Abstract
This study sought to investigate the impact of using Cambly, a computer-mediated communication tool, on the speaking proficiency of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Further, it aimed to explore the participants’ perceptions of using Cambly. The study employed an experimental design featuring a mixed-methods approach to data collection that involved pre- and post-testing of the participants’ speaking proficiency as well as semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The study sample consisted of 28 EFL university students who were divided into the control and experimental groups. The participants in the experimental group used Cambly to conduct audio calls with native speakers of English over a period of 4 weeks. The quantitative analysis of the participants’ speaking proficiency tests revealed no significant differences between the experimental and control groups’ post-test scores. Moreover, no significant differences were found between the experimental group’s pre- and post-test scores. The qualitative analysis of the participants’ interviews revealed that the use of Cambly had a positive influence on their speaking proficiency, motivation, anxiety level, speaking opportunities, autonomy, social relationships, and cultural awareness.
Highlights
Reaching a satisfactory level in relation to the speaking component of second language (L2) learning is difficult, especially in a foreign context
CMC tools were first used in the linguistics field in the 1980s (Warschauer, 1996), with the associated process being defined by Herrings (1996) as “communication that takes place between human beings via the instrumentality of computers” (p. 1)
The use of Cambly had a positive influence on the speaking proficiency of the participants in the experimental group, this influence was not significantly noticeable when compared with the control group or even with the experimental group’s pre-test scores
Summary
Reaching a satisfactory level in relation to the speaking component of second language (L2) learning is difficult, especially in a foreign context. In such a context, students’ lack of exposure to authentic language in a natural environment can lead to deficiencies in terms of their L2 speaking proficiency (Alharbi, 2015; Nowrozi, 2011; Yen, Hou, & Chang, 2015). The prior studies that have investigated the effectiveness of different CMC tools in terms of improving users’ L2 speaking skills can be divided into two categories based on the type of CMC tool used: studies that used synchronous CMC tools and studies that used asynchronous CMC tools
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