The article presents a pedagogical experience with a course of undergraduate students from various programs. The main objectives were to improve their oral skills in English, increase their self-confidence, reduce language-specific anxiety, and provide individual prospective feedback. An action research design was employed, adhering to the…

Measurement of language learners' development in speaking proficiency is important for practicing language teachers, not only for assessment purposes, but also for evaluating the effectiveness of materials and approaches used. However, doing so effectively and efficiently presents challenges. Commercial speaking tests are often costly, and beyond…

In this single-case study with a quasi-experimental design, we set out to examine the role of two input-based features of the language learning app Duolingo on learners' development of implicit and explicit second language (L2) knowledge. We investigated the effect of Duolingo's Stories feature and Podcast feature on two Spanish-L2 learners'…

While several studies support the appropriateness of tasks delivered through Spoken Dialog Systems (SDSs) for L2 oral communication assessment, few studies have explored the construct of interactional competence (IC) as measured by such tasks. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by investigating the use of IC features by high-…

This study adopted an action research design to analyze the contribution of the Elevator Pitch technique on English as foreign language learners' oral fluency. Six 11th graders in a rural at-risk context in a vocational public high school in Hualqui, Chile participated in this study. The Elevator Pitch technique was implemented during seven…

The study aimed to examine the effect of using Blended Content-Based Instruction (BCBI) to enhance EFL university students' oral communication skills. The study begins with a review of literature and previous studies dealing with blended content-based instruction (BCBI) and oral communication skills. The researcher prepared a list of oral…

Working with peers in small groups is conducive to learning, and collaborative learning has been widely adopted in second language classrooms. Leadership, defined as the initiative taken to influence others in a group, plays a significant role in successful teamwork, but has not received due attention in research on collaborative peer work. To…

This study investigated 11 Taiwanese elementary school English teachers' designs and implementations of design thinking lessons. The analysis of qualitative data (lesson plans, observations, interviews) and quantitative data (questionnaire) reached the following major findings. Firstly, English teachers considered their design thinking instruction…

University education must respond to social demands and adapt to the needs of students in the teaching-learning process. This article reports on a study that focuses on how a teaching proposal based on the flipped classroom has an impact on grammar learning and on the development of oral skills at tertiary education. The main objectives of this…

This study applies Activity Theory to describe and analyze an out-of-school project in which eight Chinese university students utilized a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) to learn English. Based on data collected through questionnaires, gaming journals, gaming recordings and interviews, thematic analysis was performed to identify the…

Intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) are a valuable tool in language learning because they provide opportunities for authentic interaction. However, their effectiveness, compared with that of human interlocutors, in facilitating second and foreign language interaction has not been explored. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of IPAs…

Speaking skills are considered one of the most crucial skills in learning English as they lay the foundation for effective communication and language acquisition. Proficiency in speaking enables young learners to express themselves, convey ideas, and communicate effectively. This quasi-experimental research aims to investigate the effect of board…

The assessment of English speaking in EFL environments can be inherently subjective and influenced by various factors beyond linguistic ability, including choice of assessment criteria, and even the rubric type. In classroom assessment, the type of rubric recommended for English speaking tasks is the analytical rubric. Driven by three aims, this…

The present study aims to investigate how social media can influence the development of oral skills in 60 students from a higher education institution in Peru. In this regard, mixed-methods research was conducted, with pre and post-tests, to evaluate the before and after of implementing a program that involved uploading videos recorded by the…

During the last decades, global interest in learning English as a foreign language has increased, encouraging countries to include it in school education. This trend was followed by the Chilean Ministry of Education, which suggests teaching English based on a communicative approach starting in early childhood education. To foster students'…