USING ONLINE VIDEOS TO IMPROVE SPEAKING ABILITIES OF EFL LEARNERS

Abstract

There is a growing tendency among the researchers about how to assess and improve the ability of speaking. In spite of its complex nature, speaking is generally considered to be the most essential skill to acquire. With the onset of communicative language teaching, this inclination has encouraged researchers to carry out research and make recommendations and implications. This study deals with the productive skills of the prep-class learners within the context of speaking ability. In this sense, this study was designed to investigate the assessment of speaking skills using online videos for EFL learners at Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, School of Foreign Languages. It also examines whether online videos have positive effect on improving speaking skill. The study was carried out with 20 low level students in 5 classes in an English Language Prep-Class at Osmaniye Korkut Ata University in Turkey and 10 of them were chosen for the treatment group. These students were selected in accordance with the results of the first speaking exam in the 2015-2016 academic year. The materials are made up of 5 videos available online. The researchers had the students watch 5 videos respectively within 5 weeks period. These online videos were taken from YouTube, BBC, VOA and TED. The data was analyzed by using t-test in terms of the results of second speaking exam and gender. Results show that those who watched videos improved their speaking ability and scored high than those who didn't, and in view of gender, the girls were more successful than the boys. Thus, it can be concluded that using online videos in classes can be of vital importance and effective in improving EFL learners’ speaking ability.