Prensky (On the Horizon 9:1–6, 2001a, b) and
other proponents of the concept of ‘digital natives’ claim
that the current generation of undergraduates possesses
advanced knowledge and skills in Information Communication
Technologies and is highly motivated to learn in this
mode. In contrast, there are studies that revealed a variation
in the levels of students’ access and a greater tendency to
use it for social rather than academic purposes. This suggests
that the concept of ‘digital natives’ need further
investigation. Studies undertaken on digital natives in
Malaysia have generally shown that students are receptive
to technology use in learning English; however, no study
has clearly delineated the characteristics of Malaysian
‘digital natives’. Thus, the present study intends to fill this
gap in knowledge by exploring Malaysian ‘digital natives’
usage of technologies in terms of extent of use, perceived
usefulness and perceived ease of use and the influence of
learning styles on this usage by juxtaposing the Technology
Acceptance Model with Willing’s learning styles
construct. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data
which were analysed quantitatively. The findings support
those of other studies undertaken in other countries. The
students only used common technological tools such as
emails and Facebook and generally had positive perceptions
of the usefulness and ease of use of technology in the

EB00000002242K

Available

• A Clamour for More Technology in Universities: What Does an Investigation into the ICT Use and Learning Styles of Malaysian ‘Digital Natives’ Tell Us?