TITLE:
Impact of Videoconference with Native English Speakers on Chinese EFL Learners’ Oral Competence and Self-Confidence
AUTHORS:
Ruiling Lu, Timothy A. Goodale, Yanbing Guo
KEYWORDS:
Synchronous Video Conference; EFL Learners; Oral Skills; Confidence
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.2 No.2,
January
9,
2014
ABSTRACT: This study presents an educational
collaborative project between two colleges in the United States and China.
Forty-five Chinese preservice teachers and 5 American undergraduates
participated in the project which involved a 10-week online synchronous videoconference
between the participants. The project aimed at improving Chinese EFL
learners’ English oral skills as well as their confidence in teaching English
language in future. Quasi-experiment design was employed to evaluate the
effectiveness of the project. Results showed that online synchronous
videoconference with native English speakers did have positive impacts on
Chinese participants’ English pronunciation and oral fluency & coherent.
No significant difference was found in confidence measures. The outcomes of the
project contribute to the relevant literature with an applicable and low-cost
English language training model for EFL learners.