Technology-Needs Assessment Data Analysis using PCA for the Design of a WLAN-based Hybrid Classroom Response and Learning Management System Android Application

Abstract

The influence of technology in the evolution of modern-day education grows significantly as more educational institutions attempt to improve the quality of education. This study aims to develop a hybrid of a classroom response system and learning management system web and android applications without the use of the internet. A technology-needs assessment (TNA) was administered on 213 high school students. The TNA questionnaire was comprised by 16 closed-ended questions, 15 of which required Likert scale-based responses and one required a yes/no response. The TNA data was analyzed with the help of principal component analysis (PCA). The results of the PCA became the basis for the configuration of a wireless local area network of devices connected to a central server through a wireless router dedicated for the implementation of the web and android applications designed for the needs identified by the study. The web and android applications were developed using a test-driven development (TDD) approach. The system configuration was based on the system capacity requirements to enable simultaneous wireless connection of up to 100 mobile devices. Two groups of high school students were identified by the school to be part of the field testing of the web/android app since these students were of significantly similar academic standing in their respective classes. The study group (n=7) used the web/android app in their statistics class and a control group (n=10) were subjected to the traditional classroom set-up. The field testing lasted for two weeks covering various teaching and learning activities including exams. The exam results were subjected to Analysis of Variance using two-sample F-test and t-test. The results show that at 5% significance level, a p-value of 0.0026 was obtained, which indicates that the means between the summative test results data sets are significantly different. The performance of the students in the study group is significantly different from the performance of the students in the control group in the summative test. As observed in the summative test mean scores of the groups, the study group showed significant improvement in their performance when compared to the control group.