The Effectiveness of Teacher’s Presentation Skills in Communication Through Television Classes in Bangladesh

The Effectiveness of Teacher’s Presentation Skills in Communication Through Television Classes in Bangladesh

Tamanna Mustary Mou

University of Nottingham, Bangladesh

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803246S

Received: 15 July 2024; Revised: 31 July 2024; Accepted: 05 August 2024; Published: 07 September 2024

ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions, especially in education, affecting 90% of the world’s students. In Bangladesh, where many children lack internet access, the government introduced nationwide Television Classes to ensure continued education. While TV is more accessible, the one-way communication strategy poses significant challenges to student engagement, underscoring the urgency of the issue. Effective presentation skills of teachers became crucial to making these classes interactive and comprehensible. In Bangladesh, achieving educational equality through inclusive education requires unique and engaging TV lessons. However, remote learning has drawbacks, such as hindering regular practice and long-term adverse effects when students return to school. To mitigate this, teachers must innovate and update their roles to maintain students’ connection to learning. Television Classes aimed to bridge the gap between teachers and students during the pandemic, proving a valuable tool for reaching marginalized learners. The effectiveness of these classes depends heavily on teachers’ presentation skills. This study examined how well teachers communicated with students through TV Classes, using a mixed-method approach of qualitative and quantitative analyses. The research explored the imperfections in teachers’ communication skills and highlighted the importance of effective presentation. The literature review and theoretical discussions provided insights from academic staff, administrators, and managers on the necessity of practical presentation skills, emphasizing the crucial role of the audience. The study concluded that enhancing these skills is vital for teacher-student interaction in distance learning. By improving presentation skills, education practitioners can better fulfill their teaching roles, manage their responsibilities, and exhibit strong leadership, ensuring quality education through Television Classes during and beyond the pandemic.

Keywords: Presentation skills, communication, television classes, COVID-19 and education.

INTRODUCTION

The education system in Bangladesh is undergoing significant changes in teacher’s presentation skills. Focusing on interactive strategies in education, an instructional leader’s communicative approach is essential in the classroom to create a workable teaching-learning environment [1]. Therefore, the research aimed to determine how presentation skills in Communication may turn traditional learning into student-centered learning. Here, two areas of Presentation have been focused on to enhance Communication in education: firstly, the Verbal Presentation of a teacher in visual media, i.e., Television and secondly, the art of Presentation in terms of interaction with the student’s using technology. Teachers are now abandoning traditional teaching and adopting technology-based teaching strategies [2]. Most prominently, technology-based classes emphasize the outside wall performance of students, which conventionally happens within the four-walled classroom [3]. With the advancement of modern presentation approaches and technological involvement in education, this study has focused on the TV classes taught by teachers in Bangladesh and directed by the Ministry of Education (MoE). Application of Information and Communication Technology such as Television, Radio, and multimedia computer software are indispensable tools for teachers in the modern era.

During this pandemic, the Bangladesh government declared that all educational institutions were closed indefinitely, and live television classes have become the only way to continue the study of learners of all levels confined to their homes. Television has facilitated thousands of schools and teachers around the country to quickly turn to virtual distance learning, as it offers a similar prolific setting as their traditional classroom environment. Moreover, since this unpredictable situation of the recent pandemic hurts student’s mental health, Television as a media of recreation can play the role of a survivor in the educational life of our students. Ellis (1994), points out that practicing challenging assignments and tasks motivates learners [4]. With the assistance of skill in equipment, learners can be dynamic, proactive, self-motivated, and occupied in the learning process. Keeping that in mind, the government of Bangladesh offers an effective remote learning program that uses national Television to reach several students. Government employees at the Department of Education have conducted this television learning to assist remote classes. As a result, teachers urgently started alternative ways to teach and to help the students by rebuilding routines for teaching via technology. Unlike the typical lecture-based classroom, this interactive way of teaching with technology through Television facilitates learning [5]. It allows recording the lecture on a personal device; the recorded class will be found on the National Broadcasting webpage when necessary. However, to take a more critical look at the outcome of Television teaching, this study has facilitated the new idea of virtual classrooms, distance learning, and schooling from home through a live interactive teaching-learning process. Focused on the presentation capacity of a teacher in TV Class, Television, as one of the tools of ICTs, has been recognized as a critical force in addressing the quality component of the education system. Attractive e-learning surroundings in schools and distance learning through TV, radio, cell phones, and the internet have dramatically increased during the last few years. The study aims to explore how teachers’ art of Presentation may encourage students to engage in interactive Communication. Moreover, this study will focus on the challenges teachers face in conducting TV classes and how entertainment with compelling presentation skills in a communicative classroom works as a powerful force to draw keen attention among learners.

METHODOLOGY AND MATERIALS

The research was conducted at the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) under the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. An authorized representative approved the data-generating activities involved in the research study, with permission sought from the Deputy Director (Administration) of DSHE. This study explored the importance of teachers’ presentation skills in TV classes, emphasizing the communication between students and teachers.

A mixed-method approach was employed to comprehensively understand the research questions, as this combination yields more complete results than either method alone. The participants in the survey and interview were those involved in conducting TV classes from the beginning. Creswell (2013) noted [6], “Mixed methods can ensure greater scholarly interaction and enrich the experiences of researchers as different perspectives illuminate the issues being studied.” Dawson (2006) also highlighted that mixed-method research involves collecting, analyzing, and combining both quantitative (e.g., experiments, surveys) and qualitative (e.g., focus groups, interviews) data [7].

A close-ended survey was first conducted to capture the overall picture, followed by an interview schedule to gain a deeper, more logical understanding of the findings. A mixed-method research approach collected data on teachers’ presentation skills. This involved both a closed-ended questionnaire survey and an open-ended interview schedule. Participants were selected purposively based on survey data, considering time convenience, participant interest, and accessibility.

Thirty participants actively involved in the TV Class initiative introduced by DSHE were chosen to represent the entire population engaged in the TV class procedure. The data collection included:

• A closed-ended questionnaire survey involving five research officers, 10 Assistant Directors, 10 Deputy Directors, and five Managers of the TV Classes.
• Semi-structured interviews with two teachers, two administrators, two higher officials, two managers, and two TV class specialists.

This comprehensive approach ensured a thorough evaluation of presentation skills within the context of the TV Classes. For the survey questionnaire, there are ten close-ended questions on hand on a separate sheet of paper where the participants must choose any option among 4 Likert questions. The interview schedule asked the interviewees to answer a semi-structured interview question. At the same time, the deep thoughts, keen observation and significant recommendations on the Presentation skills of the teachers in communication with the students in TV Classes were noted for collecting valuable data for this research study. Ten interviews were conducted with the officers involved in educational administration, management, experts and TV Class teachers to get authentic data. In an interview, teachers who taught in TV classes and officers working in education administration at DSHE comprised the population of the interviewees, depending on their availability from the sample group.

The research ethics were approved by the University of Nottingham Malaysia authority before the study commenced. The research objectives should be clearly communicated to participants to address ethical concerns regarding the teachers’ presentation skills, ensuring transparency and honesty. To minimize potential risks, fostering a relationship of trust through additional visits and in-depth discussions is essential. General information sheets and consent forms were obtained from participants before conducting surveys and interviews. Participants unwilling to continue can withdraw at any time, before or during the research. The names and identities of respondents will not be disclosed without their explicit consent. Due to the ongoing pandemic, direct contact with participants poses a hazard. Therefore, telephone interviews or Zoom calls have been arranged for participants in remote locations to mitigate the risk of face-to-face interactions.

Data Collection and Analysis:

In the Purposive Sampling, at least 30 participants were surveyed using the survey questionnaire to gather quantitative data. In this research, the participants were asked to answer a short survey questionnaire to obtain statistics based on the presentation skills of teachers and the communicative approach to interactive teaching- learning in TV Classes. Later on, interviewees were selected based on the participants’ responses, based on an analysis of survey data, depending on their response, which indicates the critical point in finding out the result of the research questions. Interviews were conducted using semi-structured questions to find out the opinions of ten interviewees, to determine the level of insight of the research questions, and to come up with recommendations. “The population and subject of the data analyses are helpful for the better generation of in-depth knowledge, which will provide context for answering the intended research question” [8]. Quantitative research is usually used by social scientists, including communication researchers, to examine observable facts or incidents affecting individuals. “In this qualitative analysis (Triangulation of data), descriptive and inductive analysis is observed after gathering the data. Step-by-step planning in qualitative research has been followed by formulating a research questionnaire and interview questions for opinion by discussion [9]. The collected data were analyzed descriptively and statistically. The expected outcome content will be presented in a tabular/graph/bar chart form with a detailed explanation of those graphs, charts and tables.

RESULTS

Quantitative Data Analysis:

Table 1: Teacher’s presentation skill vs attitude of the learners.

The survey questionnaire results show that teachers’ presentation skills are so weak in TV Classes that communication with the students becomes less interactive. Table 1 reveals that the teachers’ presentation skills influence students’ attendance and interest in TV classes. Specifically, 70% of participants rated the teachers’ presentation skills as poor, 25% as moderately good, and 5% as excellent. There is a clear correlation between teachers’ presentation quality and student attendance: only 20% of students attended classes with poor presentations, 60% with good presentations, and 80% with excellent presentations. This indicates that the teachers’ presentation skills significantly impact students’ participation and attitude in TV classes.

Table 2: Requirement of training to develop presentation skills teachers.

Table 2 shows that out of 30 survey respondents, 25% agreed on proper training facilities to improve TV class teachers’ presentation skills, which affect teacher-student communication. Over 80% of respondents emphasized the importance of presentation skills in visual media, while 5% highlighted other teaching-learning activities as well. This indicates that proper training facilities are crucial for enhancing teachers’ presentation skills for practical TV class lectures.

Figure 1: Outcome of presentation skill.

Figure 1 illustrates a positive relationship between training facilities and teachers’ communication competence in visual media. High levels of training improve presentation skills by 83%, while medium levels lead to a 60% decrease, and low levels result in a 40% deterioration. Thus, enhanced training significantly boosts teachers’ communication competence, benefiting learners. The figure shows that increasing training facilities leads to continuous improvement in teachers’ presentation skills, enhancing the learning environment in TV classes.

Figure 2: Teaching with technology.

Figure 2 indicates that only 10% of the teachers are habituated to using technology, whereas 30% use technology very often in the classroom. Unfortunately, many teachers never feel the necessity of teaching with technology in TV Classes. For this reason, in most cases, the performance of the TV Class teachers was not outstanding.

Figure 3: Challenges in TV class presentation.

Figures 3 and 4 present a comparative study between faulty-structured and ideal presentations. Figure 3 highlights an imbalance in presentation skills, with content delivery (60%) dominating, while pronunciation (10%), body language (10%), and technological intervention (20%) receive minor attention.

Figure 4: Ideal presentation skill.

This imbalance challenges effective presentation. Conversely, Figure 4 depicts an ideal presentation where equal emphasis is placed on content analysis (25%), body language (25%), pronunciation (25%), and technological knowledge (25%). This balanced approach results in a more interactive and successful TV class performance.

Qualitative Data Analysis:

Through the analysis of the information collected from the interviews, the results expected as in TV Class, the compelling presentation skills attract the attention of the learner more than the traditional way of communication in a lecture-based class. The interview schedule was analyzed thematically based on the interviewee’s opinion while answering the questions during the scheduled interview. The research findings are significant for the teachers and students to improve the teaching-learning atmosphere. The ability to connect with the audience and confidently engage with the students with a well-structured message and appropriate presentation skills is required. This statement was clear to most of the participants during the interview. Student engagement in a class entirely depends on the effective presentation skill of the teacher. Interviewee ‘E’ said, “teachers need superior presentation skills while teaching TV classes because they don’t have enough chance of interacting with students and following their responses. So, the effectiveness of the classes depends largely on teachers’ presentation skills, style and approach.” He also added, “As in TV classes teachers do not have the opportunity to interact with students, the classes mostly tend to be kind of one-way lectures and the main focus of those classes are to disseminate knowledge/information rather than getting learners engaged in processing the information/knowledge.” Lack of practice, insufficient knowledge of Live performance, inappropriate pronunciation, weakness in expression, improper body language, missing eye contact, shyness in technical devices, and little fluency are the main barriers to barriers to successful TV Class presentations. The participants who joined in the interview gave their consent regarding the drawbacks of TV Class presentations. Interviewee “E,” said, “The main weakness is not being able to distinguish between the face-to-face and distance learning modes of teaching. Teachers are pre-occupied with the idea of face-to-face teaching and could not readily adapt to the TV classes. For example, many teachers did lots of white-board writing, which was not needed in TV media as they could show the writings digitally on TV screens.” However, correct pronunciation, avoiding colloquialisms in speaking, perfect body language, and accurate expression are essential to make a class lively. First of all, sufficient training is the prime requirement, said most interview participants. Secondly, technological competence should be increased, and finally, the class content should be more intentional in order to transform the virtual classroom. Interviewee C suggested, “To improve teachers’ presentation Skills, at first they need to change their traditional mind set.  Teacher should prepare themselves to take the class in TV properly. Teachers need to be trained up properly so that they can use the technology smoothly.” Here, the teacher’s mindset and attitude towards technology are vital to most interviewees as they focused on the teacher-student friendly relationship. TV class presentation is a source of entertainment that differs from the traditional teaching system. The teacher of TV Class should act like an adventurous, innovative, imaginative performer of the 21st century who should be a lifelong learner by making the class participatory. As Interviewee’ A’, “The Teachers require 21st-century learning capacity development and the skills, knowledge and understandings. They need 21st-century mindsets as well; be lifelong learners, adventurous, innovative and imaginative; on the other hand, they should be outsiders to traditional learning systems.” On the other hand, the learning environment must be entertaining and attractive to the learners. The Interview’ H’ suggested, “A teacher should have comprehensive knowledge of the daily goings-on of the environment. Moreover, he should have the skill of pronouncing words and sentences correctly, exercise story-telling, make fun, and present acceptable jokes appropriate to the situation.” Effective communication largely depends on the confidence level of the teacher in presenting a TV class and the entertainment she/he derives from delivering lectures.

DISCUSSION

When schools were shut down for over a year, television classes helped maintain students’ study routines. Effective teacher presentation skills and technology use ensured interactive learning, bridging educational gaps. Recorded TV class content also provided valuable resources for distance education, supporting remote learners during the pandemic. In Bangladesh, technological approaches have enhanced effective learning and presentation skills among teachers inside and outside the classroom. Effective communication, crucial for expressing emotions and attitudes, has gained prominence with technological advancement and globalization. Interviewees emphasized the importance of teachers’ technological knowledge for conducting TV classes with effective presentation skills. Interviewee ‘B’ highlighted the government’s commitment to building a ‘Digital Bangladesh’ and the collaboration between the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, ICT Division, and the Ministry of Education for TV class broadcasting. ICT’s impact on educational access, quality, and outcomes is notable, improving information access, teacher-student communication, and distance education. “Access to information and knowledge is enhanced; communication network between teacher and students is increased by technological intervention with the opportunity to assist distance education program and quality in teaching and learning can be developed” [10]. Despite these advancements, many teachers remain uncomfortable with technology, facing challenges such as internet unavailability, inadequate devices, and limited ICT knowledge, negatively impacting their attitude towards tech- based education. Interviewee ‘J’ stressed the need for teachers to specialize in technology to communicate with students effectively. The study indicates that TV Class teachers lack the necessary presentation skills to ensure an effective teaching-learning environment. Challenges include inadequate practice, insufficient training, and poor technological understanding. Many teachers are uncomfortable speaking on camera, leading to subpar student interaction. Often, teachers focus solely on content, neglecting essential skills like pronunciation, body language, and technology use. This one-way communication decreases student engagement and attendance. Most interviewees emphasized the importance of training in presentation skills, ICT knowledge, language efficiency, and pedagogy. Recommended courses include communication skills, presentation basics, leadership, technical skills, language efficiency, and pedagogical theory. Teachers’ presentation skills improved significantly with proper training, while lack of training led to decreased effectiveness. Effective teacher training programs enhance communication and presentation skills, which are crucial for successful virtual teaching. The current training methods are outdated, highlighting the need for modern, interactive programs tailored to TV Class presentations. Improved teacher training positively impacts the educational environment by fostering skilled presenters, enhancing technological access, and strengthening student-teacher communication. Overall, effective communication and presentation skills are vital for teachers in the 21st century, both in virtual and real-life contexts. Most interviewees acknowledge that teachers have not fully adopted interactive presentation skills, adhering instead to traditional lecture-based teaching. Awareness of various teaching approaches, especially in distance learning, is lacking. Some interviewees argue against student interaction, stating that TV classes are primarily one-way lectures focused on disseminating knowledge. Teachers must enhance interactive presentation skills to bridge this gap and foster effective student communication. Interviewee ‘C’ emphasizes the importance of adapting to interactive presentation skills, citing the need for proper training. It is widely accepted that interactive presentation skills can positively influence the learning management system, enhance the teaching environment, capture students’ attention, make education more engaging, and strengthen teacher-student relationships. As Carrol (2006) suggests, in the theory of Presentation, “presentation skills are the expertise that we need in delivering effective and engaging productions to a variety of audiences [12]. Communication’s most important aspect is shaping content and style in the lecture delivery.” Interactive presentation skills help teachers become icons who not only deliver lessons but also impart communication skills to students. This approach aims to achieve educational objectives like creativity, critical thinking, social commitment, employability, and morality. The presentation skill of a teacher is liable to deliver the appropriate information to the students eager to learn. Good presentation skills depend on strategies, as Garner suggested in the Public Speaking Principles, to face fears and regain self-confidence to tap the full potential of verbal and nonverbal communication [13]. Teachers should follow those strategies to overcome the weaknesses. He also indicated the factors that help to create a strong charismatic presentation [13]. Effective presentation skills include self-assurance, clear pronunciation, voice modulation, and engaging class content. Supported by audio-visual materials, virtual learning offers new ways to gather knowledge and improve listening skills, speaking fluency, pronunciation, and overall communication. Diverse educational content on TV can help students discover new resources and programs. Interviewees stress that effective teaching requires a combination of subject knowledge and strong presentation skills, shaping content and style to engage students effectively. Most interviewees expressed concerns about teachers’ Presentation Capacity and Communication Competence in TV Classes. Despite their subject knowledge, teachers must improve their presentation skills through practice and training. Suggested methods for skill enhancement include workshops and seminars. As interviewee B emphasized, effective communication between teachers and students is crucial: “To communicate with the students is the prime necessity while teaching [14].” This encompasses content delivery, language efficiency, and various communication skills. Effective communication is essential for constructive teaching and mirrors the learning theory of constructivism, where the teacher is a model for students. Interviewee ‘I’ highlighted using IEC Materials to measure presentation effectiveness, stressing clear and simple information delivery. Good communication fosters a strong teacher-student bond, with Guffey, Rogin, and Rhodes (2009) noting the importance of shared meaning in communication [15]. Hanh et al. pointed out that communication is an innate ability that needs enhancement. Communication plays a significant role in solving all problems in some form or fashion” [16]. By knowing how to communicate with others properly, many of the problems in life can be solved. So, Communication is not just talking or reading; listening, speaking, and writing are the most important parts of Communication. Communication skills help me learn new things academically and personally. It pointed out the same idea as Blackstone: “Communication is an innate ability in everyone which requires some effort to be enhanced” [17]. So, it is necessary to nurture the essential skills for good Communication. The flipped classroom model, which uses classroom time for deeper exploration while introducing new themes outside class, is proposed for TV Classes. This approach can help bridge learning gaps due to the pandemic. However, TV Classes have drawbacks, such as the inability of students to ask questions and time constraints. Self-motivation, technological knowledge, and understanding of teacher interaction dynamics are essential. Interviewees J and Tina Shaffer (2018) emphasized the benefits of project-based learning in TV classes, which enhances various skills like creativity, critical thinking, and self-confidence [18]. TV Classes also improve listening skills and vocabulary. Kabooha et al. (2016) highlighted the positive impact of watching movies on language acquisition [19]. Despite these benefits, TV is often associated with entertainment rather than learning. Effective TV teaching requires strong presentation skills from teachers. Interviewee ‘I’ suggested that teachers must reskill and upskill their knowledge to deliver lessons effectively.

Limitations of the study: In this study, privacy and confidentiality were maintained while dealing with the participants. Honesty, transparency, or fairness are considered with the utmost care to preserve the rights of the local stakeholders. Further research could be done to explore the scope and appropriateness of TV class presentations to make distance learning more attractive, reach more students, and reduce the learning gaps of disadvantaged learners.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Although distance learning is not always enjoyable, it was an immediate solution to keep school-going students engaged academically during the pandemic. Practical teacher presentation skills are crucial for successful communication and enjoyable distance education. Teaching with technology, like multimedia and Power Point, helps teachers enhance these skills, making learning more interactive and student-centred. The Bangladesh government introduced TV Classes to continue education from home, supported by various educational bodies and the Access to Information (A2i) program. The success of these classes depends on teachers’ presentation skills and ability to create an engaging learning environment. Teachers should motivate students to be independent and active learners using real-life examples and interactive methods. Professional training for teachers on presentation and communication skills is essential to improve TV Class effectiveness. Collaboration between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the ICT Division is needed to implement better and broadcast TV Classes. Enhanced teacher-student interaction and the use of technology are vital to advancing quality education in Bangladesh.

Funding: No funding sources.

Conflict of interest: None declared.

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