Developing Oral Skills Through Skype: A Language Project Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse L2 usage in the oral interaction between university students from Hong Kong and Spain. With that research focus on mind, we carried out a Skype-mate Language Project, which purpose was to enhance oral communication skills and cultural awareness of students learning English and Spanish as L2. The qualitative methodology used in this analysis was the observation of a series of conversations between Hong-Kong and Spanish undergraduates through Skype, using English and Spanish as their means of communication. Both Skype mates had the same list of topics and questions in both languages, what were their conversation scripts. Interactions had a minimum length of 30 minutes, at least 15 minutes speaking in each language. Video recording of conversations on campus was the technique used to keep evidence of these oral interactions. Once the conversations took place, a quantitative stage would come: all students were required to submit an online questionnaire on their difficulties in understanding. Therefore, this study follows a mixed methodology, where quantitative and qualitative methods are employed. Results show that non-verbal communication was key for mutual understanding when L2 level was low; more proficient speakers explained cultural issues and commented on them. Within such communicative complexity, discursive and cultural issues seem crucial and should be considered in the L2 teaching curriculum.

Social media in EFL teaching

“…Several pilot studies which tested the use of social networking tool for CALL (cf. Bilbatua et al, 2012: Hashemi & Azizinezhad, 2011Juhary, 2012;Lee, 2014;Pop, 2010;Pop et al, 2011;Taillefer & Munoz-Luna, 2014;Tsukamoto et al, 2009;Wiemeyer & Großkurth, forthcoming;Yang & Chen, 2014) reported positive evaluations by learners and highlight the great potential of the Web 2.0 for the EFL classroom. The fact that, thus far, very little attention in the literature on CALL and TBLL has been devoted to practising oral skills using social media-based complex competency tasks indicates that this is an interesting new avenue both for EFL teachers interested in integrating oral communication in CALL and for further (long-term) empirical studies investigating the usefulness of social media in language learning.…”

“…For Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), the free chat programme Skype 4 is often the tool of choice to tackle "the problem of insufficient contact with native language speakers to practice their [the students'] oral conversational skills" (Bilbatua et al, 2012, p. 549). Its use in the EFL classroom is well-documented in the EFL literature (see, for example, Alastuey, 2010;Bilbatua et al, 2012;Eaton, 2010;Elia, 2006;Godwin-Jones, 2005;Hashemi & Azizinezhad, 2011;Taillefer & Munoz-Luna, 2014;Tsukamoto, Nuspliger, & Senzaki, 2009;Yang & Chen, 2014). Skype is a social networking tool which enables real-time communication across the globe in three modes: written, audio or video.…”

“…Social media can promote intercultural awareness and competency through online interactions (Hampel & Hauck, 2006;Taillefer & Munoz-Luna, 2014;Hashemi & Azizinezhad, 2011;Yang & Chen, 2014). Yet, this can also be a challenge since "just as in face-to-face communication, internet users bring with them their own culturally specific communicative norms and modes of behavior, and, in an intercultural exchange, they must determine whether their norms and behaviors are compatible with those of their partners" (Chun, 2011, p. 394).…”

Efl Oral Skills Behavior When Implementing Blended Learning in a Content-Subject Teachers’1 Professional Development Course

“…Skype® worked as a bridge to connect the participants (Taillefer & Munoz-Luna, 2013) so that they were able to share ideas and practice EFL.…”

“…Although Colombian Education Policies consider English language learning as a mandatory subject (Ministerio de Educación Nacional, 2005), there exist limited opportunities to promote the development of oral skills in CSTs who are consistently asked to include English into cross-curricular projects as part of the school program. However, occasions for teachers to practice and interact in EFL with peers are rather poor (Taillefer & Munoz-Luna, 2013). Even though education and technology are working hand in hand in new teaching tendencies, teachers lack the knowledge and skills regarding the use of technological resources (Zandi et al, 2014).…”