International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 3 | Page 121

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES
SPRING 2016
information and learning resources. Therefore, improving students' literacy in ICT is
fundamental to their personal and academic life. ICT can equip students with the necessary
skills to be a lifelong learners and global citizens of the 21st century.
In higher education, a range of technologies appears to provide an exceptional
opportunity to improve learning and teaching within the higher education system. At
present, however, opinions are divided over the efficacy of such an approach and the extent
to which technology should be embraced in teaching. In recent years, various teaching
models have been developed -- including the blended learning mode -- which combines
face-to-face approach and technology use. Some scholars believe that blended learning can
improve teaching and learning, and support the curricular objectives (Hubbard, 2013;
Peeraer & Van Petegem, 2011; Son, 2009).
Restructuring the classroom to address 21st century skills is important to meet the
needs of students. Various studies have established that technology integration into
classroom instruction is a slow and complex process influenced by many factors, including
the amount of support the technology requires (Inan & Lowther, 2010). The U.S
Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA, 1995) recommended that effectively
integrating technology into the teaching and learning process is one of the most important
steps a nation can take to make the most of the past and continuing developments.
Integrating newer technologies into education can play an important role in leveraging
productivity and efficiency. The teachers who learn to integrate technology into existing
curricula teach differently than teachers who did not have such training or support from the
institution (Christensen, 2002). Although many educational systems have quickly embraced
digital technologies, the effective inclusion of these technologies into teaching practice has
encountered, and continues to encounter, practical and pedagogical barriers (Wood, Specht,
Willoughby, & Mueller, 2008). However, evidence shows that barriers and challenges
behind ICT integration in the classroom still exist, particularly to what extent ICT integration
benefits students’ academic performance. The purpose of the present study was to examine
the impact of ICT integration on students' academic performance in one of Indonesia’s
higher education institutions in Gorontalo Province by blending ICT into traditional face to
face teaching instruction.
Literature review
The rapid advancement of Information Communication Technology (ICT) has dramatically
increased technology use in language teaching and learning. With the Internet/World Wide
Web creation and progression, for example, teachers now have more options to create
effective and innovative instructional materials and teaching methods. Hubbard (2013)
argues that teachers have a pivotal role in the adoption and implementation of ICT in their
teaching and learning as they are the key to making learning happen. With the complexity
and the richness of possible learning resources that the Internet offers, teachers face
considerable challenges to create effective and efficient teaching approaches. The ultimate
121 | P a g e