خلاصة:
Language classrooms are occasionally anxiety-breeding situations. Foreign language classroom anxiety which negatively affects foreign language learning is typically associated with productive activities mainly speaking skill. To cope with the issue and overcome language learning difficulties, the present study was conducted to explore the impact of mobile-assisted language learning on enhancing EFL students’ oral proficiency and relieving their speaking anxiety. 60 sophomore female students whose ages ranged from 18 to 24 were selected from Zand University in Shiraz, Iran and randomly divided into two groups. Traditional instruction was adopted to teach both groups for two hours in a week for four months. Out of class, however, they did various speaking activities. The participants in the control group followed their course book speaking activities. But, the experimental group experienced mobile-assisted language learning to do their out-of-class speaking activities via a mobile application (Voice Thread). The Preliminary English Test and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale questionnaire were used to collect the required data. Paired samples t-test results indicated that Voice Thread experience significantly enhanced the participants’ oral proficiency and lowered their foreign language speaking anxiety.these findings provide experimental evidence that Voice Thread can be used as an educational tool to help EFL students to improve their oral proficiency and create their own individual less-threatening language learning environment.
ملخص الجهاز:
To cope with the issue and overcome language learning difficulties, the present study was conducted to explore the impact of mobile-assisted language learning on enhancing EFL students’ oral proficiency and relieving their speaking anxiety.
Paired samples t-test results indicated that Voice Thread experience significantly enhanced the participants’ oral proficiency and lowered their foreign language speaking anxiety.
these findings provide experimental evidence that Voice Thread can be used as an educational tool to help EFL students to improve their oral proficiency and create their own individual less-threatening language learning environment.
They detected a negative correlation between students’ performances in EFL classrooms and their levels of anxiety and concluded that language classrooms are occasionally very anxiety-breeding situations, particularly when students are required to speak in front of their teachers and classmates.
In the same vein, Fariadian, Azizifar, and Gowhary (2014) conducted a case study on Iranian students and concluded that the participants’ pronunciation errors and consequently their levels of anxiety were increased when they were asked to speak spontaneously in front of their teacher and classmates.
To cope with the issues and overcome language learning difficulties, Kompan, Edirisingha, Canaleta, Alsina, and Monguet (2019) asserted that EFL instructors and students explore new methods to integrate technological tools, into language teaching/learning.
The findings obtained from the studies in which the researchers employed ICTs (McIntosh, Braul, & Choe, 2003; Poza,2005) revealed that learners felt more confident while they were speaking in technology-assisted environments.
This experimental research used objective measurments to study the effect off applying mobile-assisted instruction on enhancing participants oral profiency and alleviating their speaking anxiety.