Impact Study in Learning IT towards HIV Orphanage Children

in Malaysia

Dr. Hizmawati Madzin, Dr. Ng Seng Beng, Dr. Khadijah Binti Ali
& Muzaiyanah Ahmad Supian

Multimedia Department, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology,

University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

ABSTRACT: Learning Information Technology (IT) is important to everyone including the

unfortunate children like orphan children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However,
these children have limitation access to learn IT as normally most of these children live in
homeless shelter which lack of technology facility such as computer. In this article we try to
measure the impact towards HIV orphan children in Malaysia learning IT specifically learning
Microsoft Power Point using computer. Faculty of Computer Science and Information
Technology (FCSIT) from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) organizing IT program that teach
Microsoft Power Point to 40 HIV orphan children from two NGO associations namely Persatuan
Kebajikan Anak Pesakit HIV/AIDS Nurul Iman Malaysia (PERNIM) and Pertubuhan Kebajikan
Ikatan Amal Malaysia (PAKAT). 25 boys and 15 girls involved in the program. There are 20
UPM students involved as facilitator of the program. There will be three instruments used to
evaluate the impact of the program which are i)pre, ii)post program and iii)facilitator survey
forms. The results indicated that positive impact were gain from the HIV orphanage children on
better understanding to increase skill of the learning IT using Microsoft Power Point.

Keywords: HIV, Orphan Children, Impact, Microsoft Power Point, Learning IT

Introduction

This article aims to measure the impact of learning IT among HIV orphan children from PERNIM
and PAKAT. There are 25 boys and 15 girls involved in the program. These children leave in
homeless shelter where there is no IT facility provided. However, in this IT technology era, it is
important for all children to learn or have basic skill of IT including HIV children. Therefore,
FCSIT, UPM organize a program for the orphan children from PERNIM and PAKAT to have an
opportunity to learn Microsoft Power Point using computer.

This program offers HIV- orphan children in Malaysia to have opportunities to develop and
support IT education for them. There are more than three million children are infected with HIV
worldwide (Lowenthal et al., 2014). These children have the possibility of increasing up in
poverty or even dropping out of school. Therefore, for the children of the orphanages, it is
significant to give help and support by the government and society. (Ssewamala et al., 2016).

There will be four sections which are introduction section to summarize the article, followed by
description of the background of the article. Section three explains the method of the survey and
final section will be the results from the survey. Survey is divided into three categories which are
pre and post survey forms for the participant to fill up before and after program and facilitator
survey form for the facilitator to evaluate the participants.

Background

There are many researchers study on the impact of learning IT toward orphan children. Ojiambo
& Bratton, 2014 focused on the effectiveness of group activity play therapy (GAPT) among
Ugandan orphans between 10 to 12 years. The outcomes are the teachers and housemother
reported showed the statistically significant reductions (p<.025) in behavior problems compared
to the children in an active control condition. Hunte & White, 2017 study on Malawi Children’s
Village (MCV). They operate a secondary school of approximately 560 orphans in Mangochi,
Malawi, and its strategic goal is to add computer studies into its curriculum. The first step to
achieving this goal is for MCV to establish and sustain a teachers-only computer lab. Asqarova,
2014 proposed on the training of the young generation for social life. The orphanages were lack
of family support.

This study examines the organization of activity for future life. It is important to give attention to
the modern social, economic and cultural information and implementing the syllabus, and the
lesson and organizing extra class for them to conduct among themselves.
Stein et al., 2014 focused on adversity to the HIV children about parental death, divorce, poor
parental mental health, institutionalization, under nutrition, and exposure to violence. As a
finding, they are suffering for a long time. New effectively approach which is combines a
universal lattice of protection with intensive intervention targeted to selected children and
families.

In conclusion from this section it shows that it is important to support HIV orphan children in
term of moral support or providing skill for them to improve their education. For initiative to
support the HIV orphan children, we organize an IT workshop to teach 40 HIV orphan children
Microsoft Power Point using computer with the help of 20 facilitators from UPM students.

Methods

As previously mentioned, FCSIT, UPM has organized a program for the HIV orphan children in
Malaysia to learn IT specifically Microsoft Power Point using computer. The program is held on
our faculty. We invite the orphanage to come and learn the skill using lab in our faculty. Using
this approach will make the orphanage feel the real environment in the university and encourage
them to be great student in the school.

Participant
The IT program is held in Faculty of Computer Science Information technology in UPM.
Participants from PERNIM and PAKAT where 25 boys and 15 girls joined the program. There
are 20 facilitators from UPM students assisted the participants to learn the computer.

Data Collection
Data were collected during the program. Each participant was given three sets of questionnaires
to be completed namely Pre-workshop, Post-workshop, and Facilitator. Pre-workshop
questionnaire is given to the participant to be filled before they start to learn the computer. Then
by the end of the program, which after they complete learning the computer, the participants need
to fill up Post-workshop questionnaire. The questionnaires are used to measure the impact of HIV
orphan children in learning IT skill. The facilitators need to fill up the questionnaire as well in
order to evaluate the performance of each participant.

Instruments
The questionnaire comprises of three sets namely Pre-workshop, Post-workshop and Facilitator.
The questionnaire emphasizes on analyzing 4 factors which are i) interesting and useful; ii)
challenge and sharing; iii) know and easy; iv) learning interest. The reliability of each 3 sets of
questionnaires is evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Table 1 shows the reliability result of each
questionnaire. From the table it shows that the Pre-workshop questionnaire contains 6 items with
the Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.954. The Cronbach’s alpha score of Post-workshop questionnaire
is 0.922 with 17 items. Finally, the reliability score for Facilitator questionnaire which contains
11 items is 0.972. According to Eisinga, R., et al, 2014 Cronbach’s alpha score value more than
0.9 can categorized as excellent reliability of the questionnaire. Therefore, it can be concluded
that all of these questionnaires are reliable to use for the program.

Table 1: Cronbach’s alpha score for every instrument

Scale Number Cronbach’s

of item alpha score

Pre-workshop 6 0.954

Post-workshop 17 0.922

Facilitator 11 0.972

Results

The analysis of the questionnaire is divided into several categories. In this section we will discuss
on four categories of results which are i) the summary of participant’s profile; ii) the comparison
of impact score of Pre and Post workshop questionnaire iii) the comparison impact score between
gender and iv) factor analysis of four factors mentioned above.

Table 2 shows the participant’s profiles which describe respondents’ demographic profile. From
the table it shows that 40 respondents involved in the study which based on gender 60% is male
(25 participants) and 40% is female (15 participants). This study also evaluates the impact based
on age. As we can see from the table the participants age below 12 years old is 16 participants
which conquer 40% of the number of participants. Followed by participants with age 13 to 17
years old is 45% which total of 18 respondents. We have six respondents in the category of age
more than 17 years old which contribute 15% of the respondents. In results, there are total of 40
participants and the mean age for respondents is 14.25 years and standard deviation is 3.49.
 Table 2: Demographic profile of the participants

Variables N=40 %

Sex
Male 25 60.0
Female 15 40.0

Age (years)
<=12 16 40.0
13-17 18 45.0
>17 6 15.0
Mean = 14.25
Standard Deviation = 3.492
Minimum = 9
Maximum = 21

The objective of this article is to measure the impact of learning IT towards HIV orphan children.
Table 3 shows the comparison of impact score between the Pre and Post workshop. The Pre
workshop questionnaire is given to the participants before the program start. From the table the
impact score is divided into three categories which are low, medium and high. The low means
that the participant has low understanding regarding Microsoft Power Point. Followed by
medium, which the participant has moderate understanding and high category means the
participant has high understanding in the matter. Based on the table, we can see that the
frequency of low understanding of participants before they learn IT skill is 75% (30 participants),
and participant that have moderate understanding is 15% (6 participants) and only 10% (4
participants) of participants have high IT skill before the program start.
However, after the program complete, we can see increment of impact score toward the high
categories. It shows that 50% of the participants (20 participants) achieve high impact score of
learning IT skill. The percentage is increase up to 40% from the Pre-workshop result. Moreover,
the low impact score is reducing from 75% to 25% which only 10 participants get low impact
from the program. In conclude it prove that this learning IT program can give good impact to HIV
orphan children.

Table 3: Impact Score for Pre and Post Workshop

Pre-workshop Post-workshop

Valid Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Low 30 75 10 25

Medium 6 15 10 25

High 4 10 20 50

Total 40 100 40 100

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to explore the underlying factor structure of
impact in using Microsoft Power Point scale. EFA helps us determine what the factor structure
looks like according to how participant responses. Prior to conduct the factor analysis, it is
important to test the items using Post MP course Items test in order to determine the factorability
value. Hence, the questionnaires for post workshop were conducted to assess adequacy of data.
Table 4 shows the Factor Analysis of the Post MP course items in use of Microsoft Power Point.
Factor 1 was named this literacy program has attracted participants’ interest and useful in using
Microsoft Power Point such as items A1, A5, A6, B1, B2, B4 and C3 in the questionnaire. From
the values it shows that participants averagely think that the IT skill is useful for them. This is due
to the lack ok knowledge on the significance of learning IT skill in their life. While factor 2
categorize as the challenge that participant facing and the sharing of the knowledge using
Microsoft Power Point such as items of A4, A8, A9 and C2 in the questionnaire. From the results
it shows that the participant aware that it is significance to share the knowledge with their friends.
Other than that, factor 3 was named categorize as easy to learn the knowledge of Microsoft Power
Point as items A2, A7, B3 and B5. The EFA factors shows that the participant had ease time to
learn the new knowledge of Microsoft Power Point. Other than that, the participants showed
satisfaction with the use of Microsoft Power Point which comprised two items A3 and C1 and
categorize as factor 4 which conclude that the participants have high interest in learning IT skill.

Table 4: Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Post MP course

items in use of Microsoft Power Point

Post MP Course Items EFA Factor

Factor 1 (interesting and useful):

A1 0.593
A5 0.763
A6 0.701
B1 0.547
B2 0.775
B4 0.655
C3 0.657
Factor2(challenge and sharing):
A4 0.572
A8 0.845
A9 0.741
C2 0.796
Factor 3 (know and easy):
A2 0.589
A7 0.823
B3 0.661
B5 0.781
Factor 4 (learning interest):
A3 0.668
C1 0.833
Discussion
Impact of Microsoft Power Point among study samples
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of learning Microsoft Power Point among HIV
Orphanage Children. The results show that this program give impact to the HIV orphan children
where the number of participants with high understanding increase 80% from 4 participant to 20
participants in Post-workshop questionnaire.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the impact of learning Microsoft Power Point among the HIV orphan children
is high. With Microsoft Power Point, can gives high impact on effective of interest, unleash
potential and share the knowledge among HIV orphan children. The study found that impact
of Microsoft Power point is different among the participant. Although, the Microsoft Power
Point workshop provides advantageous and knowledge, the finding showed much more
positive impact indicated from the impact result to the participants.
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