International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 3 | Page 122

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES
SPRING 2016
goal of creating this learning environment is to boost learning outcomes. Education reforms
require teachers to adopt new roles as more responsibilities for learning are given directly
to the students. This change require that teachers be proficient in advising and guiding
students through more autonomous, self-directed learning processes, while the same time
monitoring curriculum standards achieved by students (Klimova, B. F., & Semradova, I. 2012;
Hew, K. F., & Brush, T. 2007).
A number of recent studies have shown a positive relationship between the use of
technology and academic achievement. Scholars and researchers found that students in
technology rich environments experienced positive effects on achievement in all major
subject areas (Watson, 2006). Students showed increased achievement in preschool
through higher education for both regular and special needs children (Kean et al., 2012).
Students’ attitudes toward learning and their own self-concept improved consistently when
computers were used for instruction (Walsh, 2010). Sun and Metros (2011) investigated
issues of the digital divide and its impact on academic performance. The results of their
study show that students’ academic performance is a function of many complex and
interrelating factors (Sun & Metros, 2011). Although technology use is linked to socioeconomic status and academic performance, Sun and Metros suggested that educators
should try to identify whether the cause of low or high academic achievement directly
results from technology use, and how technology usage interacts with and affects other
factors. As a result of multi-factors, some scholars argued that achievement increased not
only by incorporating technology, but by also addressing instructional design, software
design, and technology capabilities.
McMahon (2009) in his study Western Australia high schools examined the
relationship between students working in a technology-rich environment and their
development of higher order thinking skills. He found that there are statistically significant
correlations between studying within a technology-rich learning environment and the
development of students' critical thinking skills. Length of time spent in the environment
has a positive, non-linear effect on the development of critical thinking skills. Students with
better developed computing skills scored higher on critical thinking activities (McMahon,
2009).
Transforming teaching and learning by increasing access to and use of technology in
classrooms has been at the center of most recent teaching reforms agenda (Cuban, 2001).
Computers have also been introduced as breakthrough methods particularly in the language
teaching and learning fields. In the middle 1980s, educational technology included more
basic electronic and non-digital tools (e.g., chalkboards, overhead projectors, video cassette
recorders). The assumption by school leaders was that these technologies required little
additional training (Hofer, & Swan, 2011). However, as the second millennium begun, digital
technology use increased around the world. In the education sector, technology integration
started gathering momentum in 1994 and has continued. Educational technology can help
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