Proficient Speakers Research Articles

The Role of Social Media in Enhancing English Language Proficiency

In today's interconnected world, social media has emerged as a dynamic and influential platform that transcends geographical boundaries. Beyond its primary function of communication and networking, social media has increasingly played a pivotal role in the realm of education, particularly in enhancing English language proficiency. This abstract delves into the multifaceted ways in which social media contributes to the improvement of English language skills. The accessibility and ubiquity of social media platforms provide learners with a plethora of opportunities to engage with the English language. From reading articles and watching videos to participating in discussions and joining language-focused groups, individuals can immerse themselves in an English-rich environment that complements traditional language learning methods. Social media fosters interactive learning experiences. Through online language exchange partnerships, learners can connect with native speakers or proficient speakers of English, enabling realtime practice and feedback. Additionally, language learning applications and educational communities on platforms such as Facebook and Reedit facilitate collaborative learning and resource sharing. The gamification of language learning on social media adds an element of fun and motivation. Apps and challenges that encourage users to complete language-related tasks, quizzes, or word-of-the-day exercises create an engaging and enjoyable learning process. The social aspect of social media cannot be overlooked. Engaging with a global audience on platforms like Twitter or Instagram allows learners to explore diverse linguistic nuances and cultural contexts, thereby enriching their language skills. Engaging in discussions, commenting on posts, and even creating content in English contribute to language development. Social media analytics tools provide learners with valuable insights into their progress. Tracking language proficiency growth through language-learning apps or data analysis of social media interactions enables learners to set and achieve specific language goals. Social media has evolved into a powerful ally for those seeking to excel in the English language. This transformation underscores the adaptability of language learning in the digital age, opening new avenues for effective andenjoyable language acquisition.

Relationship Between Proficiency and Interference in Second Language

Bilingualism is viewed as alternative use of two languages in day-to-day context. Earlier views of bilingualism assumed the bilinguals to have equal proficiency in L1 as well as L2, while the recent views in bilingualism suggests that a bilingual can have competence to any degree in his/her second language. The competence factor is also called proficiency. In individuals who have limited proficiency, the domain language is believed to exert interference on the weaker language. Interference can be of two main types lexical interference and grammatical interference. Lexical interference is manifested through borrowing, while grammatical determined through incorrect subject-verb agreement and incorrect usage of PNG markers. The study aimed at determining the relationship between interference and proficiency levels on conversation, narration and picture description tasks. 40 participants were considered for the study, LEAP Q was administered on these participants and they were divided into high and low proficient speakers based on rating on LEAP Q. The results suggested that the interference was more for low proficiency group in regard to both grammatical as well as lexical interference. The amount of interference did not vary much with respect to the three different linguistic tasks.

The Difference in the Speaking Proficiency in English between the Students of the English Medium Schools in Mohammadpur Area (New Dhaka) and in Postogola-Sutrapur Area (Old Dhaka): A study

We expect that the students of English medium schools are good and fluent in English than the students of Bengali medium schools in Bangladesh, and usually we find them as per our expectation. But in some cases we do not find it true. The students of the English medium schools of Mohammadpur area in Dhaka are fluent enough in English but the students of the English medium schools in Postogola-Sutrapur area of Old Dhaka are not. In this study, I have explored the fact that there is a big difference in the speaking proficiency in English between the students of the two areas. Not only this, the research work has found out that the socio-economic factors of the two areas are mainly responsible for this condition. We see in the study that the educational and the social-cultural and economic backgrounds of the parents and teachers of the two areas are different. We also see how these factors affect achieving the speaking proficiency in English. The study suggested the measures to improve the speaking proficiency of the students of Postogola-Sutrapur area staying in the existing socio-cultural and economical frame, as it is not possible to change the social and economic scenario of the area within a short time.

Communicative language teaching: Structure-Based or Dynamic Usage-Based?

Although communicative language teaching (CLT) was thought to have revolutionized classroom practice, there are “weak” and “strong” versions (Howatt, 1984). Most foreign language classrooms in the world still favor weak versions with structure-based (SB) views on language (Lightbown & Spada, 2013), and practice in the Netherlands is not much different (West & Verspoor, 2016). However, a small group of teachers in the Netherlands started teaching French as a second language with a strong CLT program in line with Dynamic Usage-Based (DUB) principles. Rather than focusing on rule learning and explicit grammar teaching to avoid errors, the DUB program takes the dynamics of second-language development into consideration and focuses on the three key elements of usage-based theory: frequency, salience and contingency. These translate into a great deal of exposure, repetition, learning the meaning of every single word through gestures, and presenting whole chunks of language, all without explicit grammar teaching. This study aims to compare the effects of the SB and DUB instructional programs after three years. We traced the second-language development of 229 junior high school students (aged 12 to 15) learning French in the Netherlands over three years. The participants took three oral tests over the course of three years (568 interviews) and wrote seven narratives on the same topic (1511 narratives). As expected, the DUB approach, which is in line with a strong CLT version, was more effective in achieving proficiency in both speaking and writing and equally effective in achieving accuracy.

Dependability and utility of using e-portfolios in assessing EFL learners’ speaking proficiency

Regarding the whispered use of technology in instruction and assessment of language skills, the present study investigates the effect of e-portfolio assessment on EFL learners’ speaking proficiency. To this end, 60 intermediate students were randomly selected and homogenized to participate in the study. Samples of the IELTS speaking tests were then administered as the criterion for assessing the learners’ speaking ability in the pre- and post-test over a ten-week period. In both groups (control and experimental), the students had discussions on the given topics and the instructor evaluated their performance. Only in the experimental group, however, the students tracked their progress by keeping e-portfolios. The performances of the learners in both groups were rated based on the IELTS speaking band descriptors; paired samples and independent samples t-tests were run to determine the impact of the treatment. In addition, the learners responded to an attitude questionnaire and attended an interview to express their attitudes toward using e-portfolios in their speaking classes. The findings showed that not only using e-portfolio assessment improved the learners’ overall speaking proficiency significantly but it also improved the students’ positive attitudes toward its use as a learning and assessment tool. Moreover, the potential bias of the functionality of e-portfolios and the dependability of the findings were checked through running differential item (DIF) functioning and generalizability analyses, both suggesting the utility of the findings.

The Relationship between Native and Foreign Language Speaking Proficiency in University Students

Background. There are many factors that affect the development of speaking in a foreign language. Drawing on the theories that state that competencies established in a native language will transfer across foreign languages, this study examines whether there is a relationship between native and foreign language speaking proficiency.
 Purpose. Although literature research indicates that native and foreign language acquisition processes are interrelated, there is a lack of studies comparing proficiency levels of native and foreign language speaking skills in adult learners. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between speaking competences in English as a Foreign Language and Czech as a Native Language in university students. 
 Methods. A between-group design was used to compare two groups of fifty university students at two different levels of their speaking proficiency in English. Both groups were tested in speaking in Czech. Each test was assessed by an analytical rating scale examining four speaking sub-skills: accuracy, discourse, content and paralinguistics. The scores were analyzed using the F-Test for Equality of Variances and T-Test for the Differences between the Means.
 Results. The results showed that the group with the lower level of speaking proficiency in English achieved significantly worse scores for their speaking sub-skills in Czech than the group with the higher level of speaking proficiency in English.
 Implications. The study offers another piece of empirical evidence in support of the theories that state that competencies established in a native language will transfer across foreign languages and suggests the importance of the development of native language competence with regard to later proficiency in a foreign language.

The effectiveness of communicative language approach in enhancing English speaking skills of EFL adult learners in Egypt

This research aims at investigating the effectiveness of using communicative activities in developing the English speaking ability of Egyptian college students. The study adopted the quasi-experimental pretest- posttest control group design. A group of 40 first year college students were selected from a private university in Cairo in the Academic year 2016- 2017 (20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group). Students of the experimental group were taught by means of the proposed program of the current study; while students in the control group received regular instruction. The equipment and materials consisted of a pre-posttest administered to both groups before and after the treatment and an analytic speaking rubric for assessment. Quantitative data collected were statistically analyzed to validate the research hypotheses. Results of data analysis revealed that the experimental group students outperformed their control group counterparts in overall speaking proficiency. There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group on the pre-posttest in favor of the post- test scores.

The effectiveness of communicative language approach in enhancing English speaking skills of EFL adult learners in Egypt

This research aims at investigating the effectiveness of using communicative activities in developing the English speaking ability of Egyptian college students. The study adopted the quasi-experimental pretest- posttest control group design. A group of 40 first year college students were selected from a private university in Cairo in the Academic year 2016- 2017 (20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group). Students of the experimental group were taught by means of the proposed program of the current study; while students in the control group received regular instruction. The equipment and materials consisted of a pre-posttest administered to both groups before and after the treatment and an analytic speaking rubric for assessment. Quantitative data collected were statistically analyzed to validate the research hypotheses. Results of data analysis revealed that the experimental group students outperformed their control group counterparts in overall speaking proficiency. There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group on the pre-posttest in favor of the post- test scores.

KRITERIA PENILAIAN PADA SIMULASI UJIAN STANDAR KEMAMPUAN BERBAHASA JERMAN BERBASIS CEFR MODUL BERBICARA INTERAKTIF (SPRECHEN)

An examination is the only way to best measure, recognize and document the performance of learning. In the opinion of Funk et. al. (2020: 3), a new textbook implements the requirements of the expanded Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages. This shows that knowledge of the assessment criteria, as well as skills in applying them, are very important for examiners to be able to make an accurate assessment of the following elements: (1) content; (2) expression, fluency; (3) vocabulary, socio-cultural aspects; (4) aspects of syntax, grammar; and (5) phonetic aspects. It is therefore very important for one to have knowledge of the rules and regulations regarding the assessment criteria required to administer the CERF-based speaking proficiency exam.

The Positive Effects of Problem-Based Learning Activities Toward Indonesian EFL Learners' Productive Language Skills

Abstract
 With the rapid globalization occurring all around the globe, educational landscapes also underwent some dramatic shifts in terms of teaching methods, policy-makers, and school culture. One of those indispensable trajectories that need to be taken into account by EFL educators is the pedagogical approach. Since learners no longer learn directly from one-on-one interaction with their teachers, it has been high time for educationalists to supersede their teaching-centered with the student-centered learning approach. In Indonesian EFL productive language learning contexts; speaking and writing, it is strongly believed that problem-based learning activities will enable learners to be more confident, autonomous, spirited, and proficient speakers as well as writers. This present qualitative study was plied in the support of document analysis by integrating 30 prior problem-based learning studies held in our archipelago in order to encourage Indonesian ELT experts, practitioners, and policy-makers to start to incorporate this student-centered learning approach in their both speaking and writing learning vicinities. The obtained results revealed 3 positive L2 productive language-learning merits potentially promoted by problem-based learning activities namely: 1) Learners can be more productive L2 academicians, (2) Learners transformed into more high quality and autonomous L2 writers, and (3) Learners progressively became more confident as well as proficient L2 speakers. Following all of these 3 core beneficial productive L2 learning values, contextual, hands-on, and pleasurable problem-based learning design should be well established at the commencement of speaking and writing learning activities to disseminate more holistic learning outcomes progressively for learners.
 Keywords: Problem-based learning, Indonesian EFL Learners, speaking, writing

Revisiting the moderating effect of speaker proficiency on the relationships among intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness in L2 Spanish

AbstractThis report examines the potential impacts of task and proficiency on listener judgments of intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness in L2 Spanish. This study extends Huensch and Nagle [Language Learning, 71, 626–668, (2021)], who explored the partial independence among the global speech dimensions for speech samples taken from a picture narrative task. Given that the type of speaking task used to elicit speech samples has been shown to impact the strength of the linguistic features contributing to the global speech dimensions and to explore the impact of task on the relationships among the dimensions, the current study followed the same procedure as Huensch and Nagle but employed a task in which participants responded to a prompt based on NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements. The speech samples were elicited from instructed L2 Spanish learners of varying proficiency (n = 42) and were rated by a group of native-speaking Spanish listeners (n = 80) using Amazon Mechanical Turk. In general, the results were consistent with those reported in the initial study indicating a significant, positive, and consistent relationship between comprehensibility and intelligibility and a null relationship between accentedness and intelligibility. The limited differences between the studies’ findings are discussed considering the potential impact of task.

The Use of SILL Oxford on Understanding the Speaking Learning Strategies

Language learning strategies are activities consciously chosen by learners for the purpose of regulating their own language learning, and it has a strong relationship with learning success. On the other hand, employing effective language learning will improve students' achievements. Effective learning strategies are not the preserve of highly capable individuals but could be learned by others who had not discovered them on their own. Speaking skills as one of the majors in learning a language is expected to be mastered by Indonesian students in the globalization era. SILL questionnaire has been used in many countries around the world to investigate strategy use among groups of students of English as a Second or Foreign language. Therefore, this paper showed the relation between the use of SILL Oxford and the speaking learning strategies. The mixed-method approach was employed, and 183 Indonesian students participated in this research. The SILL Oxford questionnaire was adapted in this research in order to find the speaking learning strategies employed by the students. The interviews were conducted to get the students’ reasons as well as confirm the students' strategies and SILL Oxford. The finding showed that most successful Indonesian students employed metacognitive strategies with percentage responses of 72.7% and the affective as the least with a percentage of 56.8%. It was also found that most of them used paying attention, using resources for receiving strategy sending messages, and self-monitoring strategy strategies. The interviews resulted showed that the SILL Oxford result was the same as the students learning strategies. And their reason for choosing the strategies was their awareness of learning asn the importance of English. Therefore, it can be the basis for the students improving their speaking proficiency by applying successful student learning strategies.

Students’ Perceptions on the Use of Group Discussion Method towards English Speaking Proficiency

The researchers place a great deal of emphasis on the Group Discussion Method since it is necessary for students towards their communication proficiency. Communication is an important element to achieve better understanding among communicators. Therefore, this present study aims to discover students’ perception of using the Group Discussion Method towards their proficiency in English speaking. This research relays on a quantitative descriptive research design using a questionnaire to collect data. The questionnaire was distributed online to thirty-four respondents. The respondents are fifth-semester students of the English Language Education Department of Universitas Teknologi Yogyakarta who has learned English speaking using the Group Discussion Method. Data were analyzed using quantitative descriptive perceptions presentation. The research findings indicate that 80% of respondents state that Group Discussions Method is an interactive, friendly, innovative, and interaction-built approach between teacher and students. Besides, it also increases their English speaking proficiency since they are learning in a group where they are required to talk and discuss in English. This research is limited to small-scale respondents; thus, further researchers are recommended to conduct research with wide-scale respondents.

Systematic Literature Review: Investigating Speaking Challenges Among ESL Learners During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Effective verbal communication in the English language poses many challenges for Malaysian students. As English is not their first language, the average Malaysian finds it difficult to attain the required speaking proficiency. COVID has only exacerbated this problem. Moving from a traditional classroom setting to an online one limits cohesive and effective verbal communication between the spreader and listener (s). Both students and teachers had to switch from traditional classroom instruction to online classroom instruction with various devices and technologies as their main means of communication. As a result, this study provides a systematic review of pertinent existing research into Investigating Speaking Challenges among English Language Learners (ESL) in Online Classrooms. We concentrated on 51 articles from the year 2006 to the year 2021, from a few databases. Google Scholar, ERIC, Microsoft Academic, and ResearchGate were referred to. The review begins with a search and scanning of suitable articles related to this study before selection. Most of these articles disclosed speaking challenges and provided positive solutions to overcome them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both students and teachers dealt effectively with psychological issues such as shyness, lack of confidence, and anxiety, as well as technological aspects. Overall, this review gave some insights into the difficulties that ESL students have when they speak, as well as many ways to deal with them when learning online.

English speaking proficiency assessment using speech and electroencephalography signals

<p>In this paper, the English speaking proficiency level of non-native English speakers<br />was automatically estimated as high, medium, or low performance. For this purpose, the speech of 142 non-native English speakers was recorded and electroencephalography (EEG) signals of 58 of them were recorded while speaking in English. Two systems were proposed for estimating the English proficiency level of the speaker; one used 72 audio features, extracted from speech signals, and the other used 112 features extracted from EEG signals. Multi-class support vector machines (SVM) was used for training and testing both systems using a cross-validation strategy. The speech-based system outperformed the EEG system with 68% accuracy on 60 testing audio recordings, compared with 56% accuracy on 30 testing EEG recordings.</p>

Examining the Effectiveness of Instagram Vlogs on Speaking Proficiency of Aerospace Engineering Students

This research aims to show how Instagram vlogs may be used in the classroom as a technological tool. This research mentions the usage of Instagram vlogs to help students improve their speaking skills. The challenges that aerospace engineering students had throughout the speech were described using a case study. Internal factors including language proficiency, motivation, and anxiety were employed to investigate these anxieties. This research involved 49 students. SPSS statistics were used to examine the first instrument (pre-test and post-test) as well as the second instrument (questionnaire). Their speaking abilities had improved, according to the data. The students struggled with correct grammar use, vocabulary choices, and pronunciation as they progressed with their vlogs. When they were vlogging, they were also nervous. On the other hand, they were motivated. This study was reinforced by some of the authors' practices using Instagram vlogs as well as relevant research findings and literature. The research findings revealed that using Instagram vlogs contributed to EFL students improving their speaking skills by increasing fluency, confidence, motivation, and learning new vocabulary.

Problematizing Fluent Speakers’ Unintentional Exclusion of Emergent Bilinguals

In English-medium instruction (EMI) classrooms in Japan, less proficient English speakers are often marginalized, positioned as powerless, and quiet (e.g., Iino, 2019). This situation is problematic for inequitable access to activity and the possible consequences for their identity and emotional wellbeing. However, few studies have examined how exclusion is co- constructed in such a context. This study addresses that lack, illustrating how exclusion is co- constructed by shedding light on the microlevel social interactions in an EMI classroom. In the study, observation notes, students’ weekly journals, and interview data were gathered. The findings show that fast-paced interactions and some gestures made the emergent bilinguals hesitant to participate in the discussions. Also, a mismatch of expectations from both the emergent bilinguals and the fluent speakers suggested that the exclusion was unintentional. An analysis of the findings underscores how social interactions, if not sensitive enough towards less proficient speakers, may cause unintentional exclusion and inflict emotional harm in the classroom.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE TECHNIQUE (BPDT) TO ENHANCE THE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING PROFICIENCY

This research objectives to know students' ability in speaking through the British Parliamentary Debate Technique (BPDT) and how the interest of students of University of Muhammadiyah Bone-in academic year 2021-2022 in speaking skill through the use of BPDT. This study uses a pre-experimental method. The data on the students’ speaking proficiency were collected through the use of BPDT and the students’ interest was measured by a questionnaire. The data acquired were then analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The use of the British Parliamentary Debate Technique (BPDT) in classroom activities significantly improved the speaking proficiency achievement of English students of University of Muhammadiyah Bone. This is all based on the probability value (0.00) which shows it is smaller than the value of the significance level at (0.05).while the students' speaking interest aspect shows a high category based on the students' average score is 81.53

Naturalistic Study Design of the Warm-Up Prompt and Online Planning Effect on Fluency in Informal Dialogues

As many studies on pre-task planning and a few on online planning were designed in experimental settings, this research article offers a naturalistic model for investigating the effect of warm-up prompt and online planning effect on fluency in informal dialogues. Among Skehan’s (1996) three parameters of oral language performance, the researcher focused only on measuring the fluency of two male Indonesian learners of English as a Second Language. The participants were also explicitly prepared for the topic through preconditioning information and warm-up prompts. They were also implicitly allowed to have ‘rapid planning’ (Ochs, 1979) or online planning strategy in response to the questions. Their entire informal conversations were audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed according to Ellis and Barkhuizen’s (2005) scheme of measuring spoken language. The result shows that participants of different proficiencies committed errors of fluency by choice as their online planning strategy. However, the high proficient learner produced fewer errors that the low proficient learner did. They both used the errors for making rapid / online planning to buy time but for two different purposes. The high proficient speaker planned for strategic purposes and formulating a better answer while the low proficient speaker planned mostly for overcoming shortage of vocabularies. The errors were also found to be used in combined format thereby giving the full time-buying benefit for the speakers in their online planning mode.

The impact of intelligent personal assistants on adolescent EFL learners’ speaking proficiency

English speaking is considered the most difficult and anxiety-provoking language skill for EFL learners due to lack of access to authentic language use, fear of making mistakes, and peers’ negative comments. With automatic speech recognition and natural language processing, intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) have potential in foreign language interaction applications. Further empirical research is required to validate the usefulness of IPA interactions in improving EFL speaking skills. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of IPAs, especially IPA feedback presentation mode, on adolescent EFL learners’ speaking proficiency. A total of 88 ninth-grade EFL learners were recruited from three intact classes and randomly divided into two experimental groups (i.e., one using Google Home Hub with multimodal feedback and one using Google Home Mini with audio feedback only) and one control group (that interacted with a teacher and peers in a conventional classroom). Both quantitative (English speaking test results) and qualitative data (semi-structured interview responses) were collected and analyzed in the 10-week study. The results revealed that interacting with Google Assistant through Google Home Hub improved the adolescent EFL learners’ speaking proficiency most markedly. Detailed analyses of the participants’ interviews demonstrated that IPA-mediated interaction (1) added variety and enjoyment to EFL speaking, (2) expanded exposure to English and learner-centered speaking practice with immediate feedback, (3) offered greater authenticity and flexibility in interactions, and (4) encouraged peer collaboration. Furthermore, multimodal presentation of IPA feedback was superior to single-mode presentation in enhancing EFL speaking proficiency. The narration, on-screen text, and graphics were crucial to the EFL learners’ successful interaction with the IPA.