The Effects of a Shadowing Activity Using Movies on Korean EFL College Learners’ Speaking Skills and Their Affective Attitudes

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of a shadowing activity using movies on Korean English as a Foreign Language (EFL) college students’ speaking skills and their affective attitudes. Over a semester, 138 students participated in the study and were assigned to an experimental group (n = 71) and a control group (n = 67). According to language proficiency, the participants in the experimental group were assigned to advanced, intermediate, and beginner groups. Over a semester, all the experimental groups engaged in a shadowing activity once a week while the control group participated in a traditional speaking activity. For data collection, both pre- and post-speaking tests and pre- and post-experiment questionnaires on affective attitudes were conducted. The results showed that the shadowing activity is more effective than the traditional speaking activity in terms of increasing speaking proficiency. In addition, there was a statistically significant improvement in the speaking proficiency of both the intermediate and beginner groups while there was no statistically significant difference in the speaking proficiency of the advanced group. Furthermore, the shadowing activity significantly improved the confidence, interest, and motivation level of the experimental group. Based on the findings, it is suggested that this shadowing activity using movies can be an effective tool to develop EFL learners’ speaking skills and improve their affective attitudes.