BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF EDUCATIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL

SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF PGDT INFORMATION
AND
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON ENHANCING

SELF CONFIDENCE OF GRADE 11TH ”C” STUDENTS
ON ICT LAB AT TILILI PREPARATORY SCHOOL.
ID: No
Name: TESFAMICHEAL ADERA ……………..BDU1130227

Advisor:
Contents pages
Contents pages..................................................................................................................................i
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
1.What is my concern?.................................................................................................................... 2
2.Why I am concerned about the problem?.....................................................................................2
3.What can I do?..............................................................................................................................3
3.1.General objective................................................................................................................... 3
3.2.Specific objectives................................................................................................................. 3
4.Who can help me and How?.........................................................................................................5
5.How can I improve it?.................................................................................................................. 6
6.When will I know that it has been improved?..............................................................................6
7.Recommending Change................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8
ACRONYMS...................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The school that, I was attending my practicum at was different from the school in which I had
attended my secondary and preparatory school. This school is at the center of TILILI city

Grade 11 section C has 55 students; from these almost all of them were attending their class
regularly, but almost no self-confidence in ICT class. For instance they have great problems in
Practical sessions that mean most of them didn’t have basic skills to use computer to perform
some tasks that are ordered by their ICT Subject teacher to be performed, even if they are a city
or Town students they have no self-confidence. These mean most of the time people think that
city students have good performance in practical subject rather than rural or country side
students. For me this is miss conception of the people. Rather it is better to say city students have
great chance to practice basic computer skill rather than that of country side students, since
practice make perfect, if they didn’t practice they couldn’t be better than that of country side
students. But the problem I observed at this school is different from the assumptions of people in
their self-confidence to perform the given tasks. Both of these students are the same for me since
both of them have no ICT Background. These all problems initiated me to study the reason
behind.

To achieve their personal goals and make themselves truly happy, they need to develop and
maintain self-confidence and self-respect. To do this they need to understand the difference
between worldly self-confidence and authentic self-confidence and be able to distinguish self-
confidence from selfish intentions that prevent them from fulfilling their wish that will be
achieved in the future. By using tried and tested methods they can then build and strengthen their
self-confidence so that it remains stable and long lasting. Self-confidence in general is not
limited to a single subject, but in everything self-confidence is very necessary for students’
success, but there are no written guidelines for enhancing self-confidence of students.

1.What is my concern?
Here I want to enhance the problems that are raised regarding to students’ self-confidence at this
school, especially in 11th “C” Classroom. Based on my observation during my practicum at
TILILI preparatory and secondary school, I have observed and understood as students of 11 th
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Grade section C have problem of self-confidence in ICT Subject during group discussions,
especially in laboratory performance .Therefore in this action research I will concern to help
them enhance their self-confidence. Most teachers those I have observed at TILILI preparatory
and secondary school feel that self-confidence in their students come from student’s nature and
their living environment. But this is not true; self-confidence is enhanced through learning that
means through try and error, since no one is absolutely correct in the world. My concern is that
self-confidence in every subject, not only in ICT subject should be a relevant and meaningful
learning experience for all students, especially when they are doing through group discussion and
reflecting their ideas. Students will be confident and if they are confident they will achieve their
goal easily in ICT Subject both theoretically and practically. When I was teaching at that school
my students were facing different problems in their performance when they were discussing in
group during my class; they were challenged to discuss freely since they have no confidence. I
think so this is because of they have no background knowledge about ICT Subject. H.D Brown
(2006) affirmed that “people drive their sense of self-confidence from the accumulation of
experience with themselves and with others and from the assessments of the external world
around them”. Bearing this in mind it can be said that students’ build their self-confidence
regarding ICT subject according to their performance and to the opinion their group members
have. As I observed the problem is very serious problem that must be solved by collaboration of
all concerned bodies. That means if they continue as it is they can’t produce confident full
citizens.

2.Why I am concerned about the problem?

Because as I have mentioned above, when I have been teaching students of 11th C at TILILI
preparatory and secondary school, I understood that students had great problem in their self-
confidence in their laboratory performance during group discussion to help each other.

If student does not feel confident with his or her capacity of doing or completing a task, the
person will refuse to even take part of activity. Self-confidence is hard to understand, because I
consider other things taken place in the class are the only factor that interferes sometime in the
class, but self-confidence can be an important issue to take into consideration as well. Brown
(2001) defines self-confidence as “Learners belief that they indeed are fully capable of
accomplishing a task is at least partially a factor in their eventual success in attaining task”.
Moreover, if the teacher promotes self-confidence in students, they will be eager to participate in
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different kinds of tasks no matter how difficult or challenging they are. Brown (2000) argues that
no success can reached if there is no confidence involved in the process, meaning that there is
possibility to take aside this factor in the process of any activity. If this is true, this issue is very
important, because it will define to reach the students’ goal or not. Consequently, if the teacher
does not facilitate the development of self-confidence in class, students will still feel afraid or
hesitate to participate in class. As a result of this Students will fail in their self-confidence
through teaching learning process as well as in their future life. No self-confidence, no great
achievement in life.

Thus the reason why I am concerned about this problem are:-

To identify the reason behind their lack of self-confidence.

To select the intervention strategies to solve this problem.

1.What can I do?

All things considered the heart of this action research proposal is aimed at investigating about
my students’ main problem in their self-confidence in group discussion in ICT Subject to a first
draft solution to 11th “C” Students TILILI preparatory and secondary school to enhance their
lack of self-confidence in group discussion during ICT class. These can be achieved through the
following objectives.

1.1.General objective
Promoting group discussion by creating a comfortable atmosphere in classroom to
enhance student’s self-confidence during ICT subject is delivered.

1.1.Specific objectives
To show students the importance of group discussion to enhance their self-confidence.

To find out the appropriate techniques and activities such as giving them chance to
express their point of view regarding the lesson offered, by asking them their expectation
from the lesson before it is offered to enhance self-confidence in students.
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 To promote sharing of knowledge from themselves as well as they can improve self-
confidence through group discussion.

Based on my objectives, the activities planned must be based on students’ interests and not
directly taken from the course book. That means the teacher must think what makes students
active and offer that activities to the class to make his/her students interest full. Apart from
timing and the type of activity, the main objectives are to encourage students to participate
actively in class by including topics of their interest in class to promote self-confidence in
students by congratulating their improvement in order to stop inhibition and finally to show
students that as a group, students and teacher can learn together from each other by contributing
with questions, doubts and experiences or ideas related to the topic of the class.

Teachers must promote self-confidence by congratulating students after participating in any

activity or question. There are different ways to congratulate students. One of these ways is to let
them know that they are doing the activity in the correct way. For instance by saying, that is very
good and keeps working on it. Another to raise students’ level of self-confidence is to encourage
them to make comments about the class or about a specific activity. In addition to these I can
raise my students’ self-confidence by inviting them to teach some part of the daily lesson turn by
turn. Again I can enhance my students’ self-confidence by offering them to share their cultural
background to their class mate students.

Generally by doing these all actions the students will feel confident of his/her own skills and
inhibition will be avoided in a couple of sessions. In addition to this , other students that usually
reject to participate in class will look this reward and finally more and more , students will
understand the ideas of learning in group is better than individually all in all.

1.Who can help me and How?

Enhancing student’s self-confidence is not the responsibility of the classroom teacher, but it also
needs the cooperation of different stake holders. For instance while I conduct this action research
different individuals will help me. As it is mentioned above enhancing students self-confidence
needs the cooperation of different group, so that:

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The Vise Director of TILILI preparatory and secondary school plays a vital role to help me to
enhance student’s self-confidence in group discussion by giving me information about how I can
improve/enhance my students’ self-confidence and also share me his experience to shape
student’s learning.

The ICT Subject teacher as well as my mentor in my practicum at that school plays a vital role to
give me some information about those students since she had stayed with them at least for 7
months and share me advice for how to enhance students’ self-confidence in ICT Subject during
group discussion. He had around Five years experience in teaching ICT Subject in that school.
He had been teacher in ICT Diploma through in the process He developed to High School
Program. He Teaches for long period of time in both private and governmental schools. So that
He had good experience in teaching profession.

Again this school has 1 teacher who was assigned as school counselor and gives students’ advice
on different issues regarding their learning achievement now and future. As we have learned in
our psychology course in first semester this academic year all teachers are counselor, but all of
them are not well trained in psychology to give good advice to their students and to be counselor.

Generally since enhancing student’ self-confidence needs collaboration, it can’t be the

responsibility of a single individual. That means it needs support both physically and morally to
shape its procedure that I would like to ask those concerned body to continue their support to
enhance students’ self-confidence to ICT Subject and also to have great awareness by themselves
in ICT Subject to shape their students’ future goals.

2.How can I improve it?

By giving them different discussion topics to discuss on it and after digesting it they
will reflect their own ideas to the class and gain any correction from their teacher if any.

I will help my students depend on their learning abilities and they can help each other
to enhance or improve their self-confidence through group discussion and reflection of
their ideas.

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 I will give them encouragement and positive feedback to help them enhance their self-
confidence.

I will provide them opportunities to make choice and decisions on different issues in
the classroom.

By avoiding comparison and criticism between each of them when they made mistake
to reflect their ideas to the classroom.

Again before I start the regular class I will invite them to talk what they like in their
experiences before and after joining the school.

Through doing these I will make smooth relationship with my students to offer them express
their ideas without any fear. In addition to these I will sometimes offer my colleagues to help me
and to attend my students progress and also give me some feedback regarding my students
progress , as well as my students will adapt with my colleagues and they can present whatever
they will given to present or to reflect their own ideas.

Generally if I do these all with the collaboration of different stakeholders there will be the
probability to enhance my students’ self-confidence in every activity of ICT Subject.

1.When will I know that it has been improved?

I will know that, it has been improved by different means or techniques. For instance I will give
them the topic that they were learnt about inviting some colleagues that are new face for them
when they are presenting what they had discussed. If they present it with self-confidence without
any fear I can say that the problem is enhanced with some extent or improved from previous
existence.

Again if my objectives and my expectation are match, I can say that there is some improvement
in my students’ self-confidence. when I do anything in my action research I will record each and
every activity of my action to see my students progress, that means if there are some
improvement I will continue my action to take the next actions.

Unless otherwise I will re-search my action since the research is endless or looping itself until
the problem is solved as the name indicates depending on the effect of my actions that I take
previously.
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Here if there is some improvement in students’ self-confidence, I will try to check the degree of
the improvement and proceed to the next step and applying each and every activity of my action
since it has been useful in enhancing students’ self-confidence in this practical Subject.

2.Recommending Change
I expect that this action research proposal is help me simply for only grading purpose of the
course, but it is almost very necessary thing for teachers, specially for beginner teacher like me.

By doing this action research I learn different things that help me in my profession for the future.
For instance:-

It is worth mentioning that an interesting way to achieve my students’ self-confidence is by

guiding students through the variety of activities and also letting them working by themselves
and see which their responses to the activities are depend on their group discussion.

Unlike the beginning of the first class my students’ had show a little improvement that is
amazing one.

Again from doing this Action research proposal I get the ideas or assumptions of different stake
holders about how to enhance student’s self-confidence in everything not only in ICT Subject.

Generally if any teacher perform or follow what are mentioned in this action research effectively,
I am sure that he/she will be successful teacher in his/her profession. Since classroom action
research is the base for changing our student’s achievement I recommend that every teacher must
apply what makes him/her successful teacher. Since I had checked above as there are some
improvement, these must be continued until the problem will be solved all in all. But this needs
the cooperation of all stakeholders to enhance students’ self-confidence and encourage them to
keep participating in any activity of their learning.

References
1.Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass.
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 2.BRO

3.WN,H.D.(2001): Teaching by Principles: White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman.

4.SKINNER,B.F. The Behavior of Organisms. Copley Publishing Group(1938).

5.VYGOTSKY,L.S.(1978). Mind and Society: The Development of Higher

Psychological Processes. Combridge, MA: Harvard University.

ACRONYMS: ICT=Information and Communication Technology