APPLICATION OF POWERPOINT PRESENTATION IN ENGLISH

International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills; Vol. 1, No. 4; ISSN : 2639-7412 (Print) ISSN : 2638-5546 (Online)

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LANGUAGE LEARNING AND PEDAGOGY: ITS EFFICACIES AND

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS IN CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION

Mahmoodul Hassan

Associate Professor

Ma'din Academy English Language Trainer, Ma'din English Village

Abstract

Thanks to the advancement of information technology, the scenario of language teaching and

learning has got unprecedentedly and tremendously changed over the recent years.

Traditional classrooms are giving way for smart classrooms. Technological applications have

had enormous impact on the arena of education and knowledge sharing, particularly on

language learning and pedagogy. At this juncture, this paper attempts a study on the

application of Power Point Presentation software in the context of English language teaching

and learning. Today, PowerPoint, as an important part of Computer-Assisted Language

Leaning (CALL), is a much widely-used presentation software for it allows a language

teacher to present his/her lesson with coloured texts, images with simple animation, sound

and much more. As such, this study aims at bringing out the salient benefits of applying

PowerPoint Presentation both for English language teachers and learners, along with

shedding lights on its efficacies and classroom implications in the light of some literature

reviews and a classroom action research, questionnaire survey and post-test.

Following a literary review in this regard, a group of 40 English Language adult learners at

a spoken English centre in Malappuram, Kerala, India are selected as subjects of this study in

order to conduct the classroom action research and the questionnaire survey. The 40

subjects are divided into two groups of 20 each, one is the experimental group and the

other one is the control group. The experimental group is taught some particular grammar

lessons using PowerPoint Presentation and the control group is taught the same lessons in

the traditional method such as lecturing or just oral presentation. A likert scale

questionnaire method asking about the learning experience is applied to collect data from

the experimental group. Majority of the experimental group hold positive opinion about

the use of PowerPoint Presentation for teaching English. And a sample post-test is also

administered out for each group and the result shows that there is a big difference in the

means of the two groups and that the

subjects who are taught using PowerPoint

Presentation Software demonstrate better performance than the control group.

The paper concludes after a discussion on the results from the survey stressing the fact that

PowerPoint Presentation is a powerful pedagogical tool in English language classroom

and the language instructors are advised to try to apply this technology in effective manner

so that the actual learning takes place in the class, that's too in quite interesting way. The

paper does not suggest a complete shift from traditional method to PowerPoint

Presentation in a language classroom for traditional method has also its own advantages

International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills; Vol. 1, No. 4; ISSN : 2639-7412 (Print) ISSN : 2638-5546 (Online)

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and benefits as first Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru rightly said: "Change is

essential but Continuity is also necessary" (Synthesis is Our Tradition, 1959)

Keywords: Technology, PowerPoint, Pedagogical, Classroom, Innovative, Efficacy

Introduction

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic” – Arthur C. Clarke (Author)

Advancement in Information and Communications Technology has brought about drastic

changes in the arena of language learning and pedagogy. This advancement has not only

smoothed the path to educate more effectively but allowed us to shift the paradigms of

traditional pedagogical practices with modern technologies. As a result, private and public

educational institutions are vying with one another to digitalize their classrooms so as to

enhance teaching and learning as well as to enthuse the stakeholders as whole. And thus,

technology plays a significant role in today’s language classrooms as well. Teachers

incorporate varied forms of technology to support their teaching and engage learners in

the learning process.

As for English language teaching and learning, technology is indeed an effective tool that can

support and transform language teaching and learning in many ways, ranging from making it

easier for teachers to prepare instructional materials to enabling innovative methods both for

teachers and learners in order that it builds up and fosters teaching and learning atmosphere in

quite fruitful and productive manner. Moreover, the application of technology can inculcate

considerable interest in learners by adding variety and innovation to the classroom. “There is

a great value in incorporating new technologies not as a bolt on or reward, but as an integral

part of the teaching and learning process. This allows the learners to foster the four C’s;

Communication, Creativity,

Collaboration and Critical Thinking” (Joe Dale, 2014 May,The Guardian). So, this study

attempts to show the efficacies of applying PowerPoint Presentation software, as an

example technology tool, in the context of English language teaching and learning.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a kind of presentation software created by Robert Gaskins and

Dennis Austin in 1984 for the American software company Forethought, Inc., initially named

Presenter, was released for the Apple Macintosh in 1987 and was acquired by Microsoft in

July of the same year (Encyclopaedia Britannica, November 25, 2013). Though PowerPoint

was initially developed for business use such as giving reports at meetings and presentations

to clients but has got wide acceptance today as a key professional pedagogical device for

improving teaching and learning both for teachers and students. Today, PowerPoint, as an

important part of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), is a much widely applied

presentation software in English language classrooms as well for it allows a teacher to present

his/her lessons with coloured texts, images with simple animations, audio-visual supports and

much more. PowerPoint presentation appeal learners’ diverse learning styles, such as visual,

auditory, kinesthetic, and creative by employing multimedia methods such as sounds, colour,

images, action, design and so on (Abraham Oommen, 2012). Conforming to those already

conducted studies and researches in applying this technology for English language teaching,

International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills; Vol. 1, No. 4; ISSN : 2639-7412 (Print) ISSN : 2638-5546 (Online)

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this research paper mainly addresses two questions:

How far does the application of PowerPoint Presentation become effective in

English language teaching and learning?

How do learners respond to the use of PowerPoint in English language classroom?

Review of the Literature

There has been a number of researches carried out to investigate the effectiveness and

benefits of using PowerPoint Presentation technology in pedagogical contexts. Many

researchers have discussed both the pros and cons of the application of PowerPoint

presentations in language classrooms. Some researchers have explored the teachers’ skill

of using PowerPoint presentation software for language teaching as well.

Segundo and Salazar (2011) in their research paper hold the view that PowerPoint is a

complete presentation program that allows teachers to produce professional-looking

presentations in EFL classrooms. Szaboa and

Hastings (2000) hold that PowerPoint based

classroom instruction helps learners focus attention and reduce distraction and find that

learners want PowerPoint presentation to be adopted in English language classroom

instruction. Brock and Joglekar (2011) in “Empowering PowerPoint: Slides and Teaching

Effectiveness” have examined the linkage between PowerPoint and learners’ levels of

classroom engagement and explored the pedagogical efficacy of this presentation

software. A recent study by Zouar Abdellatif at Cardiff Metropolitan University,

Morocco (2015) has sought the impact of PowerPoint in enhancing learners’ participation

in EFL classroom and found that the learners’ level of participation augmented when

PowerPoint is applied.

A research conducted by Ozaslan and Maden (2013) on the use of PowerPoint

presentation in the department of foreign language education at Middle East Technical

University concluded in their study that learners learned better if the course material was

presented through some visual tools. And they also found that teachers themselves

believed that PowerPoint presentations made the lesson more appealing, thereby helping

them to draw the students’ attention to the class. The findings of Corbeil’s research (2007)

shows that the learners who are exposed to PowerPoint presentations prefer them over the

traditional textbook presentations and that they are learning better when their attention is

captured through highlighting, colour, different fonts, images, animations and visual

effects.

Researchers have analyzed various ways in which PowerPoint can be applied in an ESL or

EFL classroom. English language teachers can deliver PowerPoint-based presentations for

attracting and motivating learners towards the new lesson or topic to be taught, for initial

teaching introducing new lesson or topic, for providing practice and drilling in grammar and

pronunciation, for reviewing the topics or ideas which have already been taught, for testing

the learners’ understanding the lesson through quizzes or games displayed in presentation

slides and for integrating all these aspects into one single presentation (Fisher, 2003).

International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills; Vol. 1, No. 4; ISSN : 2639-7412 (Print) ISSN : 2638-5546 (Online)

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In a communicative English classroom, the learners need to be well trained in all the five

language skills Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Grammaring (LSRW&G) –

Grammaring is the ability to use grammatical structures accurately, meaningfully and

appropriately, which is considered the fifth skill alongside LSRW as claimed by Larsen-

Freeman (2001). A teacher can integrate all these language skills in his or her one single

presentation itself by means of PowerPoint presentation.

Some Key Benefits of PowerPoint Presentation (PPT)



PPT allows teacher to import graphics, audios, videos, and links to simulations

or web pages, thereby creating an enriching learning atmosphere.



Teachers can have face to face communication with learners in contrary to

the traditional blackboard teaching method where the teachers often face the

chalkboard with their back to the class while writing on the board (Lanius,

2004).



PowerPoint can be used as a multimedia and interactive tool as well. Pictures,

animations, music and sound effects can greatly enhance the presentation

quality (Miltenoff, 2003).



Teachers can integrate PPT to all stages of delivering a lesson or topic

– Preparation, Presentation, Practice and Production.



Teachers can integrate all the language skills in one single PPT itself.



Teachers can modify their PPT lessons and use them over and over again for

other target audiences.



Instructors can save time on distributing instructional materials as handouts,

writing on blackboard or whiteboard and so on.

Purpose of the Study

Researchers, Educators and computer technology experts have perceived that the

application of PowerPoint presentation can augment the efficiency of English language

teaching. As such, the purpose of this study is to decide whether this study actually

conforms to this concept or not; and the author being an occasional user of PPT in

classroom, the study aims at bringing out the positive effects and benefits of applying this

technology in English language classroom.

Significance of the Study

In spite of a number of researches conducted in pursuit of the effectiveness of PowerPoint

presentation in English language classroom, the author here attempts such a study but in

a different context, that is, in a Spoken English classroom of a language learning centre

which is solely set up for adult learners who stay just 18 days at the centre and get back

home after acquiring sufficient

improvement in English communication. A study on the

International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills; Vol. 1, No. 4; ISSN : 2639-7412 (Print) ISSN : 2638-5546 (Online)

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efficacy of PPT in such a learning atmosphere seems to be less researched. And the author

also believes that the present study would considerably contribute to the earlier findings

of researchers and academicians in this regard and to the practicality of using PowerPoint

in spoken English classes as well.

Method of the Study

Towards addressing the key questions of the study and accomplishing its objectives, a

classroom action research followed by a likert scale questionnaire survey was conducted.

Participants and the Procedure:

The participants of the study were one team of 40 adult learners between 20-35 years of

ages, at Ma’din English Village, a residential learning centre for Spoken English at

Malappuram district, Kerala, India. The 40 member team was divided into two separate

groups of 20 learners each, one is the experimental group and the other one is the control

group. The experimental group was taught particular grammar lessons (Present Perfect

Tense, Future Continuous Tense and Prepositions) for three sessions (each session is of

90 minutes) using PowerPoint presentation software; and the control group was taught the

same lessons in traditional conventional method through lecturing, handing out the

instructional materials, writing on the whiteboard, etc. Following this, a questionnaire of

ten statements based on a five-point likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5

(strongly agree) was administered to the experimental group in order to understand the

learners' perceptions about the efficacy of using PPT in a spoken English classroom. A post-

teaching test after completing all the three sessions was also conducted for both the

experimental group and the control group in order to assess the performances of the

learners in each group and to confirm the positive impact of PowerPoint in English

Language classroom in comparison with the conventional oral lecturing method, with

teacher writing on the whiteboard using a marker pen.

Result of the Survey

The questionnaire survey based on five-point likert scale was administered to find out the

participants' feelings and perceptions about the efficay of PowerPoint Presentation in a

Spoken English classroom in terms of interest, concentration, helpfulness, curiosity,

enthusiasm, preference and so on. The participants' responses are rated in accordance with the

following the scale - Strongly Disagree (SD), Disagree (D), Neutral (N), Agree (A) and

Strongly Agree (SA). The survey result clearly depict that most of the learners very positively

responded about the efficacy of PowerPoit in English classroom and liked the lessons with

PPT than the traditional lecturing method. All the participants felt that PPT is more beneficial

for English learning. Majority of the participants found the lessons with PPT very interesting

and enthusiastic helping them understanding the language elements better and they agreed

that the pictures, sounds, animations made the class more lively. No one prefers lessons

without PPT, instead, they prefer and recommend PPT use in English Language classroom

instruction. The results are gisted out in the Table 1 below.

Table - 1 (Total Number of Participants: 20)

International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills; Vol. 1, No. 4; ISSN : 2639-7412 (Print) ISSN : 2638-5546 (Online)

295

Questions

Strongly

Disagree

(1)

Disagree

(2)

Neutral

(3)

Agree

(4)

Strongly

Agree

(5)

Means

1. The lessons with

PPT was very

intersting

4.3

2. It helped me

concentrate

throughout the class

4.45

3. It helped me

understand the language

elements better.

4.6

4. It aroused my

curiosity to learn

4.55

5. It is more

beneficial for English

learning.

4.85

6. It helped me

practice the grammar

lessons

very

enthusiastically.

4.3

7. Pictures, sounds

and animations made

the class lively.

4.4

8. I prefer lessons

without PowerPoint.

1.35

9. I prefer lessons

with PowerPoint.

4.55

10. I recommend

PPT in English

Language

classroom.

4.5

Result of the Post-teaching Test

The Post-teaching Test administered on both the experimental and the control groups shows

that the learners who were taught with PowerPoint demonstrated better performance than the

learners who were taught in traditional oral presentation with the teacher writing on the

whiteboard with marker pens. The result is depicted in Table 2 (i) & (ii) below.

International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills; Vol. 1, No. 4; ISSN : 2639-7412 (Print) ISSN : 2638-5546 (Online)

296

Table - 2 (i): It represents the result of the learners who were taught with PowerPoint

presentation.

Grades

Attained

Marks

Scored

Above 90

80 - 89

70 - 79

60 - 69

Below 60

No.of

learners

Table - 2 (ii): It represents the result of the learners who were taught in traditional oral

presentation mode with teacher using the whiteboard and marker pen.

Grades

Attained

Marks

Scored

Above 90

80 - 89

70 - 79

60 - 69

Below 60

No.of

learners

From the Post-teaching Test results, it is very conspicuous that the learners who were taught

with PowerPoint outperformed the learners who were taught in conventional method of

whiteboard and marker pen.

Conclusion

It is very clear from the study results that the application of PowerPoint in English Language

classroom instruction will facilitate the teaching and learning of English in productive

manner and that PowerPoint can play as an effective pedagigical technology tool in

English language classroom. Both teachers and students alike can reap its benefits. But the

language instructors need to prepare their PPT lessons very appropriately keeping in mind

that it meets the learner- requirements helping them improve all the important language

skills. Hence, this study suggests the language instructors to try to apply this technology

in effective manner so that the actual learning takes place in the class, that's too in quite

interesting way. The paper does not suggest a complete shift from traditional method to

PowerPoint Presentation in a language classroom since traditional method has also its own

advantages and benefits as first Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru rightly said:

"Change is essential but Continuity is also necessary" (Synthesis is Our Tradition, 1959)

International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills; Vol. 1, No. 4; ISSN : 2639-7412 (Print) ISSN : 2638-5546 (Online)

297

References:

Dale, Joe. (2014). Teaching languages with technology: tools that help students become

fluent, The Guardian, May 2014.

Britannica, Encyclopaedia (November 25, 2013). Microsoft PowerPoint Software, written by

its editors.

Oommen. Abraham (2012). Teaching English as a global language in smart classrooms with

PowerPoint presentation.

Segundo & Salazar (2011). The efficacy of using PowerPoint presentations to improve

grammar and vocabulary among students of the Intermediate II level

Brock & Joglekar (2011). Empowering PowerPoint: Slides and Teaching Effectiveness.

Szaboa, A., & Hastings, N. (2000). Using IT in the undergraduate classroom: Should we

replace the blackboard with PowerPoint?

Ozaslan, E. N., & Maden, Z. (2013). The use of PowerPoint presentations at in the

department of foreign language education at middleeast technical university. Middle

Eastern & African Journal of Educational Research, Issue 2

Corbeil, G. (2007). Can PowerPoint Presentations Effectively Replace Textbooks and

Blackboards for Teaching Grammar? Do Learners Find Them an Effective Learning Tool?

Lanius, C. (2004). Points of View: PowerPoint in the Classroom: PowerPoint, Not Your

Grandmother's Presentations, but Is it Evil?

Larsen-Freeman, D. (2001). Teaching Language: From Grammar to Grammaring.

Nehru, Jawaharlal (1959). Synthesis is Our Tradition. From India Today and Tomorrow,

Azad Memorial Lectures, New Delhi (February 1959).