work
of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged
within the text of my work.
Signed:_______________________________
ID Number: 52150518
30 June 2004.
9
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my supervisor Fionnuala Flanagan for her painstaking
assistance and guidance in writing this dissertation. I would also like to express my
gratitude to Margaret Farren of the School of Education for her generous interest and
encouragement over the past two years. Thanks also are due to Réaltán Ní
Leannáin, Fr. Geoffrey Ready of the Orthodox Church, St. Patricia O’Malley of the
Holy Faith Sisters and Rev. Derek Sargent of the Church of Ireland for their
generosity in collaborating on Moodle Discussion Forums, and to Denis Calahane
the Moodle Administrator in DCU.
I would like to acknowledge the co-operation of the Principal and Staff of St. Mary’s
Holy Faith Secondary School, Killester. I wish to thank the students, especially
class Oliver Plunkett whose enthusiasm greatly assisted my research. I would like
also to acknowledge the support of the TeachNet advisors, especially Greg Gill for
his assistance with Flash.
Finally, I must acknowledge my support of my sisters Maeve and Orla, and the
encouragement and self-belief provided by my late parents, Patrick and Mary Lynch.
Most of all I wish to give a special word of thanks to my husband Kevin, and
children Caitríona, Patrick and Áine for their practical and loving support.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
As a teacher and parent, I have been struck by the potential of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) to engage young people, not merely in
recreational activity, but in genuine learning. As a teacher of Religious Education, I
have noted the pervasiveness of religious websites on the Internet. Some have a
spiritual remit and aim to help people pray; and others are scholarly and aimed at the
academic audience of, for example, scripture scholars. Many are proselytising in
intent and are designed to recruit neophytes to cults or religious movements. There is
little that is suitable for educational use and in the Irish context the dearth of material
appropriate for use in the classroom is acute.
These perceptions formed much of the impulse behind this thesis. I wished to
design a WebQuest in the area of Religious Education and thereby to explore the
potential of ICT in the classroom. I was concerned to establish whether the
inclusion of the virtual learning environment, Moodle, could make the teaching of
religion more inclusive and also make the learning of religion more exciting and real
by giving students access to authentic voices from different religious traditions. I
also wished to find out whether the aspirations of policy-makers about the use of
technology in Irish education were at all realistic in the practical context of a
secondary school with limited resources. For this reason this work involved both the
design of a WebQuest and also its implementation in the classroom. The whole
process was appraised via an action research methodology. In this way, I hoped to
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add to the small but growing body of research into the use of web-based material in
teaching and learning. Research has been carried out on some subjects, especially in
the area of mathematics and science, but nothing of this nature was found in either
the Irish or British literature in the area of Religious Education.
1.1 The Changing Face of Religious Education
The context of this research project is the teaching of Religious Education at
secondary level in Ireland. As this has undergone major change in aim and content
over the last twenty years, it merits some comment. At the outset it may be helpful
to define some terminology. Religious Education is taken to mean the teaching of
religion with a view to informing and enlightening learners and does not presuppose
religious faith on the part of either teacher or learners. Although some learners may
come to have their commitment to a faith reinforced, this is not the purpose of
Religious Education. Catechesis is a sub-set of Religious Education and it means
teaching religion with the added purpose of developing Christian faith. Catechesis
can therefore be described as formative in intent, although not all of those who study
in a catechetical context become or remain convinced believers.
Working from the catechetical model, The Irish Episcopal Commission on
Catechetics (1982:4) defined the aim of Religious Education as being to
awaken people to faith and then to help them throughout their lives to deepen and strengthen that faith.
12
As stated here, Religious Education was viewed as catechetical, that is, it aimed
primarily to promote the faith and spiritual growth of the students. In this formative
view of Religious Education, faith development within the context of Church
membership was of primary importance, and any other learning was secondary. The
Bishop of each diocese was responsible for the Religious Education in all of the
schools in his diocese. There was no state involvement in syllabus design or in
examining this subject. Indeed this only became legally possible after the Education
Act 1998, with the removal of legal obstacles to the State assessment of Religious
Education. The situation as described above remained the basis of Religious
Education until the publication of The Junior Certificate Religious Education
Syllabus (2000). This document differs significantly from its predecessor (the
Episcopal document) in its inclusive tone and overall aim:
Religious Education should ensure that students are exposed to a broad range of religious traditions and to the non-religious interpretation of life. It has a particular role to play in the curriculum in the promotion of tolerance and mutual understanding. It seeks to develop in students the skills needed to engage in meaningful dialogue with those of other, or of no, religious traditions. (2000:4)
Religion is not to be studied from the traditional catechetical perspective of faith
development. It is rather to be taught from a non-confessional standpoint, that is, in
a manner which would be acceptable to members of all religions and none. The
catechetical tone of the 1984 syllabus regarding morality is replaced by a more
objective one:
Students are encouraged to engage critically with … moral systems in an effort to arrive at a thought-through moral stance that will serve as a foundation for the decisions they will face as adults and for the patterns of
13
behaviour and commitment that will mark how they will relate to their local communities and the world in general. (2000:4)
The overall aim of Religious Education in the Junior Cycle is to promote tolerance
and mutual understanding. The study of the phenomenon of religious belief and
experience, as well as of non-religious worldviews, is central to the new syllabus.
Teachers are expected to adopt an objective approach to world religions. This
means that they teach about world religions under various headings such as founding
vision, moral codes, sacred texts, including the Bible, Koran and Torah. This is far
removed from the previous confessional or catechetical approach, which aimed to
reinforce belief in one particular faith. This phenomenological approach requires a
new approach to teaching, one removed from the proselytising orientation which
accompanied the former syllabus. The spirit of this new form of Religious
Education is far closer to my educational aims and probably to the aims of most
teachers.
The Religious Education Junior Certificate Guidelines for Teachers (2001) outlines
an extensive number of different methodologies for the teaching of Religious
Education with the aim of promoting active learning, an emphasis that is consistent
with one of my educational aims. For the purposes of this research, it is also
noteworthy that the document suggests an extensive list of websites for use in
teaching the syllabus. The foregrounding of web resources in this way demonstrates
official awareness on the part of the Department of Education and Science of the
significance of ICT for teaching and learning.
14
This major change in the status of Religious Education coincided with a government
drive to improve technological investment in schools. Over recent years Irish
schools have benefited from huge capital funding and investment. Schools received
large sums of money under the programme, Schools IT 2000 – A Policy Framework
for the New Millennium, which ran from 2000-3, in order to provide equipment and
infrastructure and to develop teachers’ skills. Noel Dempsey, the Minister for
Education, has also urged teachers to engage their students in collaborative computer
assisted learning across the curriculum (Murray 2003:10). Although his statement
sounds more like aspirational rhetoric than a further policy commitment, it does
coincide with my educational aims.
Although much has been achieved in terms of equipping schools to make use of
ICT, there is a gap between the provision and the actual pedagogic use of this
technology. The existence of this gap has huge implications for anyone
endeavouring to develop web-based learning. This research is an attempt to close
the gap by demonstrating the educational potential of the Internet and other
computer applications in a school context where infrastructure is limited and pupils
have low levels of computer skills.
In the literature review which follows this introduction, I examine the material that
has emerged in the Irish context and consider the relevance of material from
international sources. Research on the integration of Information and
15
Communication Technology into teaching, learning and Religious Education is
reviewed. These insights are then drawn together, and will be used as the criteria by
which the data is analysed in chapter 5.
Chapter 3 follows the literature review. This situates the research within the specific
school context and within the context of my own educational aims. This chapter
examines existing websites suitable for use in Religious Education within the Irish
context. The choice of action research for this dissertation is discussed here, along
with the nature of action research. Reference is also made to criticisms of action
research as a research paradigm. The final section of this chapter presents my action
research planner which outlines the aims, values, rationale, process and validation of
my research.
The research cycles and their implementation process are detailed in chapter 4. The
first cycle, composed of the use of two different WebQuests, along with the use of
Moodle, is analysed. The rationale underlying the design of the WebQuest, Faith in
Ireland, the WebQuest designed to accompany this dissertation and used in the
second cycle is explained and shown to reflect my educational aims. The criteria for
the selection of the participating faith communities are also described.
In chapter 5 data from the second cycle of the research, namely, the Faith in Ireland
WebQuest, followed by a discussion board with external collaborators representing
three different faith communities in Ireland, is analysed. This analysis is made using
16
the themes noted in my literature review. The final section of this chapter offers an
evaluation of the action research process.
Finally, chapter 6 draws the research together. It makes explicit the transformation
in my practice as a teacher and appraises it against Winter’s (1989) six criteria of
rigour. The chapter concludes with recommendations as to how this research could
be modified for a further cycle, and how it could be applied to other areas of the
curriculum.
17
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Having explained the rationale and nature of the research in chapter one, this chapter
situates the research within the context of the literature. This literature review will
examine the potential of ICT to promote learning. Particular attention will be paid
to its role in enhancing motivation, in promoting self-direction or autonomy in
learning and in encouraging collaboration between learners, the three themes central
to this dissertation. The literature on the use of the two applications relevant to this
research, namely, WebQuests and Moodle will then be examined. The relative
absence of research on the integration of ICT in Religious Education in general will
then be considered and the review will conclude by drawing attention to the
potential of WebQuests and Moodle in teaching this subject.
2.1 ICT and the Promotion of Learning
Research clearly demonstrates the potential of ICT to increase motivation and
autonomy in learning and in improving retention. This use of multimedia to mediate
directly to students, at their own pace, realities and experiences which otherwise
would be text-based stimulates their interest and motivation to learn. Donner
(2001), citing Farmer, argues that:
Technology is an element that, when integrated correctly, is able to broaden learning experiences, motivate children and teachers, provide students with real-world skills and applications, and help students learn how to act as productive members in our world.
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2.1.1 Motivation and ICT
In a fascinating article on the benefits of ICT for second language learning, Gill
(2003) outlines how it may be used significantly to improve student motivation in
second language learning. Al-Bataineh et al (2000) also found that the use of
WebQuests in an American high school led to an increase in pupil motivation,
collaboration and self-reliance. Passey et al (2004) completed a major study on
pupil motivation and ICT. They found that that use of ICT in schools increased
student motivation, particularly when it was used to support the research, writing
and presentation of work. These findings are confirmed in two separate studies of an
educational initiative in the State of Maine where high school pupils were each
issued with a laptop for use in all lessons. These studies found that
(s)tudents using the laptops increased their level of achievement, class attendance rose and teachers reported high levels of engagement in the classroom. (Lillington 2004:6)
The relationship between motivation and enjoyment in learning through ICT has
been fruitfully explored in relation to ICT (Chen and McGrath 2003). This research
draws on Csikszentmihalyi’s (1990) work on the ‘phenomenonology of enjoyment’
and ‘optimal flow experience’. Three concepts highlighted in the work of Chen and
McGrath (2003) are significant for this dissertation, namely challenge, curiosity and
control. The general motivational potential of ICT is well reflected in WebQuests.
March (2004) suggests that learner motivation will be increased through the use of
WebQuests, especially if the task of the WebQuest is relevant to real life activities.
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2.1.2 Autonomy/Self-Direction in Learning
As noted by Chen and McGrath (2003) motivation is also related to learner control
or autonomy. Indeed, Yildrirm et al (2001:207) note that learner control is linked to
a variety of positive affective outcomes, such as motivation, increased level of
engagement, positive attitudes, and decreased anxiety. When instructional
experience is effectively self-managed, it may add to an individual’s sense of
competence and self-efficacy which, in turn, can enhance continuous motivation.
Through the use of the mouse, students have direct control over their learning, and
become editors and designers rather than consumers of text (Rutkwoski 2001). It
has been observed that when students collaborate in pairs on computers, they
experience greater autonomy and self-direction, and teachers become less directive.
‘The more autonomous the learner, the less need there is for structure from the
instructor.’ (Nelson 1999:247) Further examples of increased autonomy and
motivation in learning are described by Leask (1999:205):
The improved motivation of our pupils when using ICT tools has been impressive, with a real sense of purpose to the activities… Furthermore, these projects have stimulated enormous creative energy, with students making very valuable suggestions for the development of their own learning.
According to Kirschner and Whopereis (2003:111), one of the effects of technology
is to engender ‘longer lasting changes in learners’. In work that is very relevant to
this study, Yildrirm et al (2001:213) describe research into learning from ICT by
comparing a control and experimental group. In this situation both groups learnt
equally well but a month later the technology group had significantly better
retention. Denrich (2004) outlines the increase in autonomous learning, especially
20
for students with specific learning difficulties, which occurs with the use of web-
based media and course management systems.
2.1.3 Collaborative Problem Solving and ICT
Chen and McGrath (2003) draw attention to a link between motivation and
cooperation in learning through ICT. Nelson describes the term ‘collaborative
problem solving’ (1999) as one of the most powerful forms of learning because it
exploits the human desire for collaboration and encourages an open sharing of
knowledge and ideas using higher order skills:
The basic assumption … is that the learning environment is co-operative and collaborative, with the instructor and learners engaging in activities that… encourage the development of problem-solving, critical-thinking, and team-building skills. (Nelson 1999:249-50)
Al-Bataineh (2004) further found that in a ‘paperless’ classroom students sought
opportunities for peer collaboration and group work. This is consistent with the
findings of Gill (2003) that the use of ICT leads both pupils and teachers to
collaborate more with their peers. The potential of ICT to encourage collaboration
between teachers has also been noted by Somekh (1997).
This dissertation focuses on the enhancement of motivation and the promotion of
autonomy and collaboration in learning through the use of WebQuests and Moodle.
Let us turn now to the relevant literature on WebQuests and Moodle.
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2.2 WebQuests in Teaching and Learning
WebQuests were first developed by Dodge (1997) as a way of enhancing higher
order learning for students which maximised use of the web in a scaffolded or
supported manner. Watson (1999:1) describes WebQuests as ‘reflective, fluid and
dynamic’. Dodge (1997) defines a WebQuest as: ‘an inquiry-oriented activity in
which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from
resources on the Internet’. The impulse behind their design was therefore
pedagogic. Research to date on WebQuests has been quite limited as noted by
Dodge (2003). Therefore, this dissertation is itself a contribution to research in this
area.
A WebQuest is a scaffolded form of pedagogic website, whereby the learners are set
a multi-faceted task to be researched or problem to be solved, using specified web
links. WebQuests follow a template design of introduction, task, process, evaluation
and conclusion. The problem is stated in the introduction with more detail to be
found in the task page. The web links relevant to the task are found on the process
page. The final element of the WebQuest template is the evaluation rubric where
pupils are offered headings under which they may evaluate their own work. These
headings focus on the process of learning, as well as the product. Students are
expected to evaluate their peer collaboration and research skills. The conclusion
offers further links where supplementary web information may be found.
WebQuests are usually designed to last over a number of teaching periods and to
involve collaborative, self-directed learning that is structured around higher order
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cognitive tasks. (See March, 2004:42-4 and Peterson, Caverly and MacDonald,
2003:38.)
WebQuests are a way of structuring and directing higher-order learning using
computers (Benz 2001). Therefore they are one example of what Jonassen (2000:9)
describes as ‘mindtools’. Mindtools are: ‘(c)omputer-based tools and learning
environments that… facilitate critical thinking and higher-order learning’. As a
mindtool, the WebQuest requires cognitive activity. It is designed to develop and
stimulate cognitive and creative interaction with one’s environment as mediated
through the Internet (Kirschner and Whopereis 2003). A WebQuest differs from a
standard website because it necessitates the learner actively engaging with the
material to be researched in collaboration with other learners. This challenge to
WebQuest designers is often not met. Many so-called WebQuests do not meet the
terms of Dodge’s definition because the task is not sufficiently challenging for the
learner (March 2004:42). In a WebQuest the learner must interact with the new
knowledge to formulate a new hypothesis, or to create a new artefact for which the
use of computers is essential. Other models of structured learning using the Internet
are Treasure Hunts and Scavenger Hunts. These differ essentially from WebQuests
because they require no more than a mere search for answers to questions, rather
than collaborative, cognitively rich enquiry.
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The literature also offers criteria and guidelines for the pedagogically fruitful use of
WebQuests. Braun (2001:33), for example, outlines some common teaching criteria
which should be applied to the use of WebQuests.
• How well do they teach a particular topic?
• Do they promote collaborative learning, higher-order thinking skills, and
information literacy?
• How well is the technology used?
This use of higher order-skills such as creativity and knowledge synthesis is
essential. (Peterson, Caverly and MacDonald 2003:38) Ideally students will come
to engage in critical thinking, but the capacity to engage in this thinking requires a
knowledge base (Winch and Gingell 1999:49) not always possessed by second level
students such as those who feature in this research.
As WebQuests require students to research, organise and synthesise findings, they
should be familiar with basic research skills on data collection and synthesis.
Caverly (1998) has called this the GAP Process, whereby students first gather
information, then arrange and structure their findings, and finally present this new
synthesised knowledge to others. This public presentation by students of their new
learning is itself a significant element of the WebQuest and of the students’ learning
experience. WebQuests require students to work in groups on different perspectives
24
of the same topic; therefore the final stage of the process is the collation and public
presentation of their findings.
2.2.1 WebQuests and Scaffolding
One central concept in the use of WebQuest as a teaching tool is scaffolding and it is
appropriate to make some comments on it. Reference to ‘scaffolding’ occurs quite
extensively in the literature as a means of providing structure to students, keeping
them focused on the task, at the same time avoiding being over prescriptive.
Scaffolding is central to the WebQuest because it which provides ‘temporary
frameworks to support student performance beyond their capacities’ (Cho and
Jonassen 2002:6). Thus, scaffolding may enable students to achieve beyond their
natural abilities as will be noted later in this dissertation.
Gill (2003) highlights the importance of scaffolding for students, a metaphor that is
also significant in constructivist theories. McKenzie (1999) uses it interchangeably
with the term ‘structure’. Nelson (1999:251) defines scaffolding as an activity
whereby:
The instructor acts a cognitive coach, asking the students probing questions to focus learners on the most important aspects of the content and to encourage them to investigate certain aspects more deeply or to rethink their approach to the problem.
As in all good pedagogic practice, the classroom provides a sheltered and structured
environment for students to develop skills.
25
Students develop expertise in the subject from within a situated learning environment – that is, one in which knowledge and skills are learned in the contexts that reflect how knowledge is obtained and applied in everyday situations. (Cho and Jonassen 2002:45)
Teachers also benefit from the scaffolding in WebQuests. One of the problems with
the Internet is its huge size and the associated difficulties in locating pedagogically
appropriate material. The use of WebQuests can greatly reduce the amount of time
that teachers have to invest in seeking appropriate material on the Internet. The
large number of WebQuests on the web may be sourced through one of the
WebQuest portal pages or else through the use of a search engine. Suitable
WebQuests may then be used as subject portal sites. Descy describes this difficulty
of sourcing material on the Internet as follows:
Everything seems to be out there… honest information, dishonest information, biased information, and information that may be just plain inappropriate for the customer because of age or ability to understand. (Descy 2003:363)
McKenzie (1999) outlines the following characteristics of scaffolding:
• It offers the possibility of self-assessment to students
• It clarifies expectations and outcomes
• It keeps students on task, and provides important source material.
All of these elements are explicitly included in WebQuests. Scaffolding is
especially appropriate to the context of this research. Without it students may
become bewildered by the abundance of religious material on the web.
26
2.3 Moodle
As this research also includes use of a virtual learning environment, Moodle, let us
now examine its features. As a virtual learning environment or course management
tool, Moodle has been designed with teaching and learning in mind. A course
management tool is essentially an online software package used for hosting a
distance education or online course, or it may be used to complement traditional
classroom learning. Other examples are WebCT and Blackboard. These course
management tools usually combine features such as discussion forums, chat rooms,
uploading of course material and web resources and an internal email-facility. Thus,
web-based learning is used to support classroom education, to a greater or lesser
degree (Sloan Centre for Online Education 2003, Chidwick 2002 and Garvey 2002).
Designed as new course management system, Moodle uses a social constructivist
pedagogy with user-friendly interface. The word Moodle was originally an acronym
for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It is also a verb that
describes the process of
lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity (Dougiamas 2003).
Moodle differs from Blackboard and WebCT in that it is open source, which means
that it is free to use and any upgrades or improvements to it are shared free of charge
amongst the worldwide user community. As Moodle is used and installed locally on
the user’s host of choice, download time is quite fast, and it may be customised as
27
the local system administrator wishes. Simple technical instructions are available on
the main site, as are online help services (see Moodle website).
As a virtual learning environment, Moodle provides increased and varied
opportunities for different forms of interaction and narrative, and thus for learning.
For the purposes of my research, what Brunner (1997) identified as the special
appeal of virtual learning environments to females is relevant. He claims that ‘the
ability to communicate with others and share ideas corresponds to female fantasies’
(cited in Garvey 2002:16). De Zwart (2003) outlines possible uses of Moodle within
the secondary school context. Of particular relevance to this research is his
description of how the asynchronous discussion forum may be used to surmount
organizational difficulties with timetabling. He advises that the external expert(s)
should be enrolled into Moodle and be fully apprised of the subject matter of the
course, the duration of the discussion forum and the desired learning outcomes.
As the dissertation is concerned with the use WebQuests and Moodle in teaching
religion, it is next appropriate to consider the literature on ICT and Religious
Education.
2.4 ICT and Religious Education
What is immediately striking from reviewing the literature is the paucity of literature
on the role of computer assisted learning within Religious Education. The major
journals in the field, Religious Education, British Journal of Religious Education,
28
Religious Education Journal, Journal of Beliefs and Values, Christian Higher
Education and the Journal of Moral Education contain no relevant articles at all.
Nor has any relevant research either been published in Irish educational journals.
Writing in an Australian journal, Irish researcher, McGrady (2002), explains that this
lack of scholarly research stems from the relatively recent arrival in secondary
schools of networked computer laboratories, and the failure by commercial
companies to sponsor software for Religious Education. Along with these factors
are more general problems of the high cost of developing multi-media software and
the low skill base among teachers generally.
In the British literature reference to some articles can be found in Resource, a non-
academic magazine for Religious Education teachers, and also to some forthcoming
publications. This suggests that that use of computers in Religious Education is still
at a trial phase. The report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools (OfSTED
2002) confirms that Religious Education classes make less effective use of ICT than
any other subject.
Anecdotal evidence suggests a similar situation in Ireland. This anecdotal evidence
is supported by the single Religious Education curricular unit hosted by TeachNet,
an initiative that funds Irish teachers to design web-based curriculum units. This
unit is effectively a series of worksheets to accompany the novel, Man’s Search for
Meaning by Viktor Frankl, without making use of multimedia features. The other
initiative is Cyberclass, a Junior Certificate programme, whose accompanying CD-
29
Rom resembles little more than a textbook with hyperlinks to other chapters.
Gunning (2002) notes that this was not a successful project mainly because of
hardware difficulties in the piloting schools and because of timetabling constraints.
Another difficulty with this package, which I have noted, is the high reading ability
required by students. This material calls to mind Harrison’s (1998) caution that
multi-media software may contain less information than a good textbook. As with
all good teaching, the use of ICT should not be for its own sake, but rather as a
creative means of mediating experience and stimulating higher order challenges.
When teaching through ICT, it is important for teachers to identify the reason for so
doing and also the underlying pedagogy (McKenzie 2003).
Harrison (1998) recounts some examples of how she integrated ICT and Religious
Education with a resulting improvement in pupil motivation and interest. Stern
(2004) identifies the positive contribution to spiritual development, which computers
can make. They give privacy to students in investigating the outside world and
allow them prepare their response in a non-judgemental arena, removed from both
peers and teacher. The potential of ICT to allow students privacy in dealing with
sensitive issues is very important in RE. This public-private dimension of the
computer has also allowed websites such as Sacred Space, the Taizé Community,
and Catholic Ireland to flourish. Indeed part of the attraction of these websites is the
immediacy and sense of being part of an online community with online prayer
request forms linked directly to contemplative communities. These sites provide an
enormous potential for communicating directly to the student the experience of the
30
living religious community in a way that is not possible with traditional forms of
teaching. McGrady (2002) agrees that an important task for the teacher is to identify
which websites are most suitable for classroom use and to implement a suitable
pedagogy.
2.5 Conclusion
As is clear from this literature review, the WebQuest is an example of the kind of
pedagogy recommended by McGrady that can serve to integrate ICT into teaching.
Indeed the potential of WebQuests and Moodle to increase motivation and to
promote autonomy are particularly pertinent to teaching Religious Education in the
context of this research where the extrinsic incentive of state examination is absent.
In the light of the absence of research literature on the use of WebQuest and Moodle
in Religious Education, I hope that this dissertation, with the accompanying
WebQuest and Moodle discussion forum, will contribute to increasing the
knowledge base of teaching (Farren 2004) and will serve as a contribution to
building a research base in the area. In the chapter that follows detailed attention
will be given to the context in which this research was conducted.
31
Chapter 3 The Research Project: Its Character and Context
Having reviewed the literature on the integration of ICTwith teaching, learning and
Religious Education, it is now appropriate to explain the character of the research
project and how it came to be defined and conceptualised. But, firstly, it is
necessary to consider the context from which the project emerged and in which the
research was conducted. The contextual issues to be considered are as follows: the
school context and the role of WebQuests within Religious Education.
3.1 School Context
This research took place within the school’s computer laboratory. The school
currently has one networked computer laboratory with 20 computers with Internet
access and one data projector. The machines are all approximately six years old and
further hamper the ISDN Internet access. The laboratory is poorly maintained
because the school employs no technical staff.
Access to the computer laboratory was possible only on two out of three weekly
timetabled classes. Only four students have Internet access at home, therefore this
project had to run entirely during class time. This takes us to the second contextual
issue, namely, the availability of web resources suitable for Religious Education.
32
3.2 WebQuests
As already explained in chapter two, the relationship between Religious Education
and the use of WebQuests has not hitherto been exploited. Although there is a
multiplicity of websites on the theme of religion, closer examination shows that
these are generally very unsuitable for school use. Reasons for this include the
following:
1. A significant number are devotional in nature, that is, they are intended as aids to
prayer or to encourage commitment to a particular faith.
2. Other religious websites are academic, for example, The New Testament
Gateway in the area of scripture studies (Goodacre 2004). These sites are too
detailed for school use and are written in academic language.
3. Many religious websites are aimed towards recruitment, especially those dealing
with new religious movements, known as cults. Their purpose is to encourage
readers to join their way of life. This type of website is obviously unsuitable for
school use.
Therefore I was fortunate to find a suitable WebQuest, Born and Raised in Belfast,
on the theme of sectarianism, targeted at the appropriate pedagogic level. I had to
design the other two WebQuests myself. These are The Synoptic Gospel WebQuest
and Faith in Ireland. Faith in Ireland was designed specifically to accompany the
second cycle of this research.
33
The topics of the three WebQuests are on the Religious Education Syllabus. The
choice of these topics was also influenced by considerations of the likely interest of
the topics to the student. The subject matter also had to be new to the students and
exploit the potential of the Internet to give a direct window on other cultures in
Ireland that the students may not have encountered.
In sourcing one WebQuest and designing two others, it was necessary to define the
research question and develop a clear conceptualisation of the research process.
3.3 Definition of the Research Project
Reflecting on my experience of teaching Religious Education led me to wonder
whether the use of a WebQuest and discussion board could assist the students in
developing an understanding of other faiths and traditions. It had been my
experience that the use of a living narrative can be very effective in teaching about
religious faith and that this can be reinforced by student interaction in small groups.
These reflections led me to formulate the research question as follows: Can use of
WebQuests, supported by Moodle, serve to promote inclusiveness in the teaching of
Religious Education in a secondary school?
Through this research project I wished to make explicit the basis of my practice and
in this way to improve it. Action research was the chosen research methodology as
it is:
34
A systematic, critical and self-critical enquiry made public, which is carried out by practitioners and aims to inform their educational judgements and decisions in order to improve educational action. (Bassey 1995, cited in Flanagan 2002:36)
The elements of this definition fit well with my research project. The research was
systematic because it followed a planned and structured programme. The critical
and public dimension stemmed from the inclusion of both a critical friend and a
colleague, both of whom were sceptical about the use of the Internet in teaching
Religious Education. The desired aim of this research was to improve my
educational practice. Creswell captures the spirit of this endeavour in his remarks
that the
purpose of action research is to improve the practice of education by individuals conducting research on their own problems or issues in schools or educational settings. (Creswell 2002: 60)
I wanted to improve on the traditional practice whereby the teacher and textbook
have been the teaching authorities with little reference to outside agencies.
Technological applications such as electronic discussion boards, course management
tools such as Moodle, and the use of simple applications such as email can introduce
a climate of openness and tolerance into the classroom across the boundaries of time
and space. They also have the potential to help overcome the fragmented nature and
time gaps between subject lessons in secondary school as dictated by the school
timetable as noted by de Zwart (2003). Next an explanation of the choice of topic
and pedagogic tools will be outlined.
35
3.4 Moodle as a Pedagogic Tool
Within this research project use was made of Moodle. Moodle is an open-source
course management system which has been recently adopted by DCU. For the
purposes of this research, arrangements were made with the Computer Services
Department at DCU that the Religious Education course with this 3rd Year class on
Moodle would be hosted there. My students were all assigned usernames and login
passwords from DCU. As the Moodle course designer I uploaded teaching
resources and set up different discussion forums. Pupils had the facility to login in
from home which some did. Moodle accommodates many different types of
participant interaction including both synchronous chat rooms and asynchronous
discussion boards and interactive quizzes.
Current timetabling in secondary schools means that students have Religious
Education over a maximum of three thirty-five minute periods each week. It is
therefore difficult to encourage learners to engage with the complexity of the lived
experience of faith communities over a period of time, especially when using
traditional text-based media. The structured use of the Internet through WebQuests,
along with the virtual learning environment offered by Moodle, provides the
possibility of overcoming these limitations.
3.5 Action Research as Research Paradigm
There were several reasons for the choice of action research. As previously
explained the context of my research was circumscribed by external constraints.
36
The locus of action research is the professional practice of the individual researcher
and it puts the researcher at the centre of the process. In this dissertation I am
conducting a public enquiry into improving my own practice. As time constraints
were a factor, it was decided to use qualitative methods of data collection
supplemented where appropriate by quantitative methods. A template for this kind
of research into the use of ICT in second level schools can be found in the work of
Flanagan (2002) and Garvey (2002). .
Let us examine more closely the choice of action research and consider some
criticisms of it. Action research is also known as evidence-based research and
‘action science’ (Hussey and Hussey 1997: 65).
Action research is essentially practical. People investigate their practice in action. It is however more than activity. The research element of action research requires people to observe and monitor their actions and reflect on them. (McNiff 2000:227)
McNiff, Lomax and Whitehead (1996:14) characterise action research as having the
following traits:
• It leads to knowledge.
• It provides evidence to support this knowledge.
• It makes explicit the process of enquiry through which knowledge
emerges.
• It links new knowledge to existing knowledge.
It differs from other research paradigms by:
37
• Requiring action as an integral part of the process.
• It is focused by the researcher’s professional values rather than by
methodological considerations.
It is necessarily insider research, in the sense of practitioners researching their own
professional values. The values underpinning this research will be outlined later.
McNiff and Whitehead (2000: 51) describe a very important dimension of the
process:
Much of what informs practice is tacit. In order to understand how we might improve our actions we need to tap into our deep tacit knowledge and raise it to explicit levels of awareness.
Farren (2002) also envisages action research as raising to a more explicit level
knowledge that is already expressed in classroom practice. I believe that a teacher's
own educational values are embodied in his/her classroom practice. The meanings
of these values are communicated to students as they emerge in the course of
classroom practice. Thus, as teachers, we need to take ownership of, and be
responsible for, our own educational development.
In the context of the notions of ownership and responsibility, the definition of the
process of action research provided by Cohen, Mannion and Morrison (2000: 226) is
particularly suited to the context of this paper.
Action research may be used in almost any setting where a problem involving people, tasks and procedures cries out for solution, or where some change of feature results in a more desirable outcome.
38
Creswell’s description is also apposite:
Action research often utilizes both quantitative and qualitative data, but the focus is much more applied in action research. For example, the purpose of action research is to improve the practice of education by individuals conducting research on their own problems or issues in schools or educational settings. Action research designs are systematic procedures used by teachers (or other individuals in an education setting) to gather quantitative and/or qualitative data - and subsequently improve - the ways their particular setting operates, how they teach, and how well their students learn. (Creswell 2002: 60-1)
3.5.1 Criticisms of Action Research
Action research as an approach is not immune from criticism. For example Murphy
(2000) cites Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt as follows:
Action research has often been used inappropriately; or people have called action research what is just shoddy research. That is why action research, with some people, has a bad reputation. I also think that you can't use action research and apply it in all situations and circumstances. It is most appropriate to use it when there are people involved, groups of people or whole organisations, and when the research problem and the particular situation are very complex.
The action research approach has also attracted criticism from mainstream
academics, notably a stringent attack on the work of McNiff by Newby. He claims
that her work lacks scholarship, ignores the traditional disciplinary frameworks of
educational research, and is without validity (Newby 1994). Newby’s disdain of
action research led him to make some sweeping and unguarded statements and these
were ably identified and refuted by Whitehead (1996). Newby (1994:121-2) does,
however, alert us to the need for sensitivity regarding language and warns us of the
39
dangers of the undefined use of the term ‘improvement’. McNamara and O’Hara
(2000:306) add their own note of caution:
… a great deal of action research theory in placing emphasis on the emancipation of the individual professional, often implies a false assumption about the level of freedom and possibility for action enjoyed by practitioners.
This links to the point made by Newby regarding reference to ‘improvement’. The
researcher needs a careful, nuanced and realistic view of what is meant by
improvement and of how she proposes to ‘improve’ current practice. Without this,
action research can become aspirational, wishful thinking.
In summary, opponents of action research claim that it may be shoddy and
disreputable as a research discipline if it is grounded only in the experience of the
researcher without reference to either external scholarship or to criteria of validity. It
has also been criticised for making mistaken assumptions about the freedom of
practitioners to effect change within their own practice. Within the context of this
research, it is proposed to safeguard against these valid criticisms by references to
scholarly literature, and by the use of a professional colleague, a critical friend and
an external validation group. Finally, reference will be made to Winter’s (1989)
criteria of rigour.
3.6 Research Plan
In undertaking research, it is useful to devise an Action Plan (McNiff, Lomax and
Whitehead 1996:36). This Action Plan takes the form of answering a series of
40
questions. This process helps to clarify the research question and data collection
methods. Before designing the plan, it was necessary to define my educational
values and teaching aims so they could be used as standards of judgement against
which I could evaluate the outcomes of my research. All teaching and research
embody values; so let me next describe my educational values and my aims as an
educator and how they underpin the whole research project.
3.6.1 Educational Values
1. I believe that Religious Education is as important for students as education in
any other area in the sciences or humanities. The traditional lack of assessment
in this subject meant that it was often considered to be unimportant. This
neglects the importance of the human capacity for spiritual thinking and spiritual
growth. It also neglects the huge international and academic scholarship in areas
such as Scripture studies, theology, philosophy and spirituality.
2. As religious belief is often used to give meaning to life and to various significant
events and times, I believe that students should be exposed to people of faith
whose living stories may have resonance for them.
3. I believe that Religious Education should be inclusive in its focus and should
include collaboration from those outside the classroom where possible.
4. In my experience constructivist teaching methods may be more effective than
traditional teacher elaboration in promoting active learning. WebQuests are built
upon constructivist learning theories so this research will provide an opportunity
for my pupils to engage in active learning.
41
5. I have always sought to promote active learning and student collaboration within
my classes. However, group work using linear, text-based media often lacks
dynamism and creativity and it is difficult to maintain interest and momentum. I
wondered if the use of a creative task using computers would enhance this
motivation.
3.6.2 Teaching Aims
My teaching aims are related to my educational values and represent an objective
expression of these values. They articulate what I hope the students will learn
through studying Religious Education. These aims are as follows:
1. To increase the interest of students in Religious Education
2. To enhance the self-confidence of students
3. To promote a deep understanding of the richness of different religious traditions.
4. To promote tolerance and respect for others
5. To provide an experience of the Internet as a medium of learning and thereby
engender awareness of its potential in this respect
6. To equip students with self-directed learning skills
7. To promote collaboration between students
Following this clarification, I turn to the questions in the research plan.
42
1. What Is Your Research Focus?
My long involvement in the teaching of Religious Education and my commitment to
the values of inclusiveness and respect for diversity led me to wonder how ICT
could be used to enhance the teaching of other faiths and traditions, as noted on page
23 of this dissertation. I also want to develop a WebQuest on this theme which will
take account of both good design principles and the needs of my learners and their
level of computer skills.
2. Why Have You Chosen This Issue As A Focus?
I chose this issue with the aim of improving my existing practice. The new
Religious Education Syllabus has the general aim of:
‘Provid(ing) students with a framework for encountering and engaging with the variety of religious traditions in Ireland and elsewhere… (it) seeks to promote an understanding and appreciation of why people believe, as well as tolerance and respect for the values and beliefs of all. (2000:4)
This theme is repeated several times throughout the document as noted in the
introductory chapter of this dissertation. As previously mentioned, there is a serious
difficulty with the teaching about other faiths and traditions in a convincing manner
using traditional methods. This is consistent with aims 4 and 5. (As aims give
expression to values I shall simply refer to aims from this point.) Given the changes
in Irish society mentioned earlier, this is going to increase in importance. The
multiplicity of sites about religion on the Internet led me to wonder if students would
be more motivated and work more collaboratively on a computer-based project than
in traditional classroom teaching.
43
As noted in the literature review, one of the advantages of the Internet in teaching
and learning is that it gives access to the unedited voice of other individuals and
groups, and allows the learner to engage with this narrative over an extended period
of time. I feel that the topic of communities of faith in Ireland can exploit this
potential in collaborative manner, namely, that pupils may correspond through an
asynchronous Moodle discussion board with representatives of these communities.
3. What Can You Do About Improving The Situation?
Consistent with my educational aim of promoting collaboration between students,
aided by the use of technology, I planned to continue researching the use of
WebQuests in Religious Education. During the period leading up to Christmas I
used Moodle in conjunction with a WebQuest, sourced on the Internet, called Born
and Raised in Belfast, on the theme of sectarianism in Northern Ireland. This
WebQuest was followed by an asynchronous Moodle discussion board with a native
of Belfast, through which pupils posted questions and received replies. Data
collected during this cycle focused on student engagement with Moodle, through
which the WebQuest, was accessed. While pupils learned a lot, and collaborated
very successfully, I felt that further research was required on the design and use of
WebQuests and Moodle, within the context of Religious Education in Ireland.
Reflecting on this use of Moodle together with the WebQuest, Born and Raised in
Belfast, I felt that the following problematic areas should be attended to:
44
1. The pupil task should be kept simple. In Born and Raised in Belfast, the journal
questions are listed in reverse order of difficulty – i.e. the easiest questions are
asked last. This sequencing created difficulties for the students.
2. Links should relate directly to the topics to be researched. In Born and Raised in
Belfast, one of the task questions related directly to the topic of religion, but
there was no link provided for the pupil to research this topic.
3. The download time in the laboratory was very slow, so ideally the WebQuest
would be saved and used offline, and not accessed through Moodle.
4. The use of the Moodle discussion board would be enhanced with more than one
external collaborator, thereby representing different communities and
viewpoints.
Subsequent research features the use of two other WebQuests. The first of these is
The Synoptic Gospel WebQuest, which I had previously designed myself in response
to a specific area of the Syllabus (Department of Education and Science 2000:22).
The Synoptic Gospels are the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, so called by
scholars because they give a similar biographical account of the life of Jesus. This
one was used specifically to research student engagement with WebQuests. Data
gathered from students concerning their engagement with this WebQuest, together
with the principles noted above informed the design of the second of these
WebQuests, Faith in Ireland, and the consequent Moodle discussion board. More
detail on this will be provided in chapter 4.
45
4. What Kind Of Evidence Can You Produce To Show That What You Are
Doing Is Having An Impact
Evidence will be gathered from a variety of sources
• Practitioner’s research field notes
• Written observations from a professional colleague
• Student questionnaires
• Student interviews
• Student research journals
• Recorded audio evidence
• Student PowerPoint slideshows
• Student postings to electronic discussion board
5. How Will You Evaluate That Impact?
The research will be considered to have had an impact if there has been an
improvement in my practice. It will be evaluated through consideration of labelled,
documentary evidence as follows (as described in McNiff, Lomax and Whitehead,
1996)
• My practitioner field notes will be used as a record of the research, both as a log
of activities and as a record of pupil participation, etc.
• The written observations from a professional colleague will be correlated with
my diaries and provide an objective appraisal of the research.
46
• Student questionnaires, interviews, research journals and audio recordings will
provide first-hand evidence from the students of their learning. These categories
of data will be triangulated against each other. Some of these questionnaires
provide quantitative data; the remaining forms of data collected will be
qualitative.
• The student PowerPoint slideshows and their postings to the electronic
discussion board will be evidence of their learning, interest and participation.
• The WebQuest Faith in Ireland, along with the Moodle discussion boards, and
along with data collected, will be presented for others (as already stated, my
critical friend and a teaching colleague) to judge whether the stated improvement
has occurred.
6. How Will You Ensure That Any Judgements That You Make Are
Reasonably Fair And Accurate?
Several methods will be applied to ensure fair and accurate judgements of my
research. A critical friend who has professional expertise in this field will review
my research planning, data collection and analysis. Shauna, a colleague will sit in
on one of the classes and make her own observations. A validation group of my
research colleagues and mentors in DCU meets regularly. The forms of data, noted
in 4 above will be triangulated. Cohen, Mannion and Morrisson describe this as:
(an) attempt to map out or explain more fully, the richness and complexity of human behaviour by studying it from more than one standpoint and, in so doing, by making use of both quantitative and qualitative data. Cohen, Mannion and Morrisson (2000:112)
47
At this point the implementation of the research will be described in detail in the
next chapter.
48
Chapter 4: Implementation of the Research
Having reviewed the context in which this research took place let us now turn to the
implementation of the research project. As the research involves both pilot and
usability studies, it may help at this point to provide a map of the three strands in the
research process.
1. In November/December 2003 the WebQuest entitled Born and Raised in Belfast,
(http://lotte.udsen.person.emu.dk/Born_and_Raised_03.htm) sourced on the Internet,
was piloted with a Third Year class called Caitríona.
2. A study was conducted in March 2004 on the process of engagement with
WebQuests and on the principles of WebQuest design with a class group called
Áine. The WebQuest used was one I had designed myself entitled The Synoptic
Gospel WebQuest (http://www.teachnet.ie/fwilliams/gospels)
3. The main research was conducted on a WebQuest entitled Faith in Ireland
(http://www.teachnet.ie/fwilliams/communityoffaith) in April and May 2004.
Findings from the pilot and usability studies in 1 and 2 above were incorporated into
the design of Faith in Ireland.
4.1 Cycle 1
The first cycle of the research took place between November 2003 and March 2004.
The main aim of this cycle was to collect data on how the students learned from
WebQuests and from this to deduce principles according to which the WebQuest
Faith in Ireland would be designed and implemented. The secondary aim was to
49
research how pupils interacted with Moodle, and to suggest alternative ways of
integrating Moodle with WebQuests.
4.1.1 Structure of Cycle 1
The first cycle is composed of two elements:
1. Reflections on and meta-analysis of a WebQuest called Born and Raised in
Belfast, used in combination with Moodle to teach the topic of sectarianism.
This took place during November and December 2003. As findings from this
research have already been presented at a staff E-Learning conference in DCU in
February 2004, it suffices here to give a brief overview of this project.
2. The use of a second WebQuest, The Synoptic Gospel WebQuest that I had
designed to teach about the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, known
collectively known as The Synoptic Gospels. The reason for using this
WebQuest was to collect data on how the students engage with WebQuests.
Data thus collected, together with the reflections on the first WebQuest formed
the design principles for the third WebQuest, called Faith in Ireland, to be used
in this dissertation. This WebQuest will be examined in more detail later in this
chapter.
50
4.2 WebQuest 1: Born and Raised in Belfast.
The first WebQuest used in this dissertation, Born and Raised in Belfast, was
sourced on the Internet. It was used with the 3rd year class group called Caitríona,
early in the school year. This WebQuest was accessed through the virtual learning
environment, Moodle, and was followed up with an asynchronous Moodle
discussion board where students could post questions to a native of Belfast. The
task of this WebQuest required the students to assume the persona of a native of
Belfast and to write about their life and beliefs from the standpoint of this person.
This task had the potential to contribute to three of my educational aims, namely, to
increase the interest of students in Religious Education; to promote a deep
understanding of the richness of different traditions and to promote tolerance and
respect for others. The five roles thus modelled for the students included
representatives from the major political groups in Belfast – for example, an IRA
activist who was recently released from jail, the granddaughter of Ian Paisley who is
a Unionist political leader, and others. Links were provided for the pupils to access
material on such topics as: neighbourhoods of Belfast, street political graffitti, a
chronology of the Troubles, BBC websites giving details of the main political parties
and groups and other relevant information. When this WebQuest was completed,
students posted questions to a discussion forum with Réaltán, an external
collaborator who was from Belfast.
This project ran entirely during class time as few students have Internet access at
home. This was the students’ first experience of web-based learning.
51
4.2.1 Research Findings from Born and Raised in Belfast with Moodle
Some months after completing this project the students completed an evaluation
questionnaire as follows. This time lag was present in order to ascertain their
considered view on certain elements of the project when they had gained some
distance from it.
Yes No %
1. Do you think that using the Internet for this project helped
you to learn more than traditional methods of learning? N=24
2. Which parts of the project did you find most interesting (you
may pick more than one):
Looking at the different web links
Writing the journal
Posting to Réaltán’s discussion board
Posting to the other discussion boards
Doing the quiz
Using Moodle to keep everything on the one site
24
18
13
6
6
15
12
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
75
54
25
25
62.5
50
This project showed that it was possible to use Moodle and WebQuests to teach
Religious Education – something on which no literature has been published in the
52
Republic of Ireland. The results above show that students engaged very positively
with the WebQuest and with Moodle. The project clearly embodied important
educational aims of mine - pupil interest and motivation, pupil collaboration and the
discussion board with the external collaborator.
I was fortunate to find this WebQuest on the Internet because there were no other
WebQuests suitable for class use. WebQuests have not been used in the school
previously so I decided that I would use a second WebQuest specifically to study
student engagement with WebQuest interaction and learning. Data collected from
this second WebQuest, along with my reflections on the first one would form the
basis for the design of the third WebQuest, Faith in Ireland.
4.3 WebQuest 2: The Synoptic Gospel WebQuest
The research on WebQuest 2: The Synoptic Gospel WebQuest focused on the
responses to this process as a learning methodology. To this end, data was collected
on student engagement with WebQuests with a class group of 23 students called
Áine, who had never used one before. The subject matter of WebQuest 2, The
Synoptic Gospel WebQuest is from the Junior Certificate Religious Education
Syllabus (Department of Education and Science 2000:22). I designed this myself in
line my first educational aim, that of enhancing pupil interest in Religious
Education. It introduces the reader to the first three gospels, written by Matthew,
Mark and Luke, which present a similar biographical account of Jesus life. In a
simplified manner, the WebQuest draws the learner’s attention to the different
53
backgrounds and historical contexts of each of the three evangelists, and looks at
areas of overlap and difference between these three gospels. After studying the web
links, the reader is invited to compose a set of multiple-choice questions. Sample
questions are included in the WebQuest. After completing the WebQuest, this quiz is
then simulated in class. This WebQuest was followed over three thirty-five minute
sessions as follows:
Session 1
Student Activity: In the computer laboratory students were introduced to the
WebQuest. They were allowed to select their own partner as this was their first time
using computer assisted learning. Two students were assigned to each computer
terminal to facilitate learner collaboration The WebQuest was accessed online.
Teacher’s Reflections: Students collaborated well together. They showed a lot of
interest in this topic which is normally not of interest to students. They find the self-
directed nature of WebQuest learning difficult – they frequently asked which links
they should click on to find information.
Session 2
Student Activity: Students continued with the WebQuest in the lab and by the end of
the session, each group had composed between five and ten multiple choice
questions.
54
Teacher’s Reflections
Students are very interested in this method of learning scripture. They are
collaborating well and becoming more self-directed. They are surprised that they
are learning from the Internet – they associate it more with leisure activity.
Session 3
Student Activity: The students remained in their classroom today and four students
put themselves forward as contestants for the gospel quiz. Other students took the
roles of question master and scorekeeper. The students suggested rules for the quiz.
Teacher’s Reflections: The quiz today was very successful. It is unusual to have
students so motivated when studying the gospels. They even had the classroom set
up before I entered the class and all of them wanted to participate in some way. The
scores achieved by the contestants show that they have learned a lot.
4.3.1 Research Findings from the Synoptic Gospel WebQuest
Upon completion of this WebQuest, the students completed a questionnaire designed
to test their engagement with this form of e-learning. The results from these student
questionnaires (taken from a mixed ability class of 23 students) are as follows.
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Agree % Disagree %
1. I learned a lot about the gospels from this
WebQuest
17 74 6 26
2. I found this WebQuest easy to navigate 20 83 3 17
3. Creating quiz questions is more interesting
than answering questions into a copy
21
91
2
9
4. I understood more about the gospels from
doing the WebQuest than if I had learned
from traditional teaching methods
17
74
6
29
5. Group work made this task more interesting 21 91 2 9
6. I needed less help from the teacher than
usual in this project
21
91
2
9
7. This WebQuest let me control my own
learning
20
87
1
13
8. This is a more interesting way of learning
than classroom teaching
20
87
1
13
The higher number of students who disagreed with questions 1 and 4 (I learned a lot
about the gospels and I understood more about the gospels from doing the
WebQuest than if I had learned from traditional teaching methods) may be explained
by the fact that this subject matter was completely new to them.
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The answers to this survey show the project was serving my educational aims of
increasing pupil interest, providing experience of the Internet as a medium of
learning and helping to equip students with self-directed learning skills. Students in
the school engage positively with web-based learning but require a lot of support
and scaffolding from the teacher. During the lessons some students complained
about of the slow loading speed of the web pages. Others found the experience of
collaborative learning difficult. Some of these students are used to using Microsoft
Office applications but group work in this environment was new to them.
4.4 Cycle 1: Reflections and Review
Reflection on the use of these two WebQuests, Born and Raised in Belfast, and The
Synoptic Gospel WebQuest and of Moodle in the light of my own educational aims,
combined with insights from the research, led me to identify the following changes
for the second cycle.
4.4.1 WebQuest Design
1. Site design should be made attractive through the use of bright colours, cartoon
pictures, an informal font and the use of random transition.
2. Students enjoy clicking on links to uncover additional information. The addition
of supplementary links to be clicked when students are scoring their own
performance introduces dynamism.
57
3. The reading age of the students in this class is quite low: 70% of them have a
reading age of less than their chronological age according to the standardised
tests used in Ireland, from St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra for measuring
reading ability. Therefore simple language must be used throughout.
4. Slow loading web pages are a disincentive to users; so large image files should
be avoided as they are slow loading.
5. The WebQuest should designed with a small screen size in mind so that it will
look equally well on most size screens. Web pages must be kept short so that
students do not have to scroll down the screen.
6. The links on the WebQuest must relate directly to the task.
7. The task must be simply and succinctly stated with some repetition, because my
students are not used to self-paced, structured learning from the Internet.
4.4.2 Use of Moodle
1. If possible include more than one external collaborator so that each may give a
different viewpoint. As the Faith in Ireland WebQuest deals with different faith
communities, this would mean arranging for representatives from each of these
communities to participate.
2. Taking account of the slow download speed in school, the students should first
use the WebQuest off line, and only use Moodle online for the subsequent
discussion board.
58
4.4.3 Teaching PowerPoint
As the students are not familiar with PowerPoint, it should be taught to the students
separately beforehand.
4.5 Cycle 2
The second cycle of this research was composed of the following elements:
• Design of WebQuest 3, Faith in Ireland, based on the design principles noted
above, derived from my reflections on and analysis of the first cycle.
• A usability test on WebQuest 3.
• The class group Caitríona was taught PowerPoint prior to starting the WebQuest.
• Students completed the WebQuest on communities of faith in Ireland and
designed PowerPoint slideshows on what they had learned.
• Students engaged in correspondence through Moodle with external participants
representing the faith communities which they had studied.
These elements will now be outlined in more detail.
Design of WebQuest 3, Faith in Ireland
4.6.1 Technical Considerations
The Faith in Ireland WebQuest was designed in Macromedia’s Dreamweaver 4, a
web authoring software package. (Screenshots from this WebQuest may be found in
Appendix C.) Animation was incorporated into the Faith in Ireland WebQuest
59
using Flash MX, a vector-graphic authoring package which designs animation for
web use. The following criteria were incorporated into the design of the WebQuest.
These are based on the good design principles already outlined.
The page banners and navigations buttons were made in Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7, a
graphic editing software package, using Pyxidium font. This sans-serif font was
selected because its informal looking format would be likely to appeal to
teenagers.
Dynamism was incorporated into the site with the use of behaviours in
Dreamweaver and Flash animation. To enhance this effect, bright colours, the
rollover navigation bar, the cartoons gifs on the introductory pages and the use of
random transition of web pages were used in addition. The glow effect on the
navigation buttons was added using Fireworks.
The evaluation rubric follows the template by Dodge (1997). The scores page
was my own idea. As the students enjoy clicking on links, I used behaviours in
Dreamweaver to open pop-up windows to reveal the scores.
The WebQuest pages were designed in tables of 750 pixels wide to suit small
monitors.
No sound was put on the WebQuest, Faith in Ireland, as the network in school
will not play sound.
As mentioned already in chapter 3, there is a large number of websites on faith
communities in Ireland but these are not suitable for the Junior Certificate course. I
decided to design most of the link pages myself because the language and detail of
60
these websites are beyond the capabilities of my students. Additional links were
made to external websites, and to other faith communities to facilitate optional
student follow up.
4.6.2 Choice of Content
The third WebQuest, Faith in Ireland, which accompanies this dissertation, was
designed specially for this research. The new curriculum requires the study of major
faiths in Ireland. The topic of Christian Churches in Ireland has hitherto been
ignored in the area of web-based media on comparative faiths. Some existing
websites look at non-Christian traditions in Ireland, such as Judaism and Islam, but
as these exclude the main Christian Churches were unsuitable. Hence, this
WebQuest is itself a contribution to the web-based resources developed in this area.
The design of this WebQuest of twenty separate web pages took 80 hours. This is in
line with guidelines from TeachNet, an initiative which provides training and grants
for teachers to develop web-based teaching resources. The subject matter of Faith in
Ireland, namely, communities of faith, was selected on the grounds that it had the
potential to give expression to my educational aims and the aims of the Religious
Educational syllabus. The following is a brief description of how it contributes to
these aims.
• It exposes pupils to living narratives of religious faith and of an inclusive model
of religious tolerance and belief.
61
• It is well suited to a WebQuest, as there is a number of websites on different
churches and faith communities.
• It facilitates participation with external representatives of these other faith
communities through an online discussion board.
• It meets desired educational outcomes Section A, Part 3, objectives 1 and 2 of
the Junior Certificate Religious Education Syllabus (2000:11). According to the
document these expected outcomes are:
As a result of studying this section, the students should: I. Be able to name the churches and religious groups found in Ireland
today: II. Have an understanding of how two of these communities express
their vision and commitment and of the variety of roles within each community at local and national levels. (Department of Education and Science 2000:11).
4.6.3 Selection of Participating Christian Communities
The Church of Ireland and Orthodox Churches were chosen because of their sizeable
congregations here in Ireland. The Holy Faith Sisters are the trustees of the school in
which I teach and are therefore a congregation with which the students were
familiar. They provide a contrast to the other two communities of faith because they
are a smaller community and not a separate Church in their own right.
4.6.4 Setting up the Discussion Forum
Contacts were made with the three chosen communities. (See sample letter in
Appendix B.) Rev. Derek Sargent of the Church of Ireland, Fr Geoffrey Ready, an
Orthodox Priest, and St. Patricia O’Malley, a Holy Faith Sister, all agreed to take
62
part. These participants were reassured that the asynchronous discussion forum,
Moodle, was a secure site requiring a password. I also advised them that the project
would run for a very limited time only and that I would email them when student
postings were made to the discussion forum so that they could then reply. These
parameters surrounding the discussion forum are in line with de Zwart’s (2003)
recommendations.
4.6.5 Validation of WebQuest Pages
Before the start of the project all three participants were given the opportunity to
look at the WebPages I had developed on their community of faith and were invited
to suggest changes or amendments. Only one participant required changes. This
external theological validation was important, because I wanted to ensure the
accuracy of what was publicly available on this site on the Internet. No other
theological validation was required.
4.7 Usability Test
Once the new WebQuest Faith in Ireland had been designed, a group of students
from the class group Pádraig completed a usability test (N = 6). This is the standard
methodology for evaluating a website. Research suggests that feedback from five
different users is sufficient to determine usability. A group of this number will
uncover 95% of the problems (United States Department of Health and Human
Sciences). I decided to increase this number to six as six students were present. This
63
group worked their way through the website and completed a questionnaire. As the
website had already been reviewed by a number of adults to test its functionality of
design, these questions were omitted from the survey. The purpose of this usability
test was to see if the students could understand the language and task required by the
site, and if they could follow its navigational structure. The results are as follows:
(N=6)
Agree Disagree
1. The words and concepts on this WebQuest are easy to
understand.
6
0
2. It is easy to find my way around this WebQuest 6 0
3. Can you explain in your own words what this WebQuest
requires you to do?
6
0
4. The instructions regarding the task could be improved 3 3
5. This website looks attractive 6 0
6. a) The navigation aids in the WebQuest need to be improved
b) The look of this WebQuest could be improved
c) I have other suggestions for improvement
0
2
2
6
4
4
The overall results were very encouraging. Two students suggested that sample
PowerPoint presentations should be included to give students an idea of the task
required. I planned to do this during the second cycle of the action research. One
other student requested directions on how to access PowerPoint on the computer.
64
The answers to question 4 (The instructions regarding the task could be improved)
indicate a basic unfamiliarity with the computer and poor level of computer skills.
They show that half of the sample was unfamiliar with PowerPoint. Further oral
questions revealed that only one of the students had seen a PowerPoint presentation.
All students liked the use of colour and both formal and cartoon images, two thought
that the background colour should not be white. This is in line with the teenage
liking of colour and dynamism. It is not planned to change this, because good
design principles stipulate that there should be a certain amount of white space on
websites.
The final question (question 6) invited students to suggest changes to improve the
Faith in Ireland WebQuest. They all found it to be well structured with its existing
navigation aids. Two students suggested sample PowerPoint shows should be
included and three noted the slow download speed of the pages and suggested that it
could be speeded up. I planned to upload sample PowerPoint shows when
completed. The download time of pages is dependent on both the speed of the
computer and internet connection and on the number and memory size of the image
files – the higher the number of large file size images, the slower the download time.
For this reason, when designing the site, I deliberately chose images with a small file
size. This difficulty reflects the unsatisfactory state of the school’s computer
terminals which are all over five years old with very slow processors. As the site
65
had been saved off line, there is little I can do to speed up the download time in the
school laboratory.
4.9 Implementation of Cycle 2
Once the usability test had been successfully completed, I decided to implement
WebQuest 3, Faith in Ireland, and the Moodle discussion board with the class group
Caitríona, the class which had completed the first WebQuest Born and Raised in
Belfast WebQuest.
The second cycle of the research process took place in the first four weeks of the
summer term – April-May 2004 over seven lesson periods. The content of this
WebQuest was completely new to the students. This was preceded by two lessons
where students were taught PowerPoint. It should be noted that this period
coincided with the students’ practical tests in their Junior Certificate examinations.
Because of this they missed some lessons, and the students were not as focused on
their Religious Education classes as they had been before Christmas. All of the
areas for improvement noted above were incorporated into the design of this cycle.
Data was collected from a number of sources:
• My own research field notes
• Written observations from a professional colleague
• Student questionnaires
• Student interviews
66
• Student research journals
• Recorded audio evidence
• Student PowerPoint slideshows
• Student postings made to the discussion board
These seven thirty-five minute sessions, using the Faith in Ireland WebQuest with a
Moodle discussion board were structured as followed. The teacher’s reflections are
based on my teaching aims as previously stated.
Session 1
Student Activity: Students were assigned into groups of four students according to
random alphabetical order. Each group was composed of two named pairs who were
to share one computer terminal. It was emphasized to the students that this was a
group project in which they were required to collaborate and assist each other. The
students were allocated special copies to be used as both notebooks for their research
from the WebQuest, where they were to write their notes for their PowerPoint
shows, and as reflective journals for use at the end of each lesson. They were also
assigned a community of faith to study. They began work on the WebQuest.
Reflection: Students collaborated well together in their groups but found the
concept of self-directed learning difficult as they kept referring to me for instruction.
67
Session 2
Student Activity: Work continued on from the previous day, making notes for the
slideshow. Students who had completed this began their PowerPoint slideshows.
Remaining groups completed their notes.
Reflection: Students collaborated well together and their self-directed learning
skills have improved, both educational aims of mine. They are also regaining some
of their confidence on the computer which they had achieved during WebQuest 1.
Student interest is high and they are reluctant to finish off at the end of the session.
Session 3
Student Activity: All remaining students began their PowerPoint shows today.
Reflection: Interest and motivation for this project are very high – it is a creative
way of teaching Religious Education. Again it shows that the activity meets my
educational aims. The students are enjoying the creativity of PowerPoint. The
combination of the self-directed learning, group work and PowerPoint is making
them more self-confident and improving their social skills.
Session 4
Student Activity: The students who completed their PowerPoint presentations
logged onto Moodle and posted questions. The remainder worked on their
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slideshows. (Sample PowerPoint shows may be seen in Appendix J, and samples of
questions to the discussion forum on Moodle may be seen in Appendix E.)
Reflection: Student interest in this project is very high; they are reluctant to leave the
computers at the end of class. They are becoming more confident both socially and
in their use of the computers. They now see the Internet as a learning medium and
do not ask to check their email. The questions posted show a polite curiosity into
the way of life of the external participants. It is encouraging to find my educational
aims being successfully met in this way.
Session 5
Student Activity: The students worked on different activities today. Some finished
their slideshows and others participated in the discussion board.
Reflection: Students are really engaged in this project. The correspondence with
the external collaborators has really stimulated their imagination and they are
gaining a respect for, and an understanding of, how people may devote their lives to
religion. They are particularly intrigued that Sr. Pat considers her forty years spent
in her vocation to be too short.
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Session 6
Student Activity: The final students completed their PowerPoint shows today –
these were students whose partners had been absent. All students got an opportunity
to look the questions and answers on all three discussion forums.
Reflection
The whole endeavour is contributing to implementing my educational aims. The
discussion forum is really stimulating the students. They are fascinated by the
influence of people’s religious faith on their lives. They have definitely acquired a
new tolerance and respect for other faith traditions. Group work has made them
socially confident. The WebQuest, design of the slideshow and discussion forum
have really improved their self-directed learning.
Session 7
Student Activity: The students viewed each other’s PowerPoint slideshows.
Reflection: The students now display improved social skills and self-confidence in
their work. This is most encouraging because it shows these educational aims of
mine are being realised.
I followed one of the data collection methods used by Flanagan (2002), whereby the
students complete structured reflective diaries at the end of each laboratory session.
The students were so engaged in the work that they were doing on the computers
70
that this had to be supplemented by structured questionnaires, completed during their
non-laboratory lesson each week.
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Chapter 5 Research Findings from Faith in Ireland
As noted in the previous chapter, data from the Faith in Ireland WebQuest and the
Moodle discussion board was collected from multiple sources. This data will now
be analysed according to the following criteria: pupil collaboration, the role of the
asynchronous discussion board Moodle with external collaborators, students
perception of WebQuests compared to traditional learning, and their experience of
self-directed learning and of constructivist learning through creating a PowerPoint
slideshow. It should be noted that pupils were overwhelmingly positive about the
project. Very little negative data was collected, and this has been included in this
chapter below. During the project the students used the terms WebQuest and
website interchangeably. (My research diaries may be read in Appendix F, the
observer’s comment form is available in Appendix G, the answers to the
questionnaires in Appendix H and transcripts of student interviews may be seen in
Appendix I.)
5.1 Pupil collaboration
Pupils collaborated very successfully from the beginning of this WebQuest. Pupil
collaboration was one of the areas I focused on when collecting data because I
wished to see if the students’ experience of group work matched my teaching
observations. It is also one of my underlying educational values, noted as in chapter
3 of this dissertation. In addition, as noted in the literature review in chapter 2,
research indicates that the use of ICT promotes pupil collaboration and group work.
For the second cycle, namely this WebQuest on Faith in Ireland, each pupil was
72
formally assigned to work with a designated partner, two pairs forming a group.
Each group was allocated a specific community of faith. These pairs and groups
were selected randomly from an alphabetical list. Each of the groups was of mixed
ability.
Initially some found it strange that the teacher was not to be their first choice of
assistance when a problem arose, but this response soon changed. Collaboration was
evident at both the level of willingness to assist one another technically, and in the
cognitive domain when decisions were made as to the content and design of the
slideshow. Students were assigned to work two to a computer. I felt that this
arrangement suited maximum pupil learning and co-operation. As the project
progressed some students moved onto the spare computers to do their own slideshow
while still working collaboratively. Rosemarie explained this in her interview:
We did two sets of PowerPoints, but if I had an idea we would share it as well. They are kind of identical but not exactly the same.
This collaborative character was noted by a colleague who observed one of the
lessons as follows:
Some students are working on their own but the majority are working very well in groups. The atmosphere of the class is lively, interested chatty and activity based. There is a nice mix of work and chat – a definite buzz. (See Appendix G)
In an attempt to determine how the students experienced collaboration, they wrote
answers to the following questions on their perception of collaboration in a survey.
(N = 16)
73
Yes % No %
Did you find working in groups helpful? 16 100 0 0
Did your group remain together? 10 62.5 6 27.5
During this project, there was quite a lot of absenteeism: out of a total of twenty-four
students, some days there were only 16 present. The groups which broke up did so
because of absenteeism or because the students were so interested in their slideshow
that they wanted to do one each. Even where this happened, there was still
significant collaboration. One group broke up because of differences of opinion:
My group ended up splitting up because we didn’t have the same ideas, so we each went alone, but usually I enjoy working in groups rather than alone. (Sharon)
All of the students surveyed found working in groups helpful (question 1). The
reasons they offered were that they could help and support each other and make
decisions together about the content and design of the slideshow.
Yes, because if you didn’t know something the person could help you and you enjoy it more. It’s easier because all the pressure isn’t on you; you have someone to help you. (Susan)
When probed about their experience of group work in interviews, one student noted
that this could be a disadvantage if a partner’s computer skills were worse than
theirs:
There were sometimes when I just wanted to get on with my work and they all wanted to know how to do something and it was like I want to do my
74
work. But it was okay in some parts. We worked in two groups – I worked with Maeve and for the most part I enjoyed it. (Rosemarie)
In answer to a question about working with partners, Jennifer, described the mixed
benefits of group work in her interview:
With two people you can put your ideas together because if you were writing something and it was not proper grammar she could tell you, but then again if she is even slower at the computers it can slow you down because you have to let her have her turn on the computer. (Jennifer)
Another benefit of group work was identified by Rosemarie who noted that she was
now more confident in her social and leadership skills. She wrote, ‘Now I feel more
able to work around people and am more active.’
Regarding question 2 above, ‘Did your group remain together? Why?’ The six
groups which broke up did so because of their partner’s absence. Where some
partners were absent for a number of lessons, the students who were thus forced to
work alone either formed new pairs or else joined with another pair. This happened
informally, as Susan explained in her interview:
Well I was working in a group for the first day and then for the rest I was working on my own because my partner was absent. I teamed up with Geraldine for writing the question (to the discussion forum). (I prefer) (w)orking with somebody else because if you never knew something somebody else could tell you like, you could sort of work out the questions together kind of. (Susan)
Thus it may be seen that overall the students experienced collaborative group work
positively. Even when some students had the opportunity to work alone because of
their partner’s absence, they sought to form a new partnership with someone else.
75
This matches with my initial perception of how WebQuests promote pupil
collaboration, noted during the first cycle of this research project. The nature of
engagement in this WebQuest and the creation of the PowerPoint slideshow
explicitly promoted pupil collaboration and self-confidence.
5.2 Moodle Discussion Board
As noted previously regarding the discussion forum on sectarianism which took
place in during the first cycle of this research, the use of an asynchronous discussion
forum was popular with the students. It provided them with an opportunity to
further their learning through direct engagement with people whose beliefs and way
of life they had studied. This is also in line with my educational values discussed in
chapter 4 concerning the value of contributions based on the living experience of
external collaborators within Religious Education. It also echoes the situated
learning environment described by Cho and Jonassen (2002). For this WebQuest,
Faith in Ireland, Moodle was used only for the asynchronous discussion board, and
not as a virtual learning environment for the whole course. This is in line with my
findings from my earlier use of Moodle.
When invited to post questions to the discussion board on the topic of Faith in
Ireland, pupil interest was high. As mentioned above, there was some absenteeism
so those students whose partners were absent took longer than others on their
PowerPoint presentations. This meant that not all students had the same opportunity
to post to one of the three discussion boards. The table below shows the number of
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questions and answers to each discussion forum and the number of students
represented in each. These figures show a very high level of pupil interest, in total
83% of pupils were involved in posting questions on the Faith in Ireland discussion
board. Some students posted more than once, and others collaborated in groups and
put questions on behalf on their colleagues.
Faith
Community
Questions
Posted
Answers No. Of Students
Represented
% Of
Students
Represented
Holy Faith
Sisters
10 4 6 25
Church of
Ireland
5 2 4 28
Orthodox
Church
9 4 10 42
Total 24 10 20 83
Questions posted were of a high quality (See Appendix D) and the answers from Sr.
Patricia O’Malley, Fr Geoffrey Ready and Rev. Derek Sargent were of a high
standard and showed interest and commitment on their part to this research. Each of
these experts answered their questions promptly so there were always answers for
the students the following day.
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With a view to ascertaining the students’ opinions on the use of an asynchronous
discussion board with external collaborators, the students wrote answers to the
questions. N=19.
Yes % No %
Did you post to a discussion forum? 14 74 5 26
Did being able to contact experts outside the
school make a difference to what you
learned?
19 100 0 0
As the answers show, the students were unanimously positive about the role of the
discussion board in their learning. Those who answered no to question 1 replied that
they had either been absent or else had been working on their slideshows. Students
offered the following answers explaining how the discussion board had benefited
their learning:
Yes, because instead of just learning about something from a book, you are talking to someone who is experiencing what we are learning. So you get a real view. It’s more interesting in my opinion. (Elaine)
These discussion forums were publicly available to all class members. Although not
all students asked questions, they all followed the discussion boards avidly and
learned from the points raised by their peers. Jennifer did not post a question but
78
still profited from the experience. ‘Yes, I was able to read my friend’s letter they
sent and the reply they got.’
Only one pupil was cautious about the benefits,
Yes, but not that much. The question I asked was about the priest being able to get married and he answered very honestly and when we got a reply we thanked him. (Laoise)
Overall it can be said that students derived significant benefit from the use of a
Moodle asynchronous discussion board. A large number of the students participated
directly in the experience. Those who didn’t followed the questions and engaged
with the answers informally with their peers in class. Rosemarie described this,
I like the way that everyone got to read other people’s questions. You may not have thought of that question and you read the answer and so learned more.
One of the benefits of this, acknowledged by the students, was that it gave a living
witness to the beliefs and practices which they had studied on the WebQuest. In
particular, the students were impressed with the detail of Fr Geoffrey’s answers, and
the vast liturgical and theological traditions of which he spoke. They also found it
difficult to comprehend how Sr. Pat could commit forty years to religious life–
indeed the idea of committing forty years of one’s life to anything was strange to
them. This correspondence led the students to a greater appreciation of the richness
and diversity to be found in a religious view of the world.
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5.3 Comparison of WebQuests and Moodle With Traditional Learning.
Throughout the two cycles of this research, one of the outstanding features I noted
was the students’ enthusiasm for computer assisted learning as described in this
dissertation. As stated before, this was the only experience of computer assisted
learning which this class group ever had. Although Religious Education was the
only subject this group studied which was not assessed for their Junior Certificate,
they were accustomed to following a course and textbook in this subject. As stated
previously, the students had a low level of computer literacy. Therefore, they found
using a WebQuest and Moodle challenging. Yet their high level of interest was
maintained for the duration of both cycles, and it far exceeded their interest and
motivation for projects using traditional classroom media. They also benefited from
the structured support provided by the scaffolding and learned a lot from the use of a
WebQuest and discussion board. As part of the data collection for the second cycle I
decided to focus on how their perception of WebQuests compared to traditional
classroom learning.
Four students were randomly selected for a semi-structured interview. Each of the
four students agreed that they prefer to do projects using a WebQuest and discussion
board, than using traditional media. Susan explained that she would not read
anything from a book, but enjoys reading and learning from the computer:
I am not a book person and I find it more interesting to go onto the computer and I learn more about it … because you have computers at home as well and you can look it up and do more things with it. I just find books boring, to look things up in it.
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Rosemarie enjoys reading but agrees with her peer that using the computer was more
interesting:
I like reading but I found it more interesting doing it on the website. It wasn’t too long.
The other two students agreed in their interviews:
Well if it was reading from books I would say most of the girls, their attention spans would be falling, they would be just talking. I don’t think anybody would really get their work done if you are reading from books. (Jennifer)
Yes I found it easier than if I was… looking in books it would go in one ear and out the other so like I wouldn’t be able to get it onto my head if I was like reading it from books … it seems more fun. (Geraldine)
From these interviews it can be seen that the students found the use of a WebQuest
to be more interesting than traditional project media. This is confirmed by the
comment of the professional colleague who observed one of the lessons. She wrote
‘The finished product will be very good and students will certainly have engaged
with the content.’
One of the findings I had not expected was that students with low literacy levels
engaged better with screen text than with paper media. One possible reason for this
is the interactive nature of the Internet. The use of the mouse enables pupils to edit
and control what they are reading rather than receive it passively from a page. This
is reinforced by good design principles governing page layout, the use of colour and
graphics and ease of navigation. Pupil success in learning from this WebQuest
reflects back to the initial research carried out on student engagement with
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WebQuests in cycle one, and the usability study carried out on this WebQuest during
the pilot phase. Thus one reason that this WebQuest on Faith in Ireland was a
successful pedagogic tool was because previous student feedback was incorporated
into its design.
5.4 Constructivist Learning through WebQuests
5.4.1 Self-Directed Learning
One unexpected outcome of WebQuest 1, on sectarianism, was the self-directed
nature of the learning. This active learning is also in line with my educational values
as noted in chapter 3, and reflects the research on this as noted in the literature
review in chapter 2. For WebQuest 3 I decided to focus on the pupils’ experience of
this to see if their perception matched my observations. During each lesson there
was a constant low hum of activity as students worked at their own pace in
collaboration with their peers. This is also evident from the audio recording made of
two students working together on their PowerPoint slideshow and was noted by the
teaching colleague who observed a lesson (as noted already). Initially students
directed a lot of questions to me, but as the task became clearer and they became
more confident they relied on their own ideas about progressing their task. Firstly
the professional colleague who observed one of the lessons was struck by how self-
directed the activity was:
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It is difficult to gauge how much of the information being used has been researched by students themselves, but the processing of this information is self-directed – perhaps too much so? The finished product will be very good and students will certainly have engaged with the content.
She also noted that I spent the lesson ‘directing and giving individual assistance’. I
was ‘very busy, involved with each group.’ In my field diary for the second lesson I
noted that students were working more independently. I wrote:
The students are looking to me less for instruction today – they are becoming more used to self-directed learning. Yesterday they depended on their instruction sheet and me for direction. Today they are automatically continuing from where they had got to yesterday and some have already progressed to their slideshows.
The nature of the WebQuest model enables self-directed learning to take place. All
of the research links relevant to the task are located on the one website. Students are
thus directed to relevant material without having to resort to search engines with the
consequent multiplicity of results. This also eliminates the problem of having to sift
through irrelevant material. This builds the confidence of the learner, particularly
those with low levels of literacy and computer skills. This was noted by Rosemarie
in her interview. In answer to the question, ‘Did you find the website interesting?
she replied:
Yes I liked the way that you didn’t have to go and try and find the websites yourself. That would be much harder. I thought it was very interesting, we could search ourselves it was interesting and it wasn’t confusing… It was easier to find information ... if you were starting on your own it would be much harder.
Geraldine wrote in her diary as follows: ‘This WebQuest allows me to work at my
own pace.’ This was echoed by Helen who wrote in her diary, ‘I love this
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WebQuest. It is really interesting and I can work at my own pace!’ In her
interview, Jennifer, identified this self-directed learning as one of the features of the
project she enjoyed.
When we were making out the notes and PowerPoint on the Holy Faith Sisters you could take out what you would like to learn and what you think were the main points instead of a teacher telling you these are the main points, learn this, learn that. You check out the things you are going to learn about more’. (Jennifer)
5.4.2 Constructivist Learning Through the Use of PowerPoint
One of the most striking insights that I derived from this research was a perception
of the fit between constructivist theory and the use of PowerPoint. The two criteria
of this theory are, firstly, that
Information about the world is arranged by our psychic constitutions into a form that is intelligible to us (Winch and Gingell 1999:42).
PowerPoint is a particularly potent pedagogic tool in enabling learners to do this by
putting the stamp of personal ownership on their learning. The second criterion is
that ‘learning is always active’ and this active quality is most appropriately given
expression where learning involves ‘overt physical activity’ (Winch and Gingell
1999:42). Learning that involves physical interaction with the world is likely to
provide greater satisfaction and also to be retained for longer. In a sense
constructivist theory offers scholarly support for the Chinese proverb: ‘What I hear I
forget, what I see I remember but what I do I understand’. This echoes my
educational values as noted in chapter 3, the importance of students’ active learning.
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The constructivist approach does not dispense with the role of the teacher.
Throughout this research project student work was carefully scaffolded. Prior to the
start of the second cycle, pupils were taught PowerPoint over two class periods.
None of them had ever seen a PowerPoint slideshow before, but they quickly learned
the basics, namely, how to select and construct a series of slides, insert graphics, text
and a template background, and to apply random transition. Before working on their
slideshows pupils made notes in their copies from the WebQuest of material they
wished to include in their slideshow. This step was taken as a form of scaffolding,
an intermediary step for the students to help them plan their work. This worked very
well as it enabled them to interact with the cognitive elements of the WebQuest
before beginning work with software which was still quite new to them.
The themes of the personalised shaping of learning and its interactive dimension
emerged in the interviews. Students were asked if they liked creating a slideshow,
and to give reasons why. Each of the four agreed that it was positive experience
and all cited the freedom of expression and creativity which it permitted. Jennifer
described it as follows,
I loved PowerPoint. I loved all the pictures and colours and all – that is what I loved about it. And it is yours – your own idea it is you in it – it has a bit of character of you in it. (Jennifer)
The role of scaffolding was not neglected. The same student also identified the
importance of scaffolding.
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Yes – it (PowerPoint) helps you when you are using the computer you might have the ideas but not be good at drawing. I am not good at drawing. You have the computer there to give you ideas to help you with the drawing. (Jennifer)
This comment is consistent with the findings by Cho and Jonassen (2002) on how
scaffolding enables students to achieve beyond their usual capabilities, as discussed
in Chapter 2. Overall the possibility of the personal tailoring of learning, together
with the activity dimension resulted in enhanced motivation. Shauna, who observed
a lesson wrote regarding student motivation and interest, ‘There is great interest. All
seem interested in creating a good product’. In my diary for that lesson I noted,
Shauna thought it was a great way of teaching and wished she could do it. She thought there was a great atmosphere of work and relaxation in the class when she came in. The children were all dying to show their work to her.
The pupils enjoyed creating a slideshow, I noted this in my diary for the fourth
lesson,
There is a lot of pupil interest in the PowerPoint – maybe too much concentration on colour, but a lot of interest on content, and precise content and order of each slide. (Appendix F4)
Yet it is important to be realistic about this work. To benefit from computer assisted
learning, students must have a basic level of skill. Geraldine, who participated very
well in the discussion board, but whose partner was absent for most of the research,
sounded this note of caution in her diary, ‘I like doing them (slides) but it feels like I
am wasting time when I am trying to find out how to move or get new slides etc.’
This refers back to the pupils’ low level of computer skills. Geraldine does not use a
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computer at home; her only experience of using a computer was in Religious
Education class.
In all twelve slideshows were created by the students. They were of varying
standard and length. There are similarities in content but each one is unique. (See
Appendix J) As an educator reflecting on my practice, I can say that this slideshow
met the two criteria of constructivism identified by Winch and Gingell above.
Pupils arranged what they learned in a form that was most intelligible to them. This
learning was active in the sense that it assumed a form that required overt interaction
with the world.
5.5 Implications for Cycle 3
As this is an action research project, it is a cyclical process. While I have improved
my teaching practice, there are changes which I would make if I was implementing a
further research cycle. These changes are as follows:
1. Ideally a double class (70 minutes) would be allocated, to include the additional
time required for the computers to boot up and for the WebQuest to be accessed.
This would mean that students would be less frustrated and would have more
learning time in class. This echoes the findings of Gunning (2002) as noted in
the literature review.
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2. More than three different faith communities would be researched during the
WebQuest. This is because the students learned so successfully from each other
and from the public PowerPoint display.
3. I would put additional web links about the different faith communities onto
Moodle so students could follow them up if desired.
4. I would remove the evaluation rubric from the template of March (1997) and
instead substitute it with some interactive quizzes/activities. The students enjoy
interactive activities on the Internet and these would also serve as an evaluation
of their learning.
5.6 Validation of Research
As an action research project, this research is concerned with improving my own
practice as an educator, and also with extending my own knowledge base and that of
others. The validation for this research takes two forms. Firstly, a validation
meeting was held in DCU with my supervisor and some teacher-researcher
colleagues. Secondly both a critical friend and a teaching colleague who were
sceptical about the aims of the project reviewed the findings. Finally, Winter’s
(1989) criteria of rigour will be used. This will be seen in more detail in the next
chapter.
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The validation meeting was attended by my supervisor, the Chair of the Programme
Board in DCU and several of my teacher-researcher colleagues. At this meeting, I
presented my action research enquiry to my peers. I spoke about understandings that
I reached as a consequence of undertaking the enquiry and the transformations in my
teaching practice that resulted from those understandings. The following questions
were put to each of the teacher-researchers, along with the answers derived from my
research.
1. Are the descriptions and explanations for the teacher-researcher’s learning
comprehensible?
1. I have extended my knowledge of Dreamweaver, and learned how to use
new software such as Paint Shop Pro and Flash. I have also learned about
network management.
2. I have deduced certain design criteria from my research for the successful
use of WebQuests and have implemented these into the design of the
accompanying WebQuest.
3. I have discovered that students learn successfully when using WebQuests in
Religious Education in Irish secondary schools under certain conditions.
These conditions are that students work in groups, and that the work be
carefully scaffolded.
4. I have learned how Moodle may be best adapted for use within Religious
Education where students do not have access to the Internet outside of class
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contact time. I have also learned that the use of an asynchronous Moodle
discussion board may creatively integrate the contributions of external
collaborators into the students’ learning.
5. Motivation has traditionally been a problem for the teaching of Religious
Education in a non-examination context. I have learned how to integrate the
Internet into the classroom context and how it can improve student interest
and motivation.
2. Is there sufficient evidence to justify the claims being made?
1. I have integrated my mastery of the new software into the design of a
WebQuest which my students have used successfully. This WebQuest may
be accessed either live on the Internet or else through the accompanying cd
rom.
2. The usability test for my WebQuest which the students completed showed
that these criteria were successful, the students had no difficulties with
usability issues. In addition, my pedagogic mentor in TeachNet, (an
educational initiative that is publishing this WebQuest) reviewed it
favourably.
3. The data collected was shown to a teaching colleague, who was initially very
sceptical about the integration of the Internet into the teaching of Religious
Education. She also observed one of the lessons, and agreed afterwards that
it is a very successful method of teaching Religious Education. The
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PowerPoint slideshows that the pupils produced as the task on their
WebQuest are another source of evidence of pupil learning.
4. The large number of postings over a number of weeks which the students
made to all three of the Moodle discussion boards over two WebQuests are
concrete evidence of this.
5. The evidence for this may be found in the notes made by the observing
teacher, and in the students’ interviews and questionnaires quoted already.
3. Are the values that constitute the enquiry as ‘educational’ clearly revealed
and justified?
Yes it is because this enquiry into the integration of WebQuests and Moodle
within Religious Education is concerned with the enhancement of the
students’ learning. This model of teaching and learning is explicitly
inclusive of respect for the individual learner’s own viewpoint and
experiences.
4. Is there evidence of the teacher-researcher’s educational influence in the
learning of others?
1. My critical friend and teacher-observer colleague were initially very
sceptical, but have come to accept the validity of the outcomes of this
research.
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2. The WebQuest was presented to a TeachNet peer validation group,
composed of fellow teacher-web designers. None had come across a
project such as this.
3. Rev. D. Sargent, the external collaborator from the Church of Ireland had
never come across an inter-church web-based learning module with
discussion board such as this.
4. The PowerPoint slideshows and discussion board postings are evidence
of student learning.
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Chapter 6: Conclusions and Recommendations
As this is an action research project this chapter will be structured under two
headings: improvements in my students’ learning, and improvements in my own
practice as an educator.
6.1 Improvement in Students’ Learning
This research project has demonstrated that it is possible to integrate the use of
computer assisted learning into the Religious Education classes in secondary schools
in Ireland, even where the levels of computer literacy are very low and resources are
limited. Once students had mastered the basic computer skills of using the mouse,
opening documents, clicking on links etc. they experienced no significant difficulties
with either the use of WebQuests or with Moodle. This is confirmed by the usability
test conducted on the Faith in Ireland WebQuest, as well as the research on student
engagement with WebQuests in general. This research has also shown how student
creativity may be introduced into computer assisted learning through the use of
PowerPoint. As noted previously, none of these students was familiar with
PowerPoint, yet most students produced good slideshows. As a cognitive task it
engaged the learners and provided scaffolding for students who are creative but lack
good artistic skills. This constructivist creativity could also be integrated with a
different task such as the design a of brochure or newsletter in Microsoft Publisher.
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The virtual learning environment, Moodle, was new to me as well as to my students
at the start of this research project. The research has shown that students engaged
well with Moodle and had no serious specific usability issues, apart from having to
remember their usernames and computer-generated password. Data collected at the
end of the first cycle, showed that one of the features the students liked about their
use of the Internet, was the use of Moodle to keep student journals, the WebQuest,
quiz, discussion forums and other material on the one site. The fact that students
engaged so positively with Moodle suggests that it could be used more widely
throughout the second level system. But Garvey’s (2002) research suggests that we
should not be too sanguine about this. His research considered the possibility of
teaching a second-level subject entirely through the use of a course management
tool, Blackboard. He found that students were reluctant to regularly log on from
home, upload assignments and use chat rooms for revision purposes. Garvey’s
findings, combined with the findings in this dissertation, suggest that virtual learning
environments are best used within the classroom rather than as a method of course
delivery alone. Regarding the use of secure online chat rooms on Blackboard or
Moodle, specifically for a secondary class group, the combined research of both
Garvey and myself suggests that students understand the use of chat rooms to be
exclusively a recreational activity, rather than as a forum for discussing topics which
arise in a learning context.
If course management tools such as Moodle are to become commonplace within the
Irish educational context, issues of resource need to be addressed. As noted several
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times during this dissertation, one of the difficulties I faced during this research was
the age of the machines in school, the lack of maintenance and the slow download
speed of web pages in school. In order that the students would be able to work on
the WebQuest during the lessons, I gave up fifteen minutes of lunchtime every day
so that the machines would be booted up in readiness for class. This is obviously not
sustainable on an ongoing basis. As stated already, few of my students have Internet
access at home. Therefore, the fact that this work was online was of little benefit to
the students, as they could not access either the WebQuest or Moodle outside of
class time.
The lack of technical personnel in my school would make very difficult the use of a
course management tool such as Moodle. Although Moodle is open-source
software, and therefore freely available to download, few teachers would be able to
download and install it as it requires knowledge of computer languages such as sql
and php. It also requires the use of an Internet server which many schools may not
have. This again is a resource issue.
One of my educational values, which was not being realized in my traditional
practice, was the value of student collaborative learning. One of the aims of this
research was to see if this could be promoted through the use of WebQuests and
Moodle. As already seen, this element of the project was an outstanding success.
Pupils worked very well in their groups, and between groups at all stages of the
project. Some of the students remarked that their social and leadership skills had
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improved as a result of the collaborative nature of this project. This is a positive
outcome, and congruent with the overall aims of education of developing the student
in all aspects of life. It is also one of the goals of the Transition Year Programme.
Inclusion of computer assisted learning through the use of WebQuests in Transition
Year at an early stage of the school year would help the development of teamwork
skills.
As the subject matter of Religious Education is by definition, lived religious
experience, it has always been a value of mine to integrate the insights of external
collaborators where possible. The successful use of the Moodle discussion board
following the Faith in Ireland WebQuest has shown how this may be done simply
and within timetabling constraints. The postings from each of the external
collaborators with regard to the lived experience of their community was influential
in pupil learning and motivation. These contributions challenged pupils to reflect on
their own life and religious experience and to move beyond their historical context
and lack of knowledge towards embracing new ideas and a new tolerance and
understanding of the different ways of life in the pluralist Ireland which is emerging.
This is in line with the curricular aims of Religious Education, as stated previously.
This use of discussion boards with external collaborators would have many uses
beyond Religious Education. It could be used in other curricular areas such as
History, CSPE, Irish, modern foreign languages and science to name but a few. This
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is also in line with Garvey’s (2002) findings on the successful use of the course
management tool Blackboard in enabling a link up with a third level institution.
6.2 Improvements in My Own Practice as an Educator
I plan to measure improvements in my own practice against Winter’s (1989) six
criteria of rigour. These are outlined below under the relevant headings.
Reflexive Critique
Throughout this research project I have collected data in many forms, both
qualitative and quantitative, as I have reflected on and sought to improve my
practice. While some of this data has been subjective, namely my field research
diaries, these have been triangulated with objective forms of data collected, such as
interviews, Moodle postings, and the inputs from my teaching colleague who
observed a lesson, and ongoing discussions with my critical friend. Therefore I have
critiqued and reflected on my practice in a public and objective manner and am
satisfied that the modest claims of improvement, as described in chapter 5, in my
teaching are valid.
Dialectical Critique
Throughout my involvement in Religious Education I have been aware that my
values are not always embodied in my practice. Throughout this research I have
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reflected on this contradiction and have sought the means to explicitly integrate
these values into my classroom practice. Through the two cycles of this research I
have synthesised good pedagogic practice in computer assisted learning, along with
insights gained from my experience of traditional classroom teaching into a new
model of teaching for Religious Education, namely the integration of WebQuest
with a Moodle discussion board.
Collaborative resource
Throughout this research process I have actively sought the collaboration of many
people, some of whom were sceptical about the whole process. My critical friend
and teaching colleagues have dialogued with me on many occasions and forced me
to reflect on the direction my research was taking. I was fortunate in having the
input and advice from external collaborators to my discussion boards, all of who
were strangers to me at the beginning of this research process and all of whom
advised and offered constructive criticism on the content and design of the Faith in
Ireland WebQuest. Contributions from my research colleagues and mentors in DCU
often forced me to reconsider the plan of my research. Finally, my mentors and
peers in TeachNet offered technical support and practical suggestions for the Faith
in Ireland WebQuest. My students provided valuable, constructive feedback on the
research process.
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Risk
Throughout this research project, I took a lot of risks in my practice. I had never
before taught using WebQuests or Moodle. I was new to the students, having been
on leave for a period of six years prior to this research, and would not normally
introduce major innovation in such circumstances. While teaching is a public
activity, I had never before offered my practice to such public scrutiny as I did
during this research project. Running a discussion forum with external collaborators
was a new experience for me. My only contact with some of these collaborators was
through email. I had no way of knowing if these people would follow up their initial
commitment to this project by answering the questions of relevance to them, or if
they answered, whether their responses would fit in with the timescale of the project.
Another risk I took was that of putting these strangers in direct communication with
minors, albeit through a secure discussion forum, for whom in school I am in loco
parentis. This latter risk was somewhat reduced by the fact that I could remove
unsuitable postings from the forum if they were posted in advance of the lesson.
This precaution was not required, because all messages contributed positively to the
students’ learning.
Plural structure
By nature of the collaborative nature of this research, namely an action research
project on the use of WebQuests and a Moodle discussion board, a plural structure
was evident. Many forms of data, both quantitative and qualitative were collected,
and many collaborators had sometimes opposing inputs into the content and
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methodology of the research. The diverse religious affiliations and perspectives of
the contributors to the discussion forum added to this pluralism.
Theory, practice and transformation
This research involved me reflecting on my practice and how it could be improved
to take explicit account of my values. The success of this project has led me to
develop my own theories based on this reflection. Some of these theories involve
criteria for the design of successful WebQuests in Religious Education in Irish
secondary schools, and have led to a transformation in my practice. Thus, reflection
on my practice has led to the creation of theory, as discussed by Elliott (2003). As
already noted in chapter 5, I have identified changes that would be implemented in a
further cycle of this research. Thus, the integration of theory and practice leading to
a transformation in one’s practice is a cyclical process which continues indefinitely.
As a result of this research I have been invited to conduct in-service education with
Religious Education teachers on the integration of ICT with Religious Education.
Thus, this new knowledge that I have generated will be made public and may
encourage other teachers to reflect on and improve their practice.
6.3 Unexpected Learning Outcomes
My critical friend and observing teaching colleague were both very sceptical about
the benefits of using ICT to teaching Religious Education. Through involvement in
this project they have both changed their opinions and now see the value to the
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students of this methodology. I had not expected the process to go as well on
account of state of the equipment, the lack of technical maintenance in the school
and the low skill levels on the part of the students. To an extent I could say that the
level of success of the project was somewhat unexpected. Another unexpected
outcome was the finding that students prefer to engage with text on a computer
screen than on paper. This has implications for general student engagement with
content in all school subject, and in particular for students with learning difficulties.
6.3.1 Factors Contributing to the Success of this Research
Undertaking this research was a voyage into the unknown for me. As noted above, I
had never used either WebQuests or a discussion board before in my teaching. The
success of this project is due to a number of factors:
• The technical support from the Moodle administrator in DCU.
• The support I received from my mentors and research-colleagues in DCU.
• The generous and punctual responses of the external collaborators to the Moodle
discussion board.
• The enthusiasm and interest of my students, whose responses were carefully
integrated into each stage of the research process.
• The time-consuming, meticulous and detailed preparation which I put into the
planning and implementation of this research process.
• The availability of the computer room in school at times which coincided with
some of my Religious Education classes.
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6.4 Conclusion
This thesis was driven by a wish to design a WebQuest in the area of Religious
Education and thereby to explore the potential of ICT in the classroom. In
particular, I was concerned to establish whether, by giving students access to
authentic voices from different traditions the use of the virtual learning environment,
Moodle, could make the teaching of religion more inclusive and also make the
learning of religion more exciting and real to students. I also wished to find out
whether the aspirations of policy-makers about the use of technology in Irish
education were at all realistic in the practical context of a secondary school with
limited resources. My answer to my question concerning the potential of Moodle to
transform the learning environment is resoundingly positive. I have also learned that
the resource considerations that restrict the use of ICT in one Irish secondary school
can be circumvented but that doing so demands enormous energy, work and
commitment on the part of the teacher. It is therefore important not be defeatist
about what can be done. At the same, time it is necessary to be realistic about what
needs to be done in terms of resource provision if ICT is going to play a significant
role in the educational experience of young people in Irish schools.
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Appendix A: Letter to Students’ Parents
St. Mary’s Secondary School, St. Brigid’s Road,
Killester Dublin 5.
19 April 2004 Dear Parent(s), As you are aware I have been teaching your daughter’s class, Oliver Plunkett, Religious Education (RE) this year. I am currently conducting research for a Master’s Degree for DCU. This research concerns the benefits using of computers to teach RE. I am hoping to base this research on some of my lessons with your daughter’s class. It will involve your daughter completing some evaluation forms at the end of each class. Some of the students may also be interviewed. Any data collected will be confidential. Your daughter will benefit from participating in this research project. As most of the lessons will be conducted in the computer lab, her computer skills will be enhanced. In addition, she will benefit educationally from use of Internet web sites, which I will develop specially for use during this project. During this period, as has been the case throughout the school year, the RE syllabus is being followed. The research project will not impinge on preparations for the Junior Certificate Examinations. If you do not wish your daughter to be interviewed, please detach the form below and return it to me as soon as possible. Yours faithfully, ________________ F. Williams Name of student …………………………………… I do not wish my daughter to be interviewed for the RE research project being conducted with Oliver Plunkett. Signed …………………………………………………Date ………………………………
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Appendix B: Sample Letter to External Collaborators
St. Mary’s Secondary School, St. Brigid’s Road,
Killester, Dublin 5.
Email: [email protected]
19 March 2004 Dear Reverend Sargent, I am a Religion teacher in St. Mary’s Holy Faith Secondary School, Killester in Dublin. I am currently researching for a MSc. dissertation for DCU on the topic of the integration of ICT with Religious Education in secondary schools. After the Easter Holidays, I will be teaching a unit on the topic of communities of faith in Ireland. I am considering setting up a private, secure, discussion board on the web where one class may email questions to members of different Christian religious faiths in Ireland, over a period of one to two weeks. If you were available or had the time, I would be delighted if you would consider replying to questions about the Church of Ireland on this secure discussion forum. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Yours sincerely, ________________ Fiona Williams
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Appendix C 1: Screenshot of Home Page of Faith in Ireland WebQuest
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Appendix C2: Screenshot of the Introduction Page of the Faith in Ireland WebQuest.
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Appendix C3: Screenshot of Task Page of Faith in Ireland WebQuest
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Appendix C4: Screenshot of Process Page of Faith in Ireland WebQuest
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Appendix C5: Screenshots of Evaluation Page of Faith in Ireland WebQuest
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Appendix C6: Screenshots of Scores Page of Faith in Ireland WebQuest
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Appendix C7: Screenshot of Sample Page on the Holy Faith Sisters from the Faith in Ireland WebQuest.
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Appendix C8: Screenshot of Sample Page on the Church of Ireland from the Faith in Ireland WebQuest.
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Appendix C9: Screenshot of Sample Page on the Orthodox Church from the Faith in Ireland WebQuest. (The picture at the bottom of both screen shots is of the Flash illustration of the split between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in 1054 AD.)
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Appendix C10: Sample of Links Page for the Orthodox Church in the Faith in Ireland WebQuest
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Appendix D: Faith in Ireland Usability Test
Faith in Ireland Usability Test
1. Are the words on the WebPages easy to understand?
• All six students answered yes.
2. Is it easy to find your way around the website?
• Yes, the arrows are very helpful
• Yes it makes things easy with the arrow
• Yes, arrows are very helpful
• Yes
• Yes the arrows are helpful. The box on the side is always there and that is
helpful – you don’t have to keep going back to the home page to go to a different
window.
• Yes
3. What task does the website ask you to complete?
• You have been asked to locate and research three different communities of faith
for a group of American tourists to visit.
• The task is to locate and research three different communities of faith for a group
of American tourists to follow. We have to create a PowerPoint presentation.
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• Locate and research three different communities of faith. Use PowerPoint
presentation for them.
• Locating and researching three different communities of faith and create a
PowerPoint presentation.
• Locating and researching three different communities of faith and create a
PowerPoint presentation.
4. How could the instructions on the website be improved?
• Don’t need to be improved
• They are fine
• You should give clear direction on how to get into PowerPoint to start task.
• They are very detailed
• Possibly more detail. ‘Researching a different community of faith’ doesn’t
explain to me what you expect in a PowerPoint.
• Add a little more detail to them and the method involved.
5. Does the website look attractive?
• I think it looks attractive in some areas e.g. clipart but I think the background
colour could be changed from white to make it more eye-catching.
• In my opinion the website is too basic looking. The plain white background is
too boring and could be improved. More pictures could be more eye-catching in
the introduction.
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• Yes, maybe fancy writing would help.
• Yes, very well laid out. Very attractive colours used.
• Yes it’s well laid out and there are lots of colours.
• Yes it is bright colourful and very appealing.
6. Is there any change you would suggest
1) To make it easier to follow?
• All six said no.
2) To make it look better?
• It looks great
• I wouldn’t change anything
• Nothing it looks fine.
• Little more colour – more pictures maybe.
• More colour, different styles of writing in different sections.
• Add background colour.
3) To improve it?
• Show an example of a completed PowerPoint presentation so the user will
have a blue print to set their presentations on.
• Give an example of a PowerPoint presentation to show what you are looking
for.
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• Make the changing of the WebPages more efficient – e.g. clicking on Holy
Faith Sisters took a long time.
• Make it quicker changing from page to page.
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Appendix E 1: Sample of correspondence with Sr. Pat on Moodle
Discussion Forum
Dear Sister Pat
by g m - Wednesday, 28 April 2004, 10:17 Dear Sister Pat ,
Its Geraldine and Susan. Would you answer our questions as we are so interested and working on a project on the Holy Faith Sisters. 1}How long have you been a holy faith sister ? 2}Have you ever been on a missionary ? 3}Do you know anyone who helps out in these missionaries ? Thank you for your time Geraldine and Susan
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Re: Dear Sister Pat by Sr Pat moodle275 - Tuesday, 4 May 2004, 08:57 1. I have been a Holy Faith Sister for 40 years. That may seem like a very long time to you, Geraldine and Susan, but for me it has been too short. My life has flown like a jet plane. I entered the convent at 17 years of age so you can calculate my age! 2. I spent some time in Trinidad and Peru. I also spent a year in California where I studied in order to update my theology. Each place was a very different experience and I would like to go back to them all. 3. Of course I know almost all the Sisters who work in these missionary areas. It would be great if we had some young lay people who might be willing to spend a few years working on these missions. Of course it would be even better if we had some young Sisters who could devote their whole lives to the work in these areas.
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Re: Dear Sister Pat
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by g m - Tuesday, 4 May 2004, 01:15
Thank you for replying sister Pat. My
god forty yrs as a nun,it seems to me you really enjoy the life in which you live. I myself would like to know more about holy faith sisters if there is anything else to say. You must have achieved a lot in your life, would you like to share some of your accomplishments. thank you for your time Geraldine xxx
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Re: Dear Sister Pat by Sr Pat moodle275 - Wednesday, 5 May 2004, 08:47 Hello Geraldine, It would take me forever to tell you about my whole life so I have decided to share just a few things. After I had finished my training in the Novitiate I went to St. Catherine's College of Home Economics to become a teacher. After my graduation I spent almost 22 years as a teacher. Then I became a School Principal which was a real challenge. In my second school as Principal I had to undertake huge renovations to the building. I really enjoyed that as my father was a builder and doing things to buildings seemed to be "in my blood". During the summer holidays for many years, while I was still a teacher I worked with battered women at a hostel. I spent one summer working at the Simon Community. Of course I had holidays too. Most of my holidays were in Ireland but in recent years I have been able to do a little travelling, thanks to my sister's generosity. I have been to France, Germany, Spain and Italy. My time on the missions was really interesting. In Trinidad my main work was in the formation of young
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Trinidadian women who were joining the congregation. Apart from that I did some weekend retreat work with young people. In addition I used to go to the "bush" three weekends out of four to a place called Matelot. This was a really remote part of the island and the priest came there just once a month to say Mass. On the other Sundays we conducted the liturgy, readings, prayers and distribution of communion. The people liked the "Sister's Mass" better than the real thing when the priest came!! A lot of the people in Trinidad are very poor and they live very simple lives with lots of hardship. They are beautiful people, really welcoming and friendly. Now I am going to reply to some of the others so you can read their responses for more information. Enjoy being young, Sister Pat.
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Re: Dear Sister Pat by Sr Pat moodle275 - Wednesday, 5 May 2004, 08:58
Hello Aisling and Sharon, At the present I am working at our house of prayer in Tallaght. Here we focus on the people who are most marginalized in the Tallaght area i.e. the people of West Tallaght. Most of these people have lost contact with the Church and feel that God has abandoned them. We invite them to our house and we spend time with them so that they begin to feel that someone cares about them. They chat, drink a lot of tea and smoke alot of cigarettes! We introduce them again to God in their lives. We don't try to force them to come back to the church. Rather we try to re-connect them to the God who in within them. The people love coming here and keep coming back. Most of our work happens in the mornings and at night time. Afternoons are free to catch up on other things. Each day I rise early and go to Mass. After breakfast I try to spend one hour in personal prayer. By then people are arriving and I work with Sr. Brenda in our ministry to the people. After lunch we usually spend a little time preparing for our night group and then go about other jobs like doing the shopping, cleaning the house etc. Sr. Susan lives with us too but she works as a school chaplain at St. Wolstan's in Celbridge. When she gets home in the evening we have dinner together and get time to meet and chat to one another. After dinner it is time for work again. We are usually finished by 10.00p.m. If we are not too tired we watch T.V. for a while to relax before going to bed. Hope this is helpful. Enjoy your R.E. class. Sister Pat.
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Appendix E 2: Sample of correspondence with Fr. Geoffrey on Moodle Discussion Forum
Saints and Holidays by m c - Tuesday, 4 May 2004, 01:20 PM
Hello Fr. Geoffrey, I would really appreciate if you would answer this question. Does the Orthodox Church have the same Saints and Holidays as the catholic church? If they do have the same holidays are they o the same days?
Re: Saints and Holidays by Fr Geoffrey- Tuesday, 4 May 2004, 07:45 PM
Thank you for your very good question. Many of the main Christian feasts are the same on the Roman Catholic and Orthodox calendars, because they go back to the first millennium when the two Churches were one. So Christmas is December 25, Epiphany (called Theophany in the Orthodox Church) is January 6, Annunciation is March 25, and so forth. Likewise, major saints from the early Church are on the same days -- for example, Saint Nicholas (the original "Santa Claus", a bishop from the eastern part of the Church in the 4th century) is celebrated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox alike on December 6. Later saints that are unique to each Church are not found on each other's calendars. The "movable" feasts are the same ones (Easter, called Pascha by Orthodox, as well as Ascension and Pentecost) but they are calculated slightly differently. This year they coincide, but some years the Orthodox feasts are several weeks later. A slight complication to the above answer is that most Orthodox follow the older Julian calendar, rather than the Gregorian calendar which is named for Pope Gregory (who reformed the calendar in 1582). The Julian calendar is 13 days "behind" the Gregorian, so December 25, for instance, "falls" on January 7 according to the new calendar.
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I hope that makes sense! In Christ our risen Lord + Fr Geoffrey
orthodox church by d f - Tuesday, 4 May 2004, 01:14 PM hi its Lulu, Karen and Deirdre, we have been doing a power point slide show on the Orthodox Church were just wondering what made you become a Orthodox Priest and are you a monk in a monastery community or in a parish we would be grateful if you could reply to our question thanks a lot Lulu Karen and Deirdre,
Re: orthodox church by Fr Geoffrey - Tuesday, 4 May 2004, 08:51 PM
Dear in Christ Lulu, Karen and Deirdre, Thanks for your message and questions. I hope in your powerpoint show that you include lots of icons, because they are an important part of Orthodox worship. To answer your question, like most (nearly all) parish priests, I am married. There are certainly monk-priests in the Orthodox Church, but these are the priests who serve in monasteries. The Greek word for priest is "presbyteros" which can be rendered into English as Presbyter or Priest. In the Orthodox Church, the wife of the priest is called "Presbytera" (or in Russian, "Matushka", which means "little mother"). This shows that, although the priest is the only one who serves at the altar and blesses the sacraments, there is an important role for the priest's wife as well, and they share a pastoral ministry. In
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this way, the other families in the parish can be cared for. To fill in all the details, my wife is Presbytera Jolan and my son is Nathanael (2 years old). We are also expecting twins (!) in the autumn. I became an Orthodox priest because I wanted to serve God and help to build up His Church. Here in Northern Ireland there is only one small church for the entire province! (In Dublin, as you may know, there are three Orthodox parishes -- Greek, Russian and Romanian.) At Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Belfast, we use only English in our services (with a touch of Irish every now and then!) as that is the language that is common to everyone in our parish -- whether they are Irish, Greeks, Romanians, Russians, Bulgarians, Georgians, etc or Canadians like my wife and me. I hope that answers your questions -- let me know if you have any more. In Christ our risen Lord + Fr Geoffrey
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Appendix E3: Sample of correspondence with Rev. Sargent on Moodle. ????? by l f - Wednesday, 28 April 2004, 10:28 AM
Our priest can't get married. Are you married. Do you think being married makes a difference in the church? Thank You Laoise and Lia
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Re: ????? by Rev Derek Sargent moodle274 - Thursday, 29 April 2004, 08:40 AM
This aspect of our lives is a choice we can make. Some choose to remain celibate, others marry. I believe that those who are married and, indeed, have children have a much wider experience of life and all the problems associated with it. For example problems encountered in male female relationships or the bringing up of children. Enforced celibacy was quite a late inovation for the Church. For the first 5 centuries (recognised as the Early Church), marriage was open to all who were ordained. Holy Scripture argues that bishops should be the husband of one wife, thereby, precluding bishops who were divorced. I hope this is of help.
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Re: ????? by L Q - Tuesday, 4 May 2004, 01:13 PM
Thank you for responding to our query. We are very grateful for you taking time to reply. Yes, Thank you your answer did help us with our question, Laoise and Lia
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Re: ????? by l m - Tuesday, 4 May 2004, 01:22 PM
hello this is Elizabeth and Lorraine the Catholic Church has recently been linked to hundreds of cases over the years of abuse the church has been very secretive about this subject. The Church of Ireland has never experienced such bad publicity do you think this is due to the fact that your church has the option to marry? thank you for your time.
Elizabeth and Lorraine
Re: ????? by Rev Derek Sargent moodle274 - Wednesday, 5 May 2004, 09:12 AM
I think it is dangerous to link celibacy and sexual abuse. Many cases of sexual child abuse take place beyond the church and involve married and single, men and women.
I would argue that celibacy is an unnatural expectation on men or women and so leave open the possibility for personal anger against the church. How this is manifested has a myriad of answers to which I am not qualified to respond. I believe the response to such tragic cases is what really needs to be addressed. It appears that the Roman Catholic Church has and is putting in place structures that will help safeguard those who are at risk.
The Church of Ireland has adopted the policy for
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ministry with children called Safeguarding Trust which helps safeguard children against abuse and adults against false allegations. This was originally put together under the auspices of Barnardos and later developed further by the COI. I hope this is helpful.
D Sargent
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Appendix F1 Research Diary from Session 1
This was a very successful class.
The class arrived late due to confusion about where to go, so the lesson began 10
minutes late. However, I had been in the computer room and had the machines
switched on and the site opened for them so they could get straight down to work.
Initially there was some confusion, but this was soon sorted and they were sitting in
their pairs and groups. Two major factors in the smooth start to the class were the
machines being ready and the detailed instruction sheets they had. They also looked
for their copies.
They are unused to self-directed learning or to learning from the web, or to
following simple instructions from media without interpretation. I had to explain
that they were to plan a presentation suitable for 6th class children, and to pick out
the relevant points and to note them in their copy. Once they grasped this, there was
no problem. Breaking the work down into smaller steps such as note taking first was
inspired, and enabled them to work.
The lesson progressed smoothly – there was a low busy hum of conversation and the
class flew by with few interventions by me. More time should have been left by me
for them to fill in their reflections, but I did not want to disturb the flow of work.
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Content related questions:
1. Is the Church of Ireland Christian? Protestant?
2. Is the Bishop of Rome the Pope?
3. Are the Holy Faith Sisters a Church?
The use of navigation arrows on the site made it much more user friendly. I must
put additional links onto the teacher’s page of the website.
I must ask the students how the site could be improved.
Students are unused to self-directed learning and to collaborative work. This group
is probably better than most as they have already completed cycle one of this
research.
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Appendix F2 Research Diary from Session 2
I got up to the lab 15 mins before class and had the computers opened and set up.
Girls came in happily and in an organized manner and sat where they had sat
yesterday and sought their copies.
Class went very well today again.
Some of the girls have started their PowerPoints – they have taken enough notes and
now want to start composing.
A lot busy hum throughout the lesson.
Becoming more collaborative and self-directed.
I am learning more about networks.
Must put some extra links onto Moodle for them.
This form of learning is empowering for them – I must do it more often.
Some pupils want to email and find out more about their communities.
An exciting form of learning for them and for me.
Evaluations in their copies very encouraging, but I must scaffold them more
and now focus on
1. The process of WebQuest.
2. This particular WebQuest
3. Collaborative and self-directed learning
4. Creativity (a lot of them mention this, and cannot wait/are enjoying the ppt)
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5. Motivation. (all find this very interesting) – must compare with normal
learning.
Today’s questions:
1. What do I like about this project?
2. What can be improved?
I need to
1. be more directive about use of copies – date, page and title
2. get them to report their progress in their copies
3. scaffold them more in their reflections, and be more specific about length
required for each question.
4. be more aware of time – they were all finished, switched off and copies
collected today with 5 minutes to go.
5. record them as they work – for the next lab day
6. get Aileen to observe and take notes – next day?
I contacted Sr. Pat O Malley who has kindly agreed to answer the discussion
board. I had a long chat with her, and outlined the project. She had two
understandable concerns, both of which I allayed:
This project would be long term and she would be plagued with
emails indefinitely
It was a public project, open for all and sundry to see on the web.
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The more this project runs, the more interested I become, and the more I realize
what a good idea it was. In some ways an obvious use of the collaborative element
of ICT, but one which I have not encountered before, nor has anyone I have spoken
to. Adults collaborators, friends in college and pupils are all enthusiastic. Rev
Sargent sent me an encouraging email too commending me and wishing me luck.
Two flies in the ointment:
1. Fr Geoffrey of the Orthodox Church has not yet got back to me since his first
email. I will give him another couple of days, and then try and get someone
else?
2. Denis Calahane, Moodle admin, emailed me today – a problem with some of
the logins I had already given to my external collaborators. I had to send
them all new ones. I hope this does not discourage them too much.
The lab conditions in school are really frustrating:
I had started this diary in school, but had to restart it at home
• I tried emailing it but it was blocked by my anti-virus software because it
contained a virus.
• I could not print it off in school because there is no toner in the printer
• I could not save it to a floppy disc because floppy drive in school has
something stuck in it.
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The children are looking to me less for instruction today – they are becoming more
used to self-directed learning. Yesterday they depended on their instruction sheet
and me for direction – they do not consider the web to be a medium of instruction in
its own right – rather a medium of research. Today they are automatically
continuing from where they had got to yesterday.
Having it saved off line is a great idea – it speeds up the download time and prevents
looking at other sites and getting lost.
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Appendix F3 Research Diary from Session 3
Problems today:
1. 5 people out so several people were working on their own and other pairs
have split onto two computers – it will be difficult to insist tomorrow that
they work in pairs because a lot of work is now on two computers. Is this
reflected in the difficulties some of them have with PowerPoint?
2. I must do out a new sheet of instructions regarding accessing it on the system
and how to do PowerPoint. Should have brought back their own sheets with
me. Some of them have reservations about PowerPoint
3. I had updated the website disc on the network this morning, but disaster
struck as some pages are missing and a lot of broken links, so I had to put
them onto the net, copy the address in myself into their own computers
which was time consuming and led to a slower access speed.
4. I taped Laura and Laura working together must plan interviews for next
week.
5. I must put them onto Moodle maybe next week, and let them find other
information for their PowerPoints, and either upload it onto the PowerPoints
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or onto Moodle – are some of them becoming frustrated at amount of typing
involved? They are enjoying the colour coding on PowerPoint.
Class did settle down and work very well. I had to help several with use of PPT.
They are all learning a lot. We are targeting showing the slideshows tomorrow, and
I also want them to post onto the notice board.
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Appendix F4 Research Diary from Session 4
Session went very well – much better than yesterday. Several finished their ppts and
two even posted onto Moodle. I am delighted with this progress. This project
should finish next Tuesday, with maybe some checking for answers the following
week, or I may print them off and produce them for class.
Shauna observed today, and made some very interesting observations:
1. She noted that some had just taken straight from the website without
questioning it – eg the face of the icon is last to be painted.
2. Today, they were doing PowerPoint and she noted that it had done a lot for
their computer skills.
3. She thought it was a great way of teaching and wished she could do it. She
thought there was a great atmosphere of work and relaxation in the class
when she came in. The children were all dying to show their work to her.
Caitríona, Kathleen, Sharon and the other member of that group are all working
alone – I encouraged them to work together, but they prefer now. Shauna noted that
they are students who always prefer to work alone.
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A lot of pupil interest in the PowerPoint – maybe too much concentration on colour,
but a lot of interest on content, and precise content and order of each slide.
The slides are all very colourful – more so than I would use. Reflects back on what
the 6th years said about the WebQuest needing more colour.
They all remembered how to log into and use Moodle.
I have too many PowerPoints from the class – I had only intended having I think 6,
but will end up with more.
The revised version of the website (links working) worked well on the network. It is
a definite improvement on downloading from the web.
Met Rev Sargent tonight. He knows that there is no other site like mine – it is a new
departure. He wants to link from the C of I site to mine to show what can be done.
He knows that my site took a lot of work and thinks its brilliant. He thinks this is a
super project and has never heard of a site or project like mine.
Spent ages reconfiguring Moodle so that the external collaborators can access it
more easily. It has been redesigned by Denis to incorporate a topic possibility – at
Christmas it was weekly and social format. I had to reduce it from 25 weeks to 6
topics – took ages.
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Appendix F5 Research Diary from Session 5
Class was very slow getting started today, and three were absent. They were late
coming up to the computer room. They are also quite distracted because they are
handing in their Junior Cert art this afternoon and are preoccupied with finishing it
off. Their art exam is tomorrow. But I knew these deadlines would be approaching.
I am glad this project has come to an end - I feel it has gone on long
enough.
Some pupils finished their PowerPoint. Some posted to Moodle - a lot of interest in
this, especially in the reply from Sr Pat about being 40 years a Holy Faith nun.
Questions to Fr Geoffrey were a little disappointing as they all wanted to know what
the Orthodox Church had in common and difference from the Catholic church - 3
unprompted such questions. One very good question to Rev Sargent about the lack
of child abuse scandals in the C of I.
I wonder if the questions to the other two communities were better because the
students are more familiar with these whereas the Orthodox is totally alien to them?
They did not get time to write in their copies - will have to include a questionnaire
for Thursday. The question was: does posting to a discussion board make a
difference to learning about other communities?
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They were very anxious to read the replies, which had already come through. I think
that perhaps they are becoming a little blasé about online collaboration.
Some of them reopened the chat room on Moodle last week - this is the aspect they
really like.
The network was particularly slow today - some of them could not access the
grading on the site.
They found the WebQuest evaluation tricky and uninteresting. I need to put more
explicit instructions on it. They are not interested in the concept of self-evaluation - I
suppose this is normal when they are in the thick of external certification. I wonder
if the self-evaluation rubric in it because it stems from an American culture? Self-
evaluation is totally alien to our school system.
Must think about interviews for tomorrow.
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Appendix G: Observer Comment Form 28/4/2004
Researcher’s Note: These notes were made by Shauna, a teaching colleague, who
does not use ICT. She was very sceptical initially about the value of using ICT to
teach Religious Education, but has changed her mind as a result of observing this
lesson and reading my research.
1. What is the atmosphere of the class?
Lively, interested, chatty, activity-based. Nice mix of work and chat. A definite
buzz.
2. Comment on the amount/quality of student collaboration
Some students are working on their own, but the majority are working very well in
groups.
3. Comment on the work/quality the students are doing.
The finished product will be very good, and students will certainly have engaged
with the content.
4. Teacher activity (formal teaching/directing or individual assistance
as required?
Directing and individual assistance. Very busy: involved with each group. The
instructions at the end of the class regarding writing in their journals were not
followed as pupils were too engrossed in their PowerPoint slideshows.
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5. Student interest and motivation?
Great interest. All seem interested in creating a good product.
6. Does this form of learning allow for self-paced/self-directed
learning?
It is difficult to gauge how much of the information being used has been researched
by the students themselves, but the processing of this information is self-directed.
Perhaps too self-paced?
7. Other comments?
Again computer skills will be greatly improved, and they will know the information
they are researching.
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Appendix H: Student responses to questionnaires on Faith in
Ireland and Moodle discussion board.
1. Which task do you prefer: writing a journal in the life of a person you have
studied or designing a PowerPoint slideshow?
• Creating a PowerPoint slideshow because you get to use lots of different files
and headlines. Plus you are creating something that is yours and your
learning at the same time.
• Creating a PowerPoint slideshow because it’s a lot more interesting to do
your work on a computer rather than sitting at a desk with books, pen and
paper.
• Creating a PowerPoint slideshow because its more fun to do and its more
interesting to look at because you ca use clip art.
• Creating a PowerPoint slideshow because putting your work together on it
and the different type of backgrounds and pictures. It comes out well when
you are finished.
• I prefer creating a PowerPoint slideshow. I think it’s more fun and I take
more interest in it.
• I like the slideshow because you could pick your own background and
pictures.
• I prefer making a PowerPoint slide show because there was more to look up
and do, whereas writing about someone’s life is just writing about their
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experiences etc, and because I was working with someone else it made it
more fun and because she is better on computers than I am.
• Creating a PowerPoint slideshow because you learn about different ways of
the world and have fun by working in pairs.
• I’d rather create a PowerPoint slideshow because it is a better way to get
knowledge into people. If I had done a journal it would look very boring, but
the slide show is better, people would rather look at it.
• PowerPoint slideshow because it’s more interesting you have more fun.
• I like the slideshow. It’s different. I enjoy learning this way, taking pride in
presentation of the slideshow, making it colourful and stand out, but learning
at the same time.
• PowerPoint because its more fun and I didn’t really like journaling, but I like
PowerPoint. I liked being with my friend and liked how we put it together.
• PowerPoint slideshow because it is more colourful and looks beter than a
plain page of writing.
• Creating a PowerPoint slideshow because it is interesting to see what you can
do and create.
• Creating a PowerPoint slideshow because you can see what you are doing
and what it turns our like.
• I like creating a PowerPoint slideshow because you get to show everyone
when you’re finished and get to decorate your points and make them look
good.
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2. Did you find working in groups helpful?
• Yes, as you get to work with different people and share your ideas and come
up with stuff together.
• Yes because when I couldn’t do something then the other people in the group
could help me.
• Yes because you don’t have to do everything yourself, the two of us can
decide.
• Yes! It is helpful because it gives you an advantage of doing it faster.
• Yes! I liked working in groups because we were able to help each other and
it was fun.
• Yes, because different people are good at different things so we can help
each other when needed.
• Yes, because if you didn’t know something your partner could help you, and
you enjoy it more. It’s easier because all the pressure isn’t on you. You
have someone to help you.
• Yes. If I couldn’t think of a word to explain, my partner could help me or if I
didn’t know what to do next etc.
• Yes because if you are stuck they help you and you can talk to them at the
same time.
• Yes I did because this means I didn’t have to do all the work myself, I had
help, as I am not great on computers.
• Yes because you didn’t have to write so much on the computer.
• Yes because it is better to work with people than work alone.
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• Yes because if you got stuck and the teacher is with someone else your friend
can help you.
• Yes because you get things done quicker, e.g. one person can read out the
information while the other types it and so on.
• Yes, I did because you don’t feel the burden of having to do a whole project
by yourself.
• Yes you can put two people’s ideas together to make something even better,
but if the person doesn’t know how to use a computer it can be a little slow.
3. Did your group remain working together or did it split up? If it split up,
why?
• Well, some of the people I was working with were absent so it took a little
longer to do on my own.
• My groups ended up splitting up because we didn’t have the same ideas, so
we each went alone.
• No, me and my partner stayed working together. We split up so we can do
different slideshows.
• My groups mainly kept together.
• Yes my group remained working together.
• My group remained working together and did not split up because it was a
good think we were doing.
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• It ended up splitting up because my partner wasn’t in, but if she had been in
we would have stayed as a group.
• My partner was out for a few days, so I had to work on my own.
• Our group continued to work together. We presented our shows differently
but also helped each other.
• In groups, we worked on different computers but we still tasked to each other
and helped each other.
• We split in to two groups. Don’t know why and I prefer working in a group.
• It didn’t split up.
• It split up because we wanted to make our own slideshow.
• I worked with Deirdre and I really liked it as I never working with her
before.
4. Do you prefer work in groups or alone on a computer project?
• A bit of both because if you need help you can always ask the girl beside you
or the teacher.
• I like working in groups.
• I prefer working on my own but it wasn’t bad working in groups and we did
it all together.
• I prefer working in groups.
• I prefer working in groups.
• I prefer working in groups.
• I prefer working in groups.
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• I like working in groups because you have someone to talk to.
• I would rather work in groups than work alone.
• I enjoy working in groups rather than alone.
• I prefer to work in groups on the computer because we can help each other. I
wouldn’t be confident enough with computers to work on my own.
5. Did being able to contact experts outside the school make a difference to
what you learned?
• Yes I was able to read my friends letter they sent and the reply they got. I
learned how much devotion these people have. And how they dedicate their
life to helping other people and still they get enjoyment out of this. It’s
something we can look up to.
• Yes because instead of just learning about something from a book, you are
talking to someone who is experiencing what we are learning. So you get a
real view. It’s more interesting in my opinion.
• NO because I was in hospital.
• Well yes because if you wanted to contact someone it would be by letter or
by guest. A letter would be a bit boring and hard to get everyone’s ideas into
it. Then a guest would probably be only on one community of faith and they
might not have the time. It is much better to read it on the net so you can get
his information and learn other things, you might not have thought of.
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• Yes, because it gives us first hand information from someone who has
experienced what we were learning about. It is better than just learning facts
because you can ask the questions you want to know about.
• Yes because you learning more because you get more details and get more
information.
• Yes because I could learn something about the Orthodox Church that wasn’t
on the computer already.
• Yes because I learned a lot more about the Holy Faith Sisters and what they
do and whom they help and how they help people.
• No because I wasn’t in but I think it did help the people that posted
questions.
• Yes it was good that we had the opportunity to ask questions about things
that we didn’t understand on the website. We wrote to Fr Geoffrey and he
sent us back a really long reply with lots of information.
• Yes because it lets us ask a person who works in a place their answers and
lets them tell us what its like to work there and how they work and how
different it is to the way we live and go to mass.
• Yes but not that much. But the question I asked was about the priest being
able to get married and he answered very honestly and when we got a reply
we thanked him.
• Yes it did. I learned all about the different religions and what they believe
and what their beliefs were.
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• Yes it made a big difference because I found out loads of facts about Sr. Pat.
And she told me about her travels around the world.
• Yes they told us more about the different churches and what we wanted to
know about the churches like what does the Orthodox Church do.
• Yes! It really did. He told us that more Orthodox priest are married and
there is one Orthodox Church in the whole of Ireland outside of Dublin.
• Yes, because they knew a lot more than we did. I sent a question on the
Orthodox Church asked about the differences between the Catholic and
Orthodox Church. Fr. Geoffrey wrote back to me and his answer was
unbelievably long for such a short question. He obviously had great
knowledge on it and was extremely interested in his profession. It was
interesting to know that were was so much to know. Thank you for the
experience, it was invigorating.
• Yes, Sr. Pat told me lots of her life and achievements. She was a teacher for
22 years. There was so much that she has done and seen. She was in Peru
and Trinidad and she even got to go on holidays. There was so much that I
learned.
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Appendix I1: Interview with Susan
(This took place on 5/5/2004 before the discussion board)
Did you find the WebQuest interesting Susan?
Yes
What in particular did you find interesting?
Looking up all the different things you never knew, finding out more.
So you liked being able to find out things from it?
Yes
Do you think you learned anything from it?
Yes I learned loads. I knew nothing about the Holy Faith Order, but now I know
loads and I find it very interesting going to a Holy Faith School
Now were you working in a group Susan or were you working by yourself?
Well I was working in a group for the first day and then for the rest I was working
on my own.
Was that because your partner was absent?
Yes
You teamed up with Geraldine later on didn’t you?
Yes for writing the question
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And which did you prefer – working by yourself or working with somebody
else?
Working with somebody else because if you never knew something somebody else
could tell you like, you could sort of work out the questions together kind of
So you were able to help each other then when you were working in groups?
Yes
If I had given you a normal project you loads of books and pages, which type of
project do you think you would prefer – looking things up on the computer and
doing your PowerPoint, or looking things up in the library and using coloured
paper and pens?
Going into the computer room and look it up because I am not a book person and I
find it more interesting to go onto the computer and I learn more about it and you
know more about the computer these days
What is it though that makes it more interesting to learn from the computer
than from traditional methods?
Because you have computers at home as well and you can look it up and do more
things with it. I just find books boring, to look things up in it.
That is really interesting Susan, thanks. Now how did you like doing the
PowerPoint show?
Oh I loved it
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Now what in particular did you like?
You were able to download your own pictures and you were able to get backgrounds
and all that, fiddle around with it and everything. It was better than having to write
it out and do all different things with it – write it out in your own writing and all that
and than having to put it up in front of the class – it was better do just do it on the
computer.
Okay Susan, you are doing really well. Now is using the Internet and discussion
boards a good way to learn about religion do you think?
Yes because in books they don’t ell you that much about it like but on the Internet
they tell you more, they express it more and tell you more about it like and there is
more writing on it than in a book
Could the project have been improved in any way?
I don’t think so, I think it was alright, it was grand the way it was.
Finally did you feel that you were in control of your own learning?
No
You didn’t?
No because you were able to go onto the Internet and look around it and all
Okay – I will put that another way: Did you feel that you were able to decide
what you were going to look at and what you were going to put into your
PowerPoint?
Yes, yes,
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Or did you feel that I was there telling you Susan, you have to put that in, and
look at that etc?
No I felt that you were able to go on and get your own stuff out of it. Like you were
just told which community to look up but the rest of it you were able to do yourself..
You were able to get all your points and all yourself, you weren’t told what to do on
that like.
Now is that easier and more interesting for you than if I was standing telling
you what to look at and what to put into it?
Yes, yes you find it more interesting when you can do it yourself like and not nearly
as boring as it usually is if you are being told what to do
Okay, thanks Susan you have been a great help.
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Appendix I2: Interview with Geraldine
(This took place on 5/5/2004 before the discussion board)
Did you find the WebQuest interesting?
Yes it was all right like, but I myself found it a bit tricky like. When I was going
onto the different sites I got a bit confused and I couldn’t get back onto the website
and I had to click off and log on again
Do you think that was a problem with the computer you had or was it a
problem with the website itself?
More to do with me – I learned from it but I probably learned more from my
mistakes. I just could not cop onto what I was doing
Have you a computer at home?
Yes but I don’t really use it.
Now do you think you learned from the project we did?
Yes I learned loads about the Catholic Church and Holy Faith Sisters like because I
kept on writing to the discussion board and asking her more questions
Yes you had a very good correspondence going Geraldine. Did you like
working in groups?
It was all right like, I wouldn’t really know because I was with Emma for one day
and then she was out because she was sick and then I was working with Sinead.
That was all right because we posted a question onto the discussion board and the
two of us just elaborated on our questions.
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Would you prefer do that sort of project in a group or rather be on your own
just yourself and the computer?
Well I liked doing it on my own but I didn’t really have a chance (with someone
else). It was good doing both things being on me own and with a partner like. It
depends on how you are feeling on the day whether you wan to work with someone
else or just get me work done.
Which type of project do you think you would prefer – looking things up on the
computer and doing your PowerPoint, or looking things up in the library and
using coloured paper and pens?
Well if it was reading from books I would say most of the girls, their attentions span
would be falling, they would be just talking. I don’t think anybody would really get
their work done if you are reading from books like. But on the Internet you feel like
I have to do this like. Everybody enjoys doing it on the computers and it seems more
fun.
So do you think it is easier to learn from a computer than from a normal
project?
Yes I found it easier than if I was like looking in books it would go in one ear and
out the other so like I wouldn’t be able to get it onto my head if I was like reading it
from books.
This is very interesting Geraldine. Now how did you like doing the PowerPoint
show?
I found that good – it was fun and stuff like just putting down ideas and then trying
to get on different pictures and stuff and downloading from the web. When you
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clicked into the Holy Faith Sisters there was pictures and stuff to download but I
couldn’t get it in
That was a pity Geraldine - I couldn’t get around to everybody. Now how do
you think doing a PowerPoint compared to doing a normal poster or scrapbook
etc?
I’d say the two of them have their ups and downs like. I would say some people
would rather to the PowerPoint because just putting down their ideas on the
computer like and having it shown off to their all their friends and all (referring to
class PowerPoint show the previous day)
Yes, the show yesterday worked well didn’t it?
Yes
Now do you think the Internet and discussion boards a good way to learn about
religion do you think?
Yes I thought it was brilliant. I just kept on writing to Sr. Pat so I found it better
than looking up and ringing people and writing letters and whatever
Okay, could the project have been improved in any way?
I don’t really think it could have been – it was brilliant the way it was. There were
disadvantages as well like but I found it good.
What were the disadvantages?
Just like I couldn’t cop how to move from page to page and trying to think up more
ideas to put on the PowerPoint
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This is brilliant Geraldine. Finally did you feel that you were in control of your
own learning more than in a normal situation where the teacher is teaching and
you are doing exercises?
Yes I did - I could go onto the Internet and find out everything for myself rather
than sitting there listening. You wouldn’t really be concentrating much on what the
teacher was saying because some girls don’t cop onto what the teachers are saying.
You would rather do it on the computer because they are reading it and they are
looking it up
Geraldine – this is great you have obviously thought about it a good bit If I
gave you a choice of a project using traditional methods or else on the computer
and doing a PowerPoint which would you prefer?
Oh definitely the computers and PowerPoint – I would rather do it on the
PowerPoint rather than writing it down on a page or whatever.
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Appendix I3: Interview with Jennifer (This took place on 5/5/2004 before the discussion board)
Did you find the website interesting?
Out straight, yes. I enjoyed it now I have to say. What I liked was … I don’t really
use the computer at home so I got to use all different things and especially when we
were doing the PowerPoint using all the different backgrounds and everything. It
made me feel that I can use the computer and stuff. That is what I enjoyed anyway.
Okay, so you felt that it let you use parts of the computer you might not have
used before?
Yes definitely
And you learned more computer skills than you might have had?
Definitely
You obviously learned about computer skills which are important, but in terms
of religion, do you think you learned anything about religion from it?
Yes I think so, especially when we were doing the Protestants and you know if you
were Protestant or Catholic and the problems. That was brilliant now, I really
enjoyed it. It was religion and fun and computers. So that was cool. The Church of
Ireland yes, and the Holy Faith Sisters, I learned about the founder of the Holy Faith
Sisters and our school is Holy Faith so I learned about that. I thought that was good.
So you didn’t know much about the Holy Faith Sisters at all?
Nothing at all, but now I could tell you stuff about it.
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Regarding group work, you did not remain with your partner for the duration
of the project – can you tell me why?
She was in the first when we took notes into our copies, but she was absent then. It
was grand the first day because there were two of us and she could help. I found
that the rest of the work took me a little bit longer because I was on my own
Although you were only partners for one day, did you prefer working by
yourself on one computer or did you like having her to help you?
A bit of both because with two people you can put your ideas together because if
you were writing something and it was not proper grammar she could tell you, but
then again if she is even slower at the computers it can slow you down again because
you have to let her have her turn on the computer although it might be a bit slower.
Do you know what I mean? So a bit of both.
Now, how did the project compare to normal classroom learning? If I had
brought you into the library and given you books to look at on the different
faith communities, how would the traditional type of project compare with
what you did on the computer?
I would be totally bored, out straight now I really think I would be bored. Yes you
would learn a few things but I really think the computers are so much modern and
more you are doing stuff, you really are doing a lot of stuff on the computer and you
are exploring more plus learning. I think it is much more fun.
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This is great Jennifer; I haven’t much more to ask you. How did you like using
PowerPoint
I loved PowerPoint. I loved all the pictures and colours and all – that is what I loved
about it. And it is yours – your own idea it is you in it – it has a bit of character of
you in it – that is what I think – it is you in it.
So would you prefer to do a PowerPoint to using art materials?
Definitely
What is the difference Jennifer?
I don’t know – I felt more mature using the computers than paper. I am not a very
artistic person but I found the computer easier to use because it is there for you – do
you know what I mean?
You mean you are not dependant on your own artistic skills?
Yes – it helps you when you are using the computer you might have the ideas but
not be good at drawing. I am not good at drawing. You have the computer there to
give you ideas to help you with the drawing
Yes I know what you mean – I love being able to do things on the computer but
like you my artistic skills would not be good. Did you feel that looking at web
links and designing a PowerPoint put you in control of your own learning than
if I had been teaching you in class?
Yes definitely because when were making out the notes and PowerPoint on the Holy
Faith Sisters you could take out what you would like to learn and what you think
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were the main points instead of a teacher telling you these are the main points, learn
this, learn that. You check out the things you are going to learn about more
Thanks Jennifer. Final question. The project was looking at the website,
making notes, doing a PowerPoint and posting to a discussion board. Could
that have been improved in any way do you think?
I am not too sure about that – I am really not too sure about it. I don’t think so
That is fine – Jennifer thank you very much for you help.
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Appendix I4: Interview with Rosemary (This took place on 13/5/2004 after the discussion forum.)
Did you find the website interesting
Yes I did in the way that you didn’t have to go and try and find the websites
yourself. That would be much harder. I thought it was very interesting, we could
search ourselves it was interesting and it wasn’t confusing. You thought of doing
something really good yourself, and exploring it … because it seems like you are
doing so much work… you are not really but it just seems that way the power of
computers
So you felt the computer gave you more power when using it?
Yes
And you also felt that having one website leading to others made it easier to
find information?
Yes – it was easier to find information and I thought…. If you were starting on your
own it would be much harder. You didn’t really know what to go to, but you did go
to it and now I feel like I know it so well now.
Okay – so there was help built into the website? Signposts along the way that
helped you?
Yes,
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Did you learn anything from the websites?
I think I learned how to type a little bit better, and I liked keeping a journal, just
saying what I was doing each day on the website. I learned how to communicate
with other members of my class a little bit better because if they needed help, I have
a computer at home and know it a bit better so it just helped me communicate a bit
better.
So you felt it helped your typing skills, and to communicate a little bit better
and you liked keeping the journal from it?
Yes
Did you like working in groups Rosemary?
Yes I did but there were sometimes when I just wanted to get on with my work and
they all wanted to know how to do something and it was like I want to do my work.
But it was okay in some parts. We worked in two groups – I worked with Melissa
and for the most part I enjoyed it
Okay, so you felt that the group worked quite well at times, although people
were annoying you because you computer skills were better than others and
you were being asked for help all the time?
Yes
Some groups did not stay together for various reasons: did you stay in your
pair?
We did two sets of PowerPoints, but if I had an idea we would share it as well.
They are kind of identical but not exactly the same
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So you co-operated together and you each had the same sort of ideas, but each
girl did her own?
Yes
This is great Rosemary, thanks. How did working doing a project on the
computer compare with normal classroom projects either with books, leaflets
or in the library and with paint and coloured paper and producing a poster or
scrap book?
Well I’d say that would be interesting but you have to find the information more
yourself, you know. I like reading but I found it more interesting doing it on the
website. It wasn’t too long, if you were in the library or if you were doing the
Orthodox Church or whatever it was you might have to get a letter from the person,
or maybe get a guest speaker in, but that might take a class, you know it is very
awkward to try and do it. I thought the WebQuest was very interesting in the way
everyone got to ask a question. And I like the way that everyone got to read other
people’s questions. You may not have thought of that question and you read the
answer and so learned more.
Okay thanks Rosemary. Now, how did you like using the PowerPoint?
I liked the way you could do different designs and everything and no one else’s was
going to be the same as yours really. It might have the same background but it
would not have the same information or anything. And I liked the way we all used
different colours – it showed their personality and everything
165
And as you say they all looked so different – different colours, different
information, different pictures, everything different.
Yes I though it was nice – everyone had the same thing but in a different way.
Now if I was going to do another WebQuest with you and I gave you the choice
– you could either write a journal in the life of a person (as you did before
Christmas) or do a PowerPoint, which would you pick?
I don’t know – I really liked writing the journal but I also liked the Powerpoint –
putting my information into slides and putting the slides together – these are my
ideas and showing them off. In a journal it is more like your personal stuff – you
wouldn’t really show it to anybody – it is not like PowerPoint, you know – it is more
for showing than just a journal.
Okay so thanks Rosemary, you have put a lot of thought into this. Now do you
think using the Internet and a discussion board is a good way to learn about
religion?
Yes, I think it is the best way because you are nearly able to talk to all of the world
over the Internet and I just think it is very interesting like the discussion board. I just
like everything on it
Okay – thanks Rosemary, you are really enthusiastic. Now do you think the
project you have just done could have been improved in any way?
No, I don’t know – maybe just that some girls were asking me a bit too much how to
use the computer. I don’t mean they are stupid, for a lot of them it was their first
time on the computer. I like to get on with my own work, but I also like to help
people as well.
166
So you felt that because you were one of the few girls to have a computer at
home that it was a disadvantage to you because you were distracted by other
people asking for help?
Yes
Did you feel that you were in charge of your own learning and your own work
during the project?
Yes – I felt like I was doing it all by myself – I felt more in control and more self-
confident in the way that I can do it by myself. I did a whole Powerpoint by myself
– I was proud of what I did in the end.
If I was teaching you in September and I was to give you a choice of doing a
project using traditional methods and using the computer room which would
you prefer?
Oh definitely the computer room.
Thanks Rosemary you have been very helpful.
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Appendix J: Sample Student PowerPoint Slideshows
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